How We Sanitize Jars & Bottles for Fermentation | Solving Common Problems with Ferments 

Hi everyone! Welcome to our channel and thanks for stopping by for our refresher course on keeping your fermentation equipment sanitized so that you're ready to make some delicious ferments! 😋😄If you're ready to get into the awesome world of fermentation, you may be interested in this list of our favorite fermentation gear --> fermentationadventure.com/gear/ If you haven't already, we'd love for you to subscribe! Happy fermenting! ❤

If you don't have a bottle brush handy, I can suggest pouring in about a shot glass worth of hard dry rice into the bottle with very hot soapy water.Then vigorously shake the contents removing ferment scale on the hard to reach sides. This can be funneled from bottle to next bottle. Then just compost the rice. ( Bacteria working for me: Ginger Bug, Compost Pile, Brush Pile, Septic Tank, Sourdough Starter, and My Gut! ) Ginger bug fans, save your discarded ginger in a bottle in the fridge. It's fermented and will keep for ages. Use it like fresh ginger in all your stir fries. Yum, yum! If you collect too much, add it in with your fresh ginger to your concoction next time you make ginger ale. My ginger bug has been going for a over a year.

If you guys ever make a book, I would buy it in a heartbeat

If you don't have a bottle drying tree but you do have a dishwasher, you could also just dry the bottles upside down threaded onto the plastic spokes in the dishwasher drawers, and leave the door open and the drawers pulled out :)

I found your videos last night and I cannot stop watching them. What a great way to share the information. I am ordering the supplies to start making kombucha. Thank you!

Star San is your best friend when it comes to any sort of ferment.

I’m thankful for your videos!

Hello, this is my first time here and OMG you're so calming and wholesome! Thank you so much for the info!

You guys are like Hal and Joanne in the fermentation genre. I really like your videos, there is so much great information in them. Thanks.

Thank you so much! I was one of those asking you this question :)

Awesome !! Thanks !!

It does fit right in there

Great tips! I saw that drying rack at my local brew store and I’m so tempted to go back now!

Thank you for the tips! Enjoying my favorite ginger lemon kombucha! Cheers!

Great tips! Subscribed!😃

Thanks guys! About to bottle my first ever kombucha ❤ Subscribed!

Thanks for the info I brought a few jars

Love your videos. What your saying is "sterilizing" like dishwasher or boiling water is actually sanitizing. What your saying is "sanitization" is really just washing. I don't believe you actually mentioned a process of sterilization. You said at the beginning that sterilization is killing everything and that is correct. Boiling water or dishwashers do not kill everything. Endospore producing bacteria for instance like Clostridium botulinum can be pretty serious. Beer, wine and fermentations in general do not require sterilization but it might be worth knowing the difference. If you ever worked with lab cultures in petri dishes growing gourmet mushrooms you would learn fast what sterile really means.

You two are so cute together! Thx for tips!

Good info

Just discovered/binged watched most of your channel, I’ll be attempting kombucha soon hopefully. Great source of information on fermenting. I’ve been fermenting hot sauce for over 10 years and I’d always use hot water after scrubbing the jars for sanitation without any issues to date. Would a starsan solution (or a similar brewing sanitizer) work well for sanitizing vessels for brewing kombucha?

Love you videos keep producing them. I purchased the bottle brushes recommend in your list but I think they may have started using another vender, each brush has an odd ninety degree loop bend at the end, And they do not fit in the bottles.

You can also sterilise glass jars (without any metal components) by rinsing them and microwaving at 1000W for 2 minutes whilst still wet. Unfortunately, pouring boiling water over things doesn't "sterilise" them. To do this properly, they'd need to be fully submerged in continuously boiling water for at least 5 minutes.

Have watched a few of your videos. Realized I wasn't subscribed, done! On my way to the grocery store to get ginger so that I can make the bug👋🏽

A note on the issue of chlorinated water in homebrewing and fermentation; I'm not a resident of the U.S. but I know that several municipals in several states have been using chloramine in chlorine's stead to chlorinate the water. Chloramine is apparently more persistent, in that it doesn't evaporate or dissipate over time even when heated. I take it they use chloramine because it is cheaper and requires less maintenance. Granted, not every place has the same water quality and clarity. I suppose it would be safe for some to use tap water that is stabilized in room temperature for an hour or so, as it was done in the past, or use spring water. Here in Turkey, most municipals still use chlorine, so it's possible to use tap water in a pinch by just charcoal filtering or boiling the hell out of it. I've had some success with adding small quantities of degassed mineral water into my brewing water, but I don't expect it to work for every brew. Some brews and long ferments like dry ale, stout, mead, wine and such are probably less sensitive toward the taste and mineral content of water unlike short ferments like kombucha, sparkling sodas and beer. DYDD, however, as the contents of each mineral (or enriched) water are different. Most will have trace amounts of chloride in them which I'm sure is not harmful to the brewing process. Some maniacs out there will probably continue to think they need reverse osmosis water for their first or every brew. You do you. I like this channel, so here is a KISS for Keeping It Simple and Stupid (in a good way). If the lockdown continues, I'm expecting this channel to experience a boom towards the end of summer. Good luck! www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/chloramines-drinking-water

You have mentioned tester bottles in several of your videos. Could you elaborate on that a bit? Are they newly purchased for that purpose, or are they repurposed soda bottles? Is the ferment in the tester for consumption too, or do you toss it? If you squeeze the bottle and it has some give, does that mean you don’t have to burp the sealed glass bottles at that time because the carbonation is low? Thank you so much for your answers. I really want to do this, but I like to know as much as I can to be successful (and safe)😊.

