Baby shower beer...

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jigidyjim

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Ok, don't laugh too hard...

I've been asked if I can brew a baby shower beer. I'm wondering if anyone knows of some small bottles I can use to bottle the beer, and if it's safe to carbonate in them.

Also taking suggestions for recipes. Need something that can be ready fast, so nothing too high of an OG.

Laugh away...
 
Need something fast and for a baby shower?

I'm going to (hopefully) assume that the baby shower guests will all be female, and further assume that they like the lighter stuff. I would suggest brewing up either Biermunchers Cream of Three Crops or Edworts Haus Pale Ale. I simple search will find the recipes for you. I will say that both these beers have a been awesome everytime I've brewed them.

As far as the bottle go, not so sure. I've never seen pony bottles for sale, so no help there.
 
How about some cleaned, sanitized baby food jars?
I know some people re-use them when making their own baby food! Just a humble suggestion!
Let us know what you decide for the beer and bottles!
 
How about some cleaned, sanitized baby food jars?
I know some people re-use them when making their own baby food! Just a humble suggestion!
Let us know what you decide for the beer and bottles!

That's a great idea if you can find some decent sized jar!

We hosted a baby shower for some friends last year and they wanted it to be co-ed. We made barbecue, drank a lot of beer, and it felt like a great get together with a baby gift exchange at the end of it. Everyone loved it. Now that my wife is pregnant, we will be doing the same thing for ourselves when the time comes.

I haven't picked the recipes that I will make, but I have a few ideas. I would recommend Biermuncher's centennial blonde or belgian wit recipes. Those could be ready pretty fast, probably 4.5-5 weeks if you bottle, perhaps sooner.

I have a low abv blonde with a smooth hop aroma that I will probably brew. Do you brew all grain, partial mash , or extract?

Eric
 
Be careful with the baby food jars. They are likely not designed to hold pressure. Even if they can hold a partial vacuum, it's not a good bet that they'll withstand positive pressure. It'd be a shame to make tiny beer grenades.
 
I just did my first partial mash after 10+ extract brews, so I'm interested in doing more partial mashes going forward. I'll check out the recipes you all recommended.

I'm a little skeptical about jars being used... but it's a fun idea. I guess there's another option here - just carb in normal bottles (or 22's), and right before they are served, transfer them to actual baby bottles...

What I was hoping to find is like 6-oz bottles somewhere. There's a winery in town that does a gimicky single-serving wine that way, maybe I could ask them where they got the bottles... but again who knows if they will survive carbonation.
 
In case you are interested, here is an easy recipe that would be ready in 4.5 weeks if you bottle, 2.5 if you keg.

Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 4.65 gal
Estimated OG: 1.038 SG
Estimated Color: 4.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 21.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3 lbs 8.0 oz Extra Pale Liquid Extract [Boil for 15 minExtract 50.03 %
2 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 35.73 %
8.0 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 7.12 %
4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 3.56 %
4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 3.56 %
19.83 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 12.6 IBU
7.08 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (30 min) Hops 3.5 IBU
7.08 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (15 min) Hops 2.2 IBU
7.09 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-SteepHops -
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [1000ml starter for 24 hours]

Mash at 155 with 2.5 gallons for 60minutes. Sparge at 170 with 0.5 gallons. Top up as high as you can (for me it was about 4.5 gallons), then start the boil. Then top up to 5.25 and add the 1000ml starter.

I fermented for 10 days, force carbed in the keg for 7 days.

Eric
 
OP i think i have your solution if you can't find the right bottles.

Use the regular 12oz pop tops, but go to your local baby sh** dealer and pick up a bunch of rubber nipples and strap them on top over your caps and than get your girl to wrap some ribbons on the necks. You won't pay so much, you know the bottles can handle the pressure, and you can not sweat the details too hard. The clear champagne bottles Baron ken posted are cool and would work, but clear glass doesn't age so well, right? Women are sentimental and like to keep sh** and if they see a cute lil bottle of beer they are likely to want to keep one and not drink it.
 
...The clear champagne bottles Baron ken posted are cool and would work, but clear glass doesn't age so well, right? Women are sentimental and like to keep sh** and if they see a cute lil bottle of beer they are likely to want to keep one and not drink it.

