Bottling Tips for the Homebrewer

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Lots of great info on here that I have used over the past year or so. Definitely use my dishwasher to rack the bottles before filling them. And I inherited a file cabinet that works better as a beer storage than a file cabinet :)

And wanted to add my little tip as well. I got tired of making labels for every beer and didn't like simply writing letters on the caps to distinguish them. So I created a simple logo for myself and then ordered a bunch of different color caps from bottlemark. Now I can easily distinguish between my brews and the bottles still look custom.

FilingCabinet2.jpg


FilingCabinet1.jpg


BottlesCaps1.jpg


BottlesCaps2.jpg
 
This Saturday past I bottled a batch of chocolate milk stout using my purpose made bottling bucket for the first time. Up til now I have been using my auto siphon to bottle and it does OK but it requires a little extra fiddling and attention.

I already had an ale pale so I bought this spigot http://www.clickabrew.com/shopexd.asp?id=1603 from my LHBS and this PVC elbow http://www.homedepot.ca/product/pvc-female-combination-reducing-elbow-3-4-inch-insert-x-1-2-inch-fpt/981929 from Home Depot. Actually I don't know if that is the exact elbow. I just brought the spigot with me and found one that matched its threads.

The largest drill bit I had wasn't quite big enough for the spigot but I was able to open the hole with a round file and it come out looking pretty clean after I put some sand paper to it. The bottom of the hole was one inch from the bottom of the bucket. I cut the barb of the PVC elbow so that it came to about one or two milimeters from the bottom of the bucket. The water test revealed no leaks after I assembled everything.

When I bottled I used the full length hose from my auto siphon. I prefer to lay my bottles out on the floor and just move the wand from one to another while placing caps on the filled bottles with my other hand. This combination worked great for me but I may consider shortening the hose a little. By propping the bucket up a little bit with a small door wedge I able to get all but a couple of ounces of my stout into the bottltes.

Making the bottling bucket was a great little DIY project even for some like me who is pretty much useless with tools. Thanks to Revvy for starting the thread and to every one else who put in their two cents worth as well.
 
So I'll be doing my bottling with a Vinator bottle washer using Starsan and a bottle tree. Let's say I wash 50 bottles and put them on the tree. By the time I get through half of my bottling the remaining bottles on the tree may have partially or all the way dried out inside. Some say you shouldn't let Starsan dry out. Does anyone think It's going to be a problem if some of the bottles have started to dry out? How critical is this?
An easy solution would be to just wash a few bottles at a time, but I would prefer to wash them all at once.
 
apezz said:
So I'll be doing my bottling with a Vinator bottle washer using Starsan and a bottle tree. Let's say I wash 50 bottles and put them on the tree. By the time I get through half of my bottling the remaining bottles on the tree may have partially or all the way dried out inside. Some say you shouldn't let Starsan dry out. Does anyone think It's going to be a problem if some of the bottles have started to dry out? How critical is this?
An easy solution would be to just wash a few bottles at a time, but I would prefer to wash them all at once.
Click to expand...

If your bottles are upside down, nothing will get in them.
 
apezz said:
So I'll be doing my bottling with a Vinator bottle washer using Starsan and a bottle tree. Let's say I wash 50 bottles and put them on the tree. By the time I get through half of my bottling the remaining bottles on the tree may have partially or all the way dried out inside. Some say you shouldn't let Starsan dry out. Does anyone think It's going to be a problem if some of the bottles have started to dry out? How critical is this?
An easy solution would be to just wash a few bottles at a time, but I would prefer to wash them all at once.
Click to expand...

Typically, mine are dry by the time I put beer in them. Never had a problem.
 
apezz said:
So I'll be doing my bottling with a Vinator bottle washer using Starsan and a bottle tree. Let's say I wash 50 bottles and put them on the tree. By the time I get through half of my bottling the remaining bottles on the tree may have partially or all the way dried out inside. Some say you shouldn't let Starsan dry out. Does anyone think It's going to be a problem if some of the bottles have started to dry out? How critical is this?
An easy solution would be to just wash a few bottles at a time, but I would prefer to wash them all at once.
Click to expand...

I was worried about the same thing, I was told not to let it dry either.
I bottled my first gallon batch last night and made a few observations.
1. I will invest in a bottle tree or fast rack, it was a bit too cumbersome and I was only working with 10 bottles.
2. I will use a bottling bucket with a spigot or bottling wand and auto siphon next time, I used a racking cane, tubing and clamping device that came with the gallon kit and it was also just too clumsy for me.
3. Depending how the carbonation comes out I may rethink solution used for the next batch, at the suggestion of my LHBS I used DME and water boiled for 10 minutes, it reduced quite a bit and was kind of thick when cooled and I just hoped it dispersed enough into the beer.
Either way it was fun and I think I am hooked.
 
I took a 2x4, deck screws and screwed them in on an angle, in 2 rows. I made 2 of them. They hold about 10 bottles. I fill a Rubbermaid container that holds about 20-30 bottles with the solution. I fill up both trees then put more bottles in the solution to soak. The bottling tube is mounted to the bottle bucket spigot by 2 inches of tubing. It sits on a table. When I empty 1 tree, I put more bottles on it and take from the second tree to fill. The bottles never dry. 1 person fills the bottles, 1 person caps and replenishes the trees and bottles. I've done 5 batches this way and it works well for me.
 
I put my bottles in the dishwasher and use heated dry. It's an all at once solution and very handy since you're bottling on the dishwasher door anyway.
 
Anyone know how to purchase the German .5L bottles for home bottling use. That includes buying the bottles full of beer. I'll be happy to empty them.

Thanks in advance.

pl
 
Yay for spare parts in the garage. I was tired of using the auto-siphon / bucket method so stopped by the lhbs to pick up a proper bottling bucket with a spigot.

Didn't think about the dip tube until I got home, doh.

I looked in the spare parts bin and viola! Turns out a 1/2" mpt to 1/2" mpