Help with bottling...

Hello all,

I've just started by first brew from a kit, it's been going for 4 days and the hydrometer is staying steady (seemed a bit quick?).

I think it's ready for bottling, just wondered do I need to give it a good stir before I syphon it into the bottles? Or leave it be?

Don't be so quick to rush to bottling...4 days is really to early, even despite what the hydro may say, most of us don't EVEN take our first hydro reading till 7-10 days after we pitched the yeast...Let the beer sit for a few more days and your beer will be much better than jumping the gun...When fermentation has completed, the yeast's job is not done...they like to clean up after themselves....

Read these threads for some info... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=70438

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=710021

just leave it be.. you want to leave all that stuff that settled out of your bottles.. just make suer it is done fermenting, so you dont have any bottle bombs!

What was your final hydrometer reading? I'd wait at least a week or two before bottling, it will improve the end product.

If you are siphoning directly to bottles and do not have a bottling bucket you are going to have to mix the priming sugar in the fermenter. You will need to be careful doing this, so you do not disturb the yeast at the bottom. I'd recommend waiting and getting a bottling bucket.

Wow that was quick - thanks for the replies!

Don't be so quick to rush to bottling...4 days is really to early, even despite what the hydro may say, most of us don't EVEN take our first hydro reading till 7-10 days after we pitched the yeast...Let the beer sit for a few more days and your beer will be much better than jumping the gun...When fermentation has completed, the yeast's job is not done...they like to clean up after themselves....

Read these threads for some info... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=70438

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=710021

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Advice taken, I'll leave it for a few days -don't want buttery beer!

What was your final hydrometer reading? I'd wait at least a week or two before bottling, it will improve the end product.

If you are siphoning directly to bottles and do not have a bottling bucket you are going to have to mix the priming sugar in the fermenter. You will need to be careful doing this, so you do not disturb the yeast at the bottom. I'd recommend waiting and getting a bottling bucket.

Click to expand...

The hydrometer reading is 1.002, been that for 2 days. In regards to the priming sugar I was under the impression I could just put half a teaspoon of sugar in each bottle, this not advisable?

I have a pressure barrel so if bottling is going to a problem could I just use that?

If all goes wrong I'll just drink straight from the bucket!

Magooio said:

In regards to the priming sugar I was under the impression I could just put half a teaspoon of sugar in each bottle, this not advisable?

I have a pressure barrel so if bottling is going to a problem could I just use that?

If all goes wrong I'll just drink straight from the bucket!

Click to expand...

It's really tricky to get an accurate measurement of the sugar in each bottle, and you run the risk of bottle bombs that way, a couple extra grams of sugar could be all that it takes...the best way is to boil your sugar in water (Iuse 2 cups) then pour that into your bottling bucket and then rack your beer with an autosiphon onto that, which will mix the beer with the priming solution.....

It is much better than adding it to either bottles or your primary...if you add it to the fermentor, you have to mix it, and that will kick up all the stuff that has settled in the bottom of your fermenter.

Ah I see. So for a bottling bucket I can just use another fermenting bin.

On the instructions it says to add 6 grams of sugar per litre when bottling. I have 23 litres of beer, so I boil 138g of sugar with water, put in the new bucket, syphon beer into the bucket, then syphon into bottles?

It's like maths when i was a kid!

138 grams sounds about right for 23 liters.

I have 23 litres of beer, so I boil 138g of sugar with water, put in the new bucket, syphon beer into the bucket, then syphon into bottles?

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Be sure to stir after you have added your sugar solution to the botteling bucket. Otherwise this sounds good.

I don't stir, I just put my sugar solution in the bottling bucket, and rack into the bucket. Make sure the tip of the tubing is at the very bottom of the bucket as to not splash at all. If you feel like you just have to stir, though, do it ever so gently as to not aerate your beer.

Magooio said:

Ah I see. So for a bottling bucket I can just use another fermenting bin.

On the instructions it says to add 6 grams of sugar per litre when bottling. I have 23 litres of beer, so I boil 138g of sugar with water, put in the new bucket, syphon beer into the bucket, then syphon into bottles?

It's like maths when i was a kid!

Click to expand...

Yeah I'm finding out just how maths deficient I am..guess the teachers were right...

Not all kit's have spigots on their fermenters, mine don't...but yes if you have a nother fermenter with a spigot, by all means rack to that.

Sorry to dig this thread up again.

I've just bottled it. This is the process I used:

1. Mixed priming sugar with a little boiling water, and put in a clean fermenting bucket.

2. Syphoned the beer out of first fermenting bucket, into the bucket with sugar in.

3. Syphoned the beer and sugar mix into bottles, then capped.

One thing I wasn't sure about (probably a very stupid question!)...

At the bottom of the primary fermenting bucket was a load of white/greyish sedimet. I left this as it was in the first bucket, should I have mixed it into the bottling bucket? or did I do the right thing?