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  • Desperate Measures: Rinsing and Sparging Bottles

    Posted by tgif on November 4, 2021 at 4:02 am

    Hi All,

    I have been searching through endless forums and websites for more information on this but can’t seem to find a conclusion so am hoping to get some insights here. Apologies in advance if it sounds silly but I have not been able to find some clear answers on this.

    For us, all our new bottles must to be cleaned as they really get quite dusty over time. It seems rinsing with liquid is the cleanest way to flush out all the dust and particles (blasting with air alone moves the dust around but it doesn’t get flushed out), however it does come with its problems:

    Using sanitizer to rinse: The liquid left in the bottles will affect the final proof of the spirit unless you have the time and space (and racks) to let your bottles dry overnight (we don’t).Using neutral spirit to rinse: This feels a little unnatural/wasteful to me, but do I need to change my opinion…? Bottling different proof spirits would also mean I have to use different proof neutral spirit for rinsing so as not to affect the final abv.

    Using product to rinse: I’ve also read that some people use their own products to rinse in a closed loop system which sounds even more unnatural to me, as surely the aeration would affect the abv and also I’m a little uncomfortable to use my own product as a cleanser, but please correct me if I need to change my way of thinking.

    Sparging/drying after rinse: I have not tried this, but is blasting filtered/ionized air into drained wet bottles efficient enough to dry the bottles completely for bottling right away?

     

    So I’m curious… how does everyone else do it? Thanks guys and really appreciate any advice. I have a head full of questions.

    cru bottling systems replied 3 years, 1 month ago 6 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • absinthe pete

    Member
    November 4, 2021 at 6:22 pm

    Hi, simple. Once you have your rinsing method in place, use water, then take 10 bottles, fill with your product, shake it vigorously and then recheck proof and adjust accordingly and you should be good for that product.

  • michaelattcw

    Member
    November 4, 2021 at 7:41 pm

    We make the MiniMax closed loop rinser and most folks use their own spirits (some use neutral) to rinse. Usually a couple of gallons. The keg holds five, but you fill it about halfway. The spirits are filtered during recirculation, so you needn’t be squeamish about using your own product to rinse.

    There are only residual drops that cling to the sides of the bottle with surface tension, so people just typically put the bottles right on the filler wet. People typically only try to dry the bottles if they’re rinsing with water. I don’t know of anyone using air to dry the bottles—usually just time and bottle racks. I imagine it would be quite time consuming.

  • golden beaver distillery

    Member
    November 5, 2021 at 5:11 pm

    We use the MiniMax with heads from the spirit we are bottling.  There is little to no residual by the time the bottles are filled.

    No change in final bottled proof or the flavor of the bottled spirit.

  • b rad

    Member
    November 8, 2021 at 3:39 pm

    If most of your product are between 40 and 100 proof, adjust your rinsing spirit to 70.  You would need to leave alot in the bottle for it to adjust your bottle proof.  I go through maybe 1-2 gal of spirit per 1k bottles.  I used to rinse with water and dry, biggest time suck ever.

  • cru bottling systems

    Member
    November 19, 2021 at 11:48 pm

    Hi TGIF – we sell different combinations of Rinsers and Spargers. They vary anywhere from water rinse, your own product rinse that recycles the product so that it is not wasted, as well as air sparge or other types of gases for drying.

    Please visit us at crusystems.com to see our prices, videos and to learn more about us. We have an extensive list of satisfied distilleries who we’ve been able to help and would be glad to share this list with you.

    Thanks!

    -Steve

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