Home Brew Supplies Help?

[POWERMAN123]

Hey Guys,


I love the board keep up the good work. I just got some raw powders and am planning to do some home brewing. I have a few questions.

1. What is the best place to get the bottles and other supplies from? Who is the most trustworthy cause I don't want to get scammed hundreds of dollars getting all the prep materials.

How is Research Supply Lab and Mohawk Research? Are they good products and trustworthy?

2. Is there any place in Canada I can order them, like a science or chemical supply company?

3. I was planning to get the unsterilized bottles without them being alredy capped. What is the best way to sterilize them? Should I coook them before on their own before I add the finished product to them?

4. What methods do you use to sterilize them to make sure there is no other bacteria present.

5. Any other tips to keep the brew sterile as well.


Thanks guys you are the best

 

[Mr. dB]

Here's a thread that has addresses for a number of homebrew supply sources:

http://www.steroidology.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46793

Mohawk is top notch, and they're fast. I don't know who on that list will ship to Canada, but Getpinz does have a Canadian branch. I have a Canadian friend who first got me interested in homebrewing, maybe he'll chime in here. I do recall that he has used www.lemelenge.com for glassware, BA, and BB, so apparently they will deal with Canadians.

Why are you going with unsterilized, uncapped bottles? Have you seen how much a crimper costs? In my opinion, unless you're making gear in larger quantities for resale, it makes more sense to use the sealed, sterilized vials for personal use. The crimper to seal an uncapped vial is a $150 investment.

I'll let other guys deal with your remaining quesitons.

 

[thorsky]

I'd like to see some more info on using unsealed bottles as well. My biggest concern is particulate matter in the bottles. You need to wash them(distilled water or methanol maybe?) then bake them I would think. That way you know there's no dust particles or anything in there and also no bacteria. But just by handling them you could reintroduce contaminants unless your in a controlled environment. I'm probably just over cautious...

 

[BigRonWannabee]

Yea I always thought along the same lines, that a little handling would totally comprimise the vial and nasty infections and death would be right around the corner...well ok not THAT crazy. The truth is, you can get away with a lot more than you think. Im just going to leave it at that.