Sounds perfect then. If they'll never be drank, the clear will be nice to show off that it is beer inside. And he said something fast so aging in clear bottles shouldn't be a problem. :)
 
Awesome. I think I might do a 5 gal batch of the centennial blond, and put some in those small bottles... Only question is whether or not to use blueberry flavoring in the blond. Hmmm...

Thanks everyone!
 
Actually - I wonder if filling the half champagne bottles will be a pain. I'm guessing that leaving the normal amount of head room from my filling wand would be a bad thing, and I'd want to leave less?

There was another thread on here somewhere that 22oz don't carb as well due to the beer/air ratio... so would that mean the 6oz bottles would over carb because of the same ratio? Maybe I couldn't use a wand when filling them.

Ugh. Maybe just regular 12's is the way to go.
 
Actually - I wonder if filling the half champagne bottles will be a pain. I'm guessing that leaving the normal amount of head room from my filling wand would be a bad thing, and I'd want to leave less?

There was another thread on here somewhere that 22oz don't carb as well due to the beer/air ratio... so would that mean the 6oz bottles would over carb because of the same ratio? Maybe I couldn't use a wand when filling them.

Ugh. Maybe just regular 12's is the way to go.
I prefer to bottle in 22oz bottles. That's not true, IME.
 
They sell Heineken in 7oz bottles in my area. You might want to give that a try. I have never bottled in Heineken bottles, so I don't know if they work ok with a wing capper.
 
i've gotten the 6.3 oz bottles in green at my LHBS a while back, took the same cap as the 12/22oz beer bottles.
 
i've gotten the 6.3 oz bottles in green at my LHBS a while back, took the same cap as the 12/22oz beer bottles.

Bingo - i finally figured out what to search for after reading this and found this:

http://www.homebrewit.com/aisle/2060

Awesome. I think I'll give it a shot, bottle 24 of these minis then the rest regular 12 oz bottles. Ugh, bottling day will suck!

Hmmm... here's a question - people will be drinking straight out the bottle probably. Think the yeast will make people have stomach problems? I think I'm gunna do the centennial blond with the nottingham... I've never actually used dry yeast before, so dunno if it is any different in terms of drinkability or not.
 
Be careful with the baby food jars. They are likely not designed to hold pressure. Even if they can hold a partial vacuum, it's not a good bet that they'll withstand positive pressure. It'd be a shame to make tiny beer grenades.

Good point Yuri, didn't think about that!
Also, can you imagine if some got left over and a couple of months after the baby arrives the SWMBO in-law goes to the cupboard to get a jar of food! Try to explain that one:eek:
 
Cool idea for the baby shower brew. Three thoughts:

1. Maybe try to get some Sierra Nevada bottles. They are short and squat and look smaller (even though they hold about the same amount of beer).

2. My wife is pregnant and I just brewed a "Post Partum Ale." I used a lot of ginger in the recipe because as an herb it is an emanagogue (sp?), which means it helps women recover from childbirth.

3. I've been reading a really fascinating book called the Secret Life of Beer: Legends, Lore, and Little Known Facts by Alan D. Eames. I thought this passage was interesting, and I'm going to put it on the label.

"Lasting well into American colonial times, the custom of 'groaning ales' marked the next phase of a wedded woman's career. When the time of a first child's birth was known, the local alewife, or mother-in-law would brew a special high-test beer for the 'the time of the groaning' or childbirth. During labor, the mother-to-be and the midwives would swig from the ale pot to lend all extra strength for the ordeal. . . Old records tell of washing the newborn baby with the ale. The brew was known to be pure and germ-free -- a real plus at a time when water was suspect for anything more than washing your feet" (p. 58).

Good luck!
 
Ok, just bottled 24 6.3 oz bottles (baby bottles), 12 22 oz bottles (daddy bottles), and 14 12 oz bottles (mommy bottles) of centennial blond partial mash. now to make labels and hope the carbonate in time - 2 weeks!
 
One last follow up - this was a hit. People thought the 187 ml bottles were "the cutest beer bottles ever!", and people were positive about the beer (centennial blond).

Thanks for all the advice.
 

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