First time bottling beer
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First time bottling beer
Started brewing some beers that will need to bottle condition for 1-2 years. So it was time to move from just kegs and learn how to bottle beer.
I had a 12 gallon batch of Blue Moon Clone in 2 carboys which was ready to keg. Thought this would be a good test of our bottle technique. Figured would try an experiment, 5 gallons in a keg and 5 gallons split between green/brown flip tops, champagne bottles with corks and champagne bottles with caps. Maybe could do a tasting between them at the next meeting.
3.0 oz of corn sugar was placed in 2 cups of water, boiled 10 min (with a cover on the pan), chilled in ice bath and added to a clean carboy. The chilled beer was racked to the carboy containing the priming sugar.
Setup:
Used a 30 gallon clean trash can to sanitize the bottles. Finally found a use for an old freezer rack...
Switched out the racking tip with a filler tip (got to love quick connects). The filling went like a breeze. Carboy was put under about 8 PSI of CO2, gave a nice gentle fill on the bottles. :
Next time I will fill the head space with more beer. Good thing this beer will not be around for very long...
Filled the first champagne bottle and just about tore up my wet hands getting the cage on...so went to the vice and bent a piece of steel I had laying around into a hook (heated the tip and hammered it into the hook):
Used the "hook" to put the cages on...less wear and tear on the hands:
It went a lot faster then I thought it would. Will leave the bottles at 65-70F for 2-3 days, test for carbonation and then put them in the walk-in to bottle condition for a couple of weeks.
Anything I missed (other then don't leave so much head space)?
Jason
I had a 12 gallon batch of Blue Moon Clone in 2 carboys which was ready to keg. Thought this would be a good test of our bottle technique. Figured would try an experiment, 5 gallons in a keg and 5 gallons split between green/brown flip tops, champagne bottles with corks and champagne bottles with caps. Maybe could do a tasting between them at the next meeting.
3.0 oz of corn sugar was placed in 2 cups of water, boiled 10 min (with a cover on the pan), chilled in ice bath and added to a clean carboy. The chilled beer was racked to the carboy containing the priming sugar.
Setup:
Used a 30 gallon clean trash can to sanitize the bottles. Finally found a use for an old freezer rack...
Switched out the racking tip with a filler tip (got to love quick connects). The filling went like a breeze. Carboy was put under about 8 PSI of CO2, gave a nice gentle fill on the bottles. :
Next time I will fill the head space with more beer. Good thing this beer will not be around for very long...
Filled the first champagne bottle and just about tore up my wet hands getting the cage on...so went to the vice and bent a piece of steel I had laying around into a hook (heated the tip and hammered it into the hook):
Used the "hook" to put the cages on...less wear and tear on the hands:
It went a lot faster then I thought it would. Will leave the bottles at 65-70F for 2-3 days, test for carbonation and then put them in the walk-in to bottle condition for a couple of weeks.
Anything I missed (other then don't leave so much head space)?
Jason
BEFORE THERE WAS MATHEMATICS, RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY OR CULTURE...THERE WAS BEER.
In Primary:............. None (how sad is that?)
In Secondary:..........None...see above
On Tap: ..........Barley Wine from 2006, BGSA from 2006...
In Primary:............. None (how sad is that?)
In Secondary:..........None...see above
On Tap: ..........Barley Wine from 2006, BGSA from 2006...
- Rob Martin
- Uberbrewer
- Posts: 1494
- Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2006 6:14 pm
- Location: Lawrence
Re: First time bottling beer
I'd have to drink a few to know for sure.Anything I missed (other then don't leave so much head space)?
Re: First time bottling beer
Have Fun!
Chris
Chris
Re: First time bottling beer
I've used those to tie steel for concrete
Re: First time bottling beer
Yep, that is one of the uses, for concrete formsAce wrote:I've used those to tie steel for concrete
But the most pleasure is wrapping up the wire on a cork cage
Have Fun!
Chris
Chris
Re: First time bottling beer
Nice tool. No surprise there.
