Bottle Drainer for 80 Bottles - DO IT AT HOME LTD this is the one I got - does the job and breaks apart for easier storage. I was going to build one but seemed cheaper to buy than to get all the bits I'd need.
I've not bottled for a couple of years but now both kegs are full again and I'm tempted to brew more I suddenly need to get out the old bottling supplies!
I have this one and it is works great for me. I use Coopers PET bottles at 500ml or 2L Cider Bottles, not glass.
Each Branch Set holds 10 bottles and I only ever use 3 at a time.
A 25L batch of beer might, if you are lucky, get you 48 bottles and so I prepare 2 lots of 24x500ml, one lot of 12x2L or usually 1 lot of 24 and 6x2L.
There is little routine for bottle prep - wash and rinse each bottle after pouring, add some cleaner / steriliser solution and put it away. On bottling time, shake and discard the C&S fluid, rinse it once, us a bottle brush to get some yeast off, rinse again and stick on the bottle tree.
Let the bottles drain and return to the storage crate ( B&Q laundry crates) and pour 2/3 of a bottle of star san into the first and then from one bottle to the other, returning each to the bottle tree.
Once drained a bit, put them in nice little rows again in the crate and add half a teaspoon of sugar to each one, using a ramekin with sugar in it, a teaspoon and a funnel. I use a rounded teaspoon to each 2l bottle, irrespective of style, more or less.
Process of prepping the bottles takes circa one hour and can be done the day before bottling. It's basically a "brain in neutral", radio on and JFDI sort of a task.