You guys are really natural on camera. And what kind of camera do you use?

Would you recommend using an airlock when making the ginger bug?

Beer Brewer - Star San for the win

When you sanitize them in the Instant pot, do you include the silicone caps, or do you remove them? Just asking since I'm worried that the silicone might degrade over time.

I am wondering if I could reuse screw on lid "commercial" ( or store bought) kombucha bottles?

Hi yall. I make berry & herb flavored vinegars using white vinegar. I bought bunch of clear glass bottle @ Target like ur brown ones w/ metal closure attached to a stopper & the bottle. Dont kno if stopper is silicone or not. So how would u prep- sterilize or sanitize- them for their 1st use please?

Oven to 350, jars in for 15 - 20 min.

I’m very new to kefir and really appreciate these videos so much. I’m not sure if you mentioned this in other videos but what type of cloth do you guys put over the mason jars? Is it cheesecloth? Thanks!

Hello I had question , when you sterilize in hot boiling water pot do you take off the seal from the beer bottles ?

Guys! I’m so ignorant. How do I avoid using chlorinated water? Is my Brita filtered water good enough or do I need to boil all the water I use to make kombucha? Thanks for your help!!❤️

Greeting for both of you. keep going. I like your lovely channel so much. It has a lot of information about fermentation "The Fermentation Adventure" so lovely. The best you did the ferment without any addition. I would like you to present three things. When you can measure the alcohol content daily in "Tepache" during the fermentation and for all fermentation in the future. The second, when the drink is dangerous and I should not have it because, taste, smell or after period of time. The last, could you present the equal unite like 1 cup = … grams so on. Please, always keep smiling 😊 Anyway I'm not good in English writing ☹

where did you find the growler bottle dryer????

I have few questions, can I ferment grape wine in a glass bottle with a small opening? If yes then how do I stir it everyday? And can I use cotton plug instead of the airtight plug?

You guys are too cute! Loved the video :)

I’m using my jars for vanilla extract so once I sanitize can I just add my liquid immediately or is it important to dry the bottle first? I’m having a hard time getting my bottles to dry out.

Can you make a double batch

& question #2: I lost a fav recipe for a friendship cake. U put a can of fruit w/ its syrup or juice into a big gallon container. Every couple days u add sugar & fruit. After like 2 or 3 weeks u give away some of the liquid "starter" to friends & use some for ur cake & some as starter for ur next batch. Discard fruit or find other uses. Do u hav that recipe? I cant remember when to add fruit/sugar, when is it ready & what ingr. for the cake.🍒🍐🍏🍍TY

Plz. Ans. What is the maximum time for which water kifer. can be kept and if it is to be kept for one year then what needs to be done for it? Note : My question is for Water kifer and not for kifer grains .

Do you drink the stuff from your tester bottle?

do you soap to clean it?

Can use sterilizer after fermented?

If I use a Silicone Pickle Pipe (Airlock with a Nipple to release the carbon dioxide build-up), there will only be carbon dioxide left in the jar and no air/oxygen. So do the vegetables still need to be pushed down with a glass weight or cabbage leaf, etc to stop the bad bacteria/microbes forming mold?

so, would i be correct in observing that y'all aren't proponents of buying new lids for every new ferment?

My bottles end up with moisture inside. Any advice?

Which chemical do you use in the dishwasher?

I find adding washing up liquids before water causes too many suds better add after the water no suds this especially when washing pots in sink Also salt a good steriliser

Hi guys I had a question 😁 can I make fizzy drinks in a jar or they can explode ?

How do you sterilize plastic jars in bulk? Planning to start nut butter business at home first :)

the first and last time I put boiled water in a glass jar the jar cracked!! how in the world are your jars not cracking??!!!

Just use Star-San done and done.

chlorine... residue?

I keep seeing bread on your intro, but you don’t have a video. Do you make sourdough ?

What about alcohol?

If you've ever had a funky ferment, we really hope this video helps answer your questions about how to get a healthy fermenting going! If you're looking for more answers about the bottling process, check out this Q&A video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z0fnIcakwnM.html

I only use Covid hand sanitizer .....

How come you don't use a an easy,time tested solution? Sodium Metabisulphite 2.5 % Solution?!

Lol I just use bleach.

Your content is good but, I can’t stand the “cutenesses” are you guys preschool teachers? I, as an adult, find it irritating and insulting to spoken to/taught as if I was a three year old. Can you guys speak in a normal😊 voice and tone?

Folks you should bake your glass get two large pots fill both pots with water keep one more and bring the other one to boiling, now after baking your glass for 15 minutes at 200° or 180° slowly put them in the warm water in the big pot with the warm water, as the other pot starts to boil yes you're going to take the ones in the warm water and slowly submerge them now in the boiling water and then put it on a rack or the poor man methods swish it was some hundred and ninety proof golden grain 😂 and I just bottle water but to ensure perfect water that's the steps for your glass

Never tell somebody to use a sponge when they are in the process of sanitizing what does a sponge do hmmm harbor bacteria😂😂😂