I haven't done any long term nic storage before and was wondering if it's necessary to wash the glass bottles I got from specialty bottle before filling them?
I happen to dabble with home brewing. For cleaning the beer bottles before filling I use a product called PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash from Northern Brewers)(this is a great cleaner I use in the kitchen and ba
throom too) and then rinse them with a dish-washing/brewery sanitizing solution (you can get this from a home brewers supply or restaurant supply). When brewing, it is critical that you don't leave any residue that can hurt fermentation or allow outside organisms to be introduced and harm the flavor profile.
If I am being particularly OCD (or if I have a bunch to do), I'll go this route and fill a clean small bucket or the kitchen sink with the PBW and hot water and give the bottles a 30-45 minute soak, then give them a quick swish in the solution, drain and rinse. Then I rinse the bucket/sink and fill again with water and sanitizer. Give each bottle a complete dunk, drain (don't rinse with water at this point), and air dry on a clean towel. Your good to go.
If I need a quick down-and-dirty clean; I'll simply half(ish) fill with pure grain alcohol (180 proof), cap the bottle, and give it 30 seconds of vigorous shaking, drain, and air dry. Haven't had any problems yet... <twitch><twitch><twitch>
