Newbie Bottling question

[smfenn]

Hey guys,

Me again, I hope you'll forgive the bottling question. I've had my kit on for just over a week now and it currently looks like this:



So according to the recipe it should be finished, I have no idea how to use my hydrometer, so I can't really check that way. Smells like beer though.

My question is about bottling though, I've read the sticky on the forum about bottling and I noticed "Crowncap" has 2 FV to use, whereas I only have one. Is it still possible to bottle this way? If so how? Do i just need to use some other vessle then pour it back into the FV and use the bottler it has there? Also, is priming necessary for an IPA?

I'm slightly confused about this part, don't want to screw it up now. Going to hunt down some bottles soon too, any recommendations on good ones to pilfer from the pub?

[Stomach]

Hi Smfenn

And Welcome!

A bottleling bucket is the best way and the easiest way to bottle. You have read the sticky so thats a good start. If you can, get another FV with a tap on. If you cant, you can add your priming to the bottles individually, but its time consuming and you wont get the same quantities into each bottle - assuming you have a 23litre brew, thats 46 bottles to spoon your brewing sugar into at roughly 2g each, or roughly half a teaspoon!

Another FV or 2 is great also for steralising your bottles. For me, sanitising and rinsing bottles is the biggets pain in the arse in bottleing, so much so that I have only bottled once but I am bottling my next experiment though!

You need to learn to use your hydrometer. Get you trial jar, use a sanitised turkey baster to suck up enough liquid and carefully put it inyour trial jar. Pop in the hydrometer, let it settle, spin off bubbles and read what it says. If its below 1015 and the same reading for 3 consecutive days, you can bottle or keg. If its high or not finished feremnting yet, you can get leaky kegs and exploding bottles!

What brew is it? You say IPA, which one? A week, in my experience of any brew is not long enough, so being able to use your hydrometer is a big help.

I personally like to prime my ale, as I like a head and I dont like flat beer. But secondly, priming will help produce C02 to naturally get beer out of your keg and give a nice hiss off your bottle when you crack one open.

I collected my bottles from the bottled beer sections from the supermarket etc. I found Black sheep, badger and Marstons best as the lables came off easily when washed and soaked.
I do belive though that guys on here regularly get Magners bottles fom the pub which work fine. YOu just need caps and a capper!
Equally I have been collecting 500ml dient coke bottles as they are just fine, but dont look professional!

Hope I havent rambled too much and I hope it helps!

Cheers and Good luck!

Anything else, just ask!

[AnthonyUK]

Hi,
You can use 2 FVs to cut down on the amount of yeast/sediment you transfer to bottles. It isn't necessary it just speeds up the clearing process.
You can use a tube to syphon into bottles. A 'liitle bottler' device is invaluable for this - do a search for it as they shouldn't cost more than a fiver.
Priming isn't strictly necessary as your brew should continue to ferment in the bottle but would be virtually flat. You'll need a bit of secondary just for the CO2 to prevent oxidation.
You might want a degree of fizz though.
For bottles - Bulmers 1pint (567ml?) or Cobra 660ml brown bottles are personal favourites.

[Middo]

The type of bottles you use is up to personal preference. I try not to go for ones with the new 'plastic' labels that are near-on impossible to remove and ones with foil around the neck. I definitely try to avoid Wychwood bottles as there's something about the neck that makes capping them a real bitch. Also, if you use pint-sized bottles (i.e. Magners) then if you have a good head on the beer it's difficult getting the lot into a pint glass.

And yes, a hydrometer is invaluable.

[smfenn]

Thanks guys, My FV already has a bottler attachment as I thought i would be bottling. I might try and get a standard FV when I next get some cash to make future bottling easier.

The IPA i'm brewing is a Coopers IPA, I'll try and use my hyrdometer, how much do I need to put in the trial jar to get an accurate reading? and how do I spin off? Do i just spin the hydrometer in the liquid? Also the primer, can i just use 80g of malt in water or do I need the sugar too?

When I get to the pub, I'll see if they have those sorts of bottles. Certainly not looking forward to treking them back, but I'm sure they'll be worth it

[AnthonyUK]

You need enough liquid for your hydro to float.
You'll need approx. 80g of sugar and as malt (LME/DME?) is not 100% fermentable a bit more. There is a calculator somewhere but I'd guess around 100g-120g ish

[Stomach]

Dont waste your malt on priming, use 85g brewing sugar instead!

[smfenn]

Can you get brewing sugar at the supermarket or corner shop?

[JTK]

Your typical house hold sugar will be fine for priming. If you are going to batch prime, boil about a cup and a half of water, then add your sugar to dissolve it,(I use about 125 grams of sugar, but I like my beer a bit fizzy) let it cool a bit and dump it in your bottling bucket. Siphon your beer in gently, no splashing, this will mix it all up. Then bottle.

Welcome and enjoy!

[Stomach]

Can you get brewing sugar at the supermarket or corner shop?

Some branches of Tesco and Wilkinsons may sell it.

[Middo]

You need enough liquid for your hydro to float.

I fill my trial jar up to 90ml (it's a standard 100ml jar I got from Wilkinsons) and that works fine.

The amount of priming sugar you need depends on how carbonated you like your beer. For a 23L batch, I usually use 100g which results in a nicely carbonated, but not fizzy, beer. I have a book somewhere (Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels) which has a table displaying recommended amounts of priming sugar and the corresponding carbonation levels. It's does get a bit technical at times but it's a good read and I'd recommend it to any homebrewer. I'd suggest using 100g first and then experiment a bit in subsequent batches.

Most online homebrew stores sell brewing sugar (if you can't find it in the supermarket), but caster (or even icing) sugar is a good substitute as it dissolves easier than normal table sugar.

[Middo]

Oops, I've quoted the wrong book!

The book with the table is Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher (also a good read), which states that 100g in 20L will yield a Medium-Low carbonation level. However, the book is American so med-low carbonation is just about right for a British ale.