Upship

Recipes 

I am hoping to bottle my first ever home brew this week (Wednesday) and I've got about twelve 16oz swing top bottles with the tops. Are there any special considerations for using these in the bottling process?!

As a quick unrelated question, I brewed Wednesday of last week. I'm not seeing bubbles in my fermentation lock. Bad? I have made sure it's still sealed up too. The rubber stopper assembly they is.

Kaz

Recipes 

Not really any problems with using swing tops. Make sure you sanitize the cap and gasket really well. Are you planning on bottling the beer you brewed 1 week ago? I would hold up on that. Give it a minimum 2 weeks fermenting before you you bottle. Do you have a hydrometer? You really can't gauge how fermentation is coming along without one.

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Draft 1: Munich Dunkel
Draft 2: Wit
Draft 3: Scottish /70

Primary 1: ESB
Primary 2: PBW

On Deck: Irish Stout, Schwarzbier and there is always a Wit on deck

mrduna01

Recipes 

As the other poster said, one week is at minimum 1 to 2 weeks too early and possibly a month to 3 months early depending on the style. What style of beer is it? What was your OG?

Upship

Recipes 

It's a "wit" but I only used the standard brewers yeast out of the kit, no liquid. I'm kinda just going for the quick and dirty first brew recommended by most of the stuff I've read, but it's still in the Carboy so that's not set in stone. OG was 1.44, there is significant sediment though which I imagine played a part in the (relatively high?) reading. I do have a hydrometer yes.

mrduna01

Recipes 

Check your FG at the very least and make sure you got down to your target. I don't blame you wanting to turn it over quick... But two weeks in the fermentor is usually the absolute minimum.

Kaz

Recipes 

I would check the gravity now, and then suck it up and let it sit another 2 weeks and take the gravity again, by then you should definitely be ready to bottle but take the 2nd gravity reading just to be sure it isn't stuck or still fermenting.

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Draft 1: Munich Dunkel
Draft 2: Wit
Draft 3: Scottish /70

Primary 1: ESB
Primary 2: PBW

On Deck: Irish Stout, Schwarzbier and there is always a Wit on deck

Upship

Recipes 

Thank you all very much for your encouragement. I'll suck it up. How do I go about taking a reading without introducing bacteria?

And in regard to sanitizing the swing tops, bleach and water alright?

Upship

Recipes 

Bump

Xalwine

Recipes 

if you have a wine/beer thief sanitize it. What container is the beer in? a carboy or a bucket? if a carboy, slip off the top and take your sample. you'll be fine if its only for a few (30) seconds. if its a bucket pry off the lid and slide the bucket til you can get your thief inside to grab a sample. then re attach the lid. not to difficult.

Now that there is alcohol in your beverage, it will be harder for nasties to get a foothold in it. Your yeasties have grown big and strong. when you get consistent readings for 3 days then you know its done. Rack to a bottling bucket and go! Enjoy your first brew after it conditions (wits are meant to be consumed young) and get started on your next one!

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Fermenting:
None :-(
Kegged:
Test batch
Test batch
(empty)
(empty)
(empty)
(empty)

wyzazz

Recipes 

Cough, howtobrew.com, cough... ...I would advise against bleach unless you like the taste of medecine/bandaids in your beer. Bleach can be a proper sanitizer, but there are much better alternatives out there. Save yourself the frustration and pick up some StarSan or Iodophor.

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