Hamsterbite

Recipes 

After your first brew, whether you reuse the PET bottles, or decide to use glass bottles, do yourself a favor and do better than the "one step" sanitizer that comes with the kit. Maybe that's ok for the first time on a brand new set of bottles, but after that, you're going to want to use a "two step" cleaning/sanitizing process.
You can use the same solution for cleaning and sanitizing, but it needs to be done in two seperate steps. Wash/clean with it first. Use a brush and get plenty of contact time. Rinse. Now, use it again to sanitize and drip dry...do not rinse after this step!

Once you run out of the one step, get yourself a dedicated HB cleaner like PBW, and a seperate HB sanitizer like Iodophor or Starsan.

__________________
Sometimes the angels punish us by answering our prayers. -Peart

Next Brew: SWMBO's choice. Probably Saison.
Primary: Janet's Brown, Mulled Chamomile Cider/Perry
Secondary: Nada
Bottle Conditioning: Nada
Bottled and Ready: Hop in the Dark, Raison Detre, Hoppy Saison

doedsredskap

Recipes 

so I've had my first batch of beer (the WCPA that came with the kit) fermenting for about 8 days and it's starting to look and taste pretty good so I will be bottling in the next couple of days, which brings me to my question..

I've seen a few posts saying that using white table sugar for carbing is undesirable, but I didn't see anyone offer any suggestions on what to kind of sugar to use in place of it.. so what kind of sugar should I use for carbonating and what would using regular table sugar do to negatively affect my beer?

thanks in advance

bpgreen

Recipes 

I've never used anything but plain white sugar to prime. All you're doing when you prime is giving the yeast something to east and turn into CO2. The amount involved isn't enough, in my opinion, to make any difference to the taste of the final product.

Kealia

Recipes 

^^This.

Hamsterbite

Recipes 

Sucrose and dextrose have very different effects on flavor...dextrose is fairly neutral, while many people feel that sucrose imparts an apple cidery flavor. With the small amounts used for bottle conditioning, I doubt it's noticeable at all, but if your actual recipe called for sugar as a primary fermentable, then I'd say go for dextrose.

__________________
Sometimes the angels punish us by answering our prayers. -Peart

Next Brew: SWMBO's choice. Probably Saison.
Primary: Janet's Brown, Mulled Chamomile Cider/Perry
Secondary: Nada
Bottle Conditioning: Nada
Bottled and Ready: Hop in the Dark, Raison Detre, Hoppy Saison

Hoptimus_Prime

Recipes 

Just looking at a Mr. Beer container to me is like..I dunno, it's hard to take it seriously, not that I'd pass on giving it a try.

stevehardt

Recipes 

I know how hard it is to wait, especially for that first batch...but if you could wait another week or two before you bottle you will have noticeably better beer.

I've carbed using table sugar and corn sugar. Never noticed any difference. Some say that using table sugar can leave a sweet cidery taste, but I only noticed that cidery taste when I wasn't patient enough to give my beer the 3 weeks to properly bottle condition.

Patience can be the hardest thing about brewing beer, but it makes a huge difference

stevehardt

Recipes 

I started with a Mr Beer. Learned a lot, had a good time, made some better than decent beer. Now I've got them filled with apfelwein. No regrets...

prmoran7

Recipes 

I have a quick question if anyone can help. I saw craigtube use a fermenter bucket for his beer and finish in the bottles. Can I use a finishing bucket with a spigot 1 inch from the bottom to do my fermenting and bottle and finish from the spigot without getting the ferment sediment in my bottles? I know I will get some sediment from the finish in the bottle but I dont mind it...just wondering if the fermentation process would create more sediment. I know my Mr. Beer keg leaves the sediment in the bottom indent but I want to get a five gallon batch going too....thanks for any help..bucket below

http://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Bottling-Bucket-Spigot-Beer/dp/B000E62H8I/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1349316644&sr=8-15&keywords=Learn+To+Brew+LLC

BrewinHooligan

Recipes 

I know people use this method and it can work, but I have a friend who tried this and the fermenting brew picked up an infection from the spigot as well as leaked a bit. I suggest $15 for an ale pail and you can pick up a white 5 gallon HDPE bucket from Home Depot for like $3 plus a spigot from the LHBS or online retailer for another $3 to make a bottling bucket which will be better in the long run.

__________________
Primary: Pineapple Heffeweizen
On Tap: Simcoe/Amarillo IPA, Centennial Blonde
Bottled: Milk Stout(bronze and gold medals), Spiced Punkin Ale, White House Honey Porter (ag), Mango Wine, Gerwurztraminer
"If wrong feels so good I don't wanna be right."