Thanks David and Stephen,

I wasn't going to run the dishwasher, just use the rack as a storage place
for the bottles after their C-Brite as I begin to bottle. It's more of a
convenience thing, I guess. The upside-down in a case of beer with a paper
towel on the bottom seems like a fine idea, too.


"David M. Taylor" <dmtaylor@SPAM.geocities.SUCKS.com> wrote in message
news:10kcq9ugb7av2f1@corp.supernews.com...[color=blue]
> "Joe Murphy" <SPAMTHIS@SPAMTHIS.com> wrote in message
> news:41464737$0$2656$61fed72c@news.rcn.com...[color=green]
> > Another noob question. I've taken hydrometer readings on three[/color][/color]
successive[color=blue][color=green]
> > days and they are all giving me a gravity of 1.017. The airlock bubbles[/color]
> once[color=green]
> > every 3-4 minutes. It appears to be bottling time.
> >
> > Trouble is, I haven't the time to do it right during the week so it[/color][/color]
looks[color=blue][color=green]
> > like my beer will have been in the fermenter for two weeks once I[/color][/color]
finally[color=blue][color=green]
> > get to it on Friday night.
> >
> > Is this OK?[/color]
>
> Yep, it's fine. In fact, it's probably better to wait than to bottle too
> early. If the airlock is still making bubbles, even every 3-4 minutes,[/color]
it's[color=blue]
> still fermenting a little bit, but Friday will probably be a good time to
> bottle. No worries.
>[color=green]
> > Also, any downside to using an empty dishwasher to air dry (but *not*[/color]
> using[color=green]
> > the heating element in the dishwasher itself) sanitized bottles?[/color]
>
> Who says your bottles need to be dry before bottling? Don't bother, it's
> not worth the wait. So the bottles are a little wet? Who cares. The[/color]
beer[color=blue]
> will taste the same with a couple of extra drops of water mixed into it.
>
> At first glance, it might seem like the dishwasher would be a really nice
> place for bottles to dry out, but on second thought, it seems risky, or at
> least it seems that way to me. The dishwasher is a moist environment to
> begin with, and if you've got any microscopic food particles at all in the
> drain or stuck to the walls or racks, bacteria and yeast are likely to[/color]
grow[color=blue]
> there, and it seems conceivable that bacteria or wild yeast could get into
> your bottles. If you are thinking about doing it anyway, make darn sure[/color]
it[color=blue]
> doesn't smell bad in there at all, and there isn't any food or dirty[/color]
stuff,[color=blue]
> and if I were you, I'd leave the door propped open a bit to let any
> drippings evaporate out more freely. Of course, if your goal is to
> sanitize, but then you wait a day or two to allow time for the bottles to
> dry, then your bottles really aren't sanitized anymore, are they? I[/color]
always[color=blue]
> clean my bottles on the same night as I bottle. No worries that way.
>[color=green]
> > The newbie questions continue, but you've all been very kind. Thanks.[/color]
>
> We all learn as we go.
>
> --
> Dave
> "Just a drink, a little drink, and I'll be feeling GOOooOOooOOooD!" --
> Genesis, 1973-ish
>
>[/color]