Bottling ~100 beers tomorrow

Here it comes! I've got two 5 gallon batches of beer sitting in my bedroom waiting to be had by many. I'm bottling tomorrow and these are my first two batches, so drink with an heir of caution! I will try to snag my brothers digital camera or screw it I'll just use my iPhone camera -- but either way I hope it is super tasty.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks for bottling/sanitizing/whatever? I'm all ears!

Look here

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/revvys-tips-bottler-first-time-otherwise-94812/

Thanks for the plug lcasanova!

Awesome! I'm checking it out now and if I have any questions... maybe I'll PM Revvy lol

mackinskor said:

Awesome! I'm checking it out now and if I have any questions... maybe I'll PM Revvy lol

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ABSOLUTELY AND DEFINITELY READ AND FOLLOW THOSE INSTRUCTIONS!!!
I actually LIKE bottling because I do it exactly as depicted in that thread...if you have all of the equipment set it up JUST LIKE HE SHOWS.. simple as pie to bottle then. If you DON'T have all of the equipment go buy it and bottle next weekend!!!

I highly recommend the vinator, if you can get one by bottling time. It makes the whole process so much smoother for me, and I regret not having invested in one sooner than a few months ago.

If you are sharing this brew I would suggest call the people who will be drinking it over to help bottle... more hands can help make the time fly-by... that is if they are clean and don't sneeze on your bottles...

Okay, since no one else said it. . . .

One Hundred Bottles of Beer on the Wall, One Hundred Bottles of . . . etc.


P.S. I blame that on the Warka Strong that I'm drinking.

I have a great setup for bottling. At first I didn't mind it, but after bottling 10gallons of beer in one sitting multiple times, it started to get more annoying each time. Definitely get setup good with the right equipment though.

Awesome, I have to wait until this afternoon to bottle - my brother has an extra case at his apartment but he doesn't get out until around 4pm. That's ok though it gives me time to figure out how I want to set this operation up.

Why don't ya bottle one batch now and one when your brother shows up?

I know I'd want to take a break and you'll want to clean the bucket, etc between batches anyways....

curtis97322 said:

Why don't ya bottle one batch now and one when your brother shows up?

I know I'd want to take a break and you'll want to clean the bucket, etc between batches anyways....

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Sound advice! I bottled two pumpkin ales on the same day, they were only 2.5 gallon batches but it still took a while. Definitely take a break between batches to clean up and recharge, nothing beats preparation when you want to finish in a decent amount of time.

I bottled 102 bottle yesterday. I don't mind the bottling, its the hauling of empty/full carboys, bottles, buckets, and solutions up and down stairs that gets to me. Still, it will all be worth it after it carbs!

Definitely going to take a break in between -- great idea! I have a meeting to go to in about 45 minutes then I am coming back to prepare the bottling! Glorious I am so PUMPED!!

Im a big fan of the diptube mentioned in Revvy's thread. That is one of the best ideas ever for the bottling experience. I had a few mishaps in the early days while trying to tilt my bucket to get every last drop. Never again!

Richabt said:

Im a big fan of the diptube mentioned in Revvy's thread. That is one of the best ideas ever for the bottling experience. I had a few mishaps in the early days while trying to tilt my bucket to get every last drop. Never again!

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yep, I put on the 90 pvc elbow and when I am done there is a tiny skim of beer across the bottom of the bucket...works like a charm!

Here are the beginning products...

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Can't wait to try the first, lighter colored one. That's my own concoction with orange and lemon zest coupled with cascade hops - hoping for a citrusy essence. Getting ready to sanitize and do this thing!

My first bottled beer

Sorry if they are sideways First batch done, but I need to go out and buy more bottles cause I'm an idiot and am short about a 12 pack.

Make sure you fill the bottle to the brim with the bottling wand inside it. When you remove it you should be left with about 1 inch of headspace.

lcasanova said:

Make sure you fill the bottle to the brim with the bottling wand inside it. When you remove it you should be left with about 1 inch of headspace.

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An excellent tip but don't sweat it too much. On some lighter brews, if you are using startsan it can be hard to see the level of the beer in the bottle. I've found that slight variations in the fill level had no impact on my final carbed beers. I feel its better to slightly underfill than slosh precious beer down the outside of the bottle. N_G