Id wait longer than 2-3 days for carbing before cold conditioning. Might not be long enough.
Id wait longer than 2-3 days for carbing before cold conditioning. Might not be long enough.
Just call me Andy!
Lupulin Threshold Shift
lupulin threshold shift \lu·pu·lin thresh·old shift\ n
1. When a once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian.
2. The phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer.
3. The long-term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will occur.
4. When a "Double IPA" just is not enough
Lupulin Threshold Shift
lupulin threshold shift \lu·pu·lin thresh·old shift\ n
1. When a once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian.
2. The phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer.
3. The long-term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will occur.
4. When a "Double IPA" just is not enough
Re: First time bottling beer
+1Blktre wrote:Id wait longer than 2-3 days for carbing before cold conditioning. Might not be long enough.
Matt Bechtold
Anvil Chorus Brewing
Anvil Chorus Brewing
Re: First time bottling beer
Jason i let my bottles carb two weeks then cool I also had an experence where I cold crashed before botteling kild yeast had to redo and add back some yeast. just a tought ! Jack!!!!!!!!!!
Re: First time bottling beer
good call everyone, thanks ...2 weeks it is for the small beer.
Just bottled my barley wine tonight. It had been in secondary for 7 months. Added 3.2 oz dextrose to 2 cups water, boiled 10 min, cooled, added it to a sanitized carboy and 400 ml 099 high gravity yeast. Racked the barley wine to the carboy. let is sit for about 6 hours until I had visible yeast activity, then bottled. Filled the bottles right up to the top. Will leave this at 70F for 1 week and then move it to 65F in the basement for 30 days. Test for carbonation and if good, they will move to the walk-in at 43F for a very long rest (thinking about a year if I can wait that long).
Thanks for the advice.
Jason
Just bottled my barley wine tonight. It had been in secondary for 7 months. Added 3.2 oz dextrose to 2 cups water, boiled 10 min, cooled, added it to a sanitized carboy and 400 ml 099 high gravity yeast. Racked the barley wine to the carboy. let is sit for about 6 hours until I had visible yeast activity, then bottled. Filled the bottles right up to the top. Will leave this at 70F for 1 week and then move it to 65F in the basement for 30 days. Test for carbonation and if good, they will move to the walk-in at 43F for a very long rest (thinking about a year if I can wait that long).
Thanks for the advice.
Jason
BEFORE THERE WAS MATHEMATICS, RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY OR CULTURE...THERE WAS BEER.
In Primary:............. None (how sad is that?)
In Secondary:..........None...see above
On Tap: ..........Barley Wine from 2006, BGSA from 2006...
In Primary:............. None (how sad is that?)
In Secondary:..........None...see above
On Tap: ..........Barley Wine from 2006, BGSA from 2006...
Re: First time bottling beer
I started brewing beer for one of the reasons I didn't have to wait a year to taste my work. How do you do it? Good luck!
Re: First time bottling beer
Kollman,
The trick is to have SOOOO much beer on hand, you forget the stuff in the back of the walk-in so it can have the time it needs. At least that is the running theory...
Jason
The trick is to have SOOOO much beer on hand, you forget the stuff in the back of the walk-in so it can have the time it needs. At least that is the running theory...
Jason
BEFORE THERE WAS MATHEMATICS, RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY OR CULTURE...THERE WAS BEER.
In Primary:............. None (how sad is that?)
In Secondary:..........None...see above
On Tap: ..........Barley Wine from 2006, BGSA from 2006...
In Primary:............. None (how sad is that?)
In Secondary:..........None...see above
On Tap: ..........Barley Wine from 2006, BGSA from 2006...
Re: First time bottling beer
I like your logic, but my stash isn't quite big enough at this moment to be able to do that. Guess I will have to get to brewing.
Re: First time bottling beer
Jdl973 wrote:
The trick is to have SOOOO much beer on hand, you forget the stuff in the back
Jason
Decided to give up on the ruffies, huh?
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