My Draining Rack

I first had to bottle some beer about two weeks ago. Of course, you need a way to drain your bottles after they're sanitized. I wasn't big on spending $25-30 on one of those bottle draining tree thingies, so I improvised.

Version 1 - Quick and Dirty:
I took the cardboard bottom from a case of bottled water, marked a bunch of circles on it, and then box-cuttered holes out of it. (Well, my neighbor John took care of most of the box-cuttering while I prepped the rest of the stuff)

I took the result and duct-taped it over the sink.

Verdict: Good in a pinch, but it obviously didn't last. Threw out the soggy mess right afterward.

Version 2 - Electric Boogaloo:
Purchased a 2" hole cutter and a 2'x2' piece of plywood. The nice folks at Lowe's cut 6" off one side. Measured out the area on the big piece that would be open when I placed it over the sink.

Verdict: Better, and reusable. However, it only did about 20 bottles at a time. Working in batches is a pain - I can never remember what order I placed the bottles in.

Version 3 - Rise of the Machines
Drilled a LOT more 2" holes. Chopped the 6x24" scrap into two 6x12" pieces. Drilled some starter holes and used some leftover wood screws to make legs.


Verdict: Rocks. I can do over 50 bottles, which is just right for a five-gallon batch. Also, I can leave it sitting in my laundry room, and drain rinsed bottles as they're used.