I use 5Star Star San to sanitize my bottles when bottling. If I sanitize them and then set them on the kitchen counter or table, is there a risk of contamination from something in the air? How long could they sit out before there was an issue?
A bottle tree is designed to drain the sanitizer and keep the bottle inverted and ready for awhile...if the bottle is going to sit upright for any significant length of time (say over 20 min) I'd cover it with sanitized foil...YMMV
RDWHAHB... You are sanitizing, not sterilizing so some nasty stuff will get in, so just out compete it with good yeast pitches.
How long will they be sitting there? Unless it's a pretty long time (I'm thinking a few hours) I wouldn't worry about it. There will likely still be some sanitizing solution left in the bottle, and even if some bugs do get in there it's not likely they will be able to do much in a fully fermented beer with alcohol/acidity.
I use starsan too. I put the sanitized bottles on my basement floor next to where I'm going to bottle. I shake the starsan out and invert the bottle again to get the last drops out right befor the bottle wand goes in to finish up. I don't think my bottles sit around for more than 5 minutes. I just sanitize, and then fill. I don't rush by any means, and they could sit in the lacto-filled air a little longer. No problems yet.
A bottle tree probably would be best, but I don't have one and have always thought that as long as the bottle is still actually wet with the sanitizer, it should be o.k. Whether I am right or not, it has been o.k. with no bad bottles that I am aware of in the past year. And I bottle exclusively.
Well I just got a bottling tree, but previously I had just left sanitizer in the bottles till just before I bottled. then I'd dump it out, fill with beer, and cap. Haven't had an issue so far, and they're always wet with sanitizer just before filling.
A bottling tree, just one other brewing related item my wife does not want to see in the house. Yet I feel I need one.
I'm also a StarSan user. On bottling day I run the dishwasher through a cycle completely empty. Then I place the post-sanitized bottles (which I have Star-San soaked in a bucket) upside down in the dishwasher while I siphon from fermenter to bottling bucket. No problems yet....
That'll work. A bottling tree is still really handy for when you're using PBW or a cleaner/rinse, just load it up and then do your regular for sanitizing and bottling. Eventually though you'll get kicked out of the house.
I have always used 5 gallons of water with 1 ounce of bleach mixed well with one ounce of vinegar mixed in well after that for sanitizing everything. On bottle day I eye ball the bottles for how clean they are , dip them in the bucket then into the dishwasher for the full wash , sani-rinse, heated dry and what not , then when its time to bottle I just drop the door down and bottle over it , never had an infection to date , and all of my mess is contained to the dishwasher , my wife likes that part a lot
