First batch bottled last night

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g-love

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I bottled my first batch last night. I am calling it "squirrel nut brown ale". The bottling went really well. Since this was my first time doing it, I was super super slow. I am sure I'll get faster as I "perfect my method." I ended up with 45 bottles, 2 samples :), and 1 cracked bottle. I think it broke because the cap was on crooked.

I can see why some people have no desire to do this. For that reason I am glad my keg setup is coming soon. However, I also see the merits of bottling and I am sure I will always bottle some beer from each batch, and maybe some entire batches depending on the style of beer. Some beers I just won't want on tap.

I am planning on trying one beer a week just to learn about the taste/ carbonation progression of my beer. I think it'll be interesting to see how things change with time.

Anyway, thanks a ton to Revy and everyone else who posted tips and tricks in the bottling sticky. That was a huge help!
 
I bottled yesterday too. I have been doing quite a few half batches (one case of bottles), but this was a full batch (2 cases). I agree. Kegging is looking better and better! :)
 
I keg, and I bottle. And I also bottled a batch yesterday. 54 bottles total.
Actual bottling time, about 60 minutes.
For me, bottling allows me to keep a good variety on hand and ready. Since my mini-fridge only holds 2 kegs. And 2 products I highly recommend for bottling, a vinator for sanitizing, and the colonna benchtop capper/corker.


The key is find a process for you.
For me it goes a little like this:
-A few days ahead, move the batch to a higher spot that will help with racking
-Sometime ahead of time (several hours) prepare the priming solution and let cool
-when getting going..
-Get the rest of the equipment ready, and sanitize all except the bottles
-rack the beer to the bottling bucket with the bottling solution
-sanitize a crate of bottles, turn them upside-down in the sink dish strainer, for me, a crate is 27 bottles aka a 1/2 batch
-arrange and fill 12 bottles. I do this on the open door of my dishwasher, makes cleanup a snap.
-place a sanitized cap on each bottle
-crimp on the caps
-rinse the bottles and set aside on a towel to dry
-move to the next set of bottles
 
MartyB, it sounds like you have it down. I'll have to look into the vinator. I noticed revy recommended that too. I just sanitized my bottles in a cooler of star san with all the other junk.
 
I like to toss all my bottles into a bucket of onestep and then put them through my dishwasher on a rise/sanitize cycle. It takes longer than just washing them, and it might be overkill but I never have any sanitation issues.
 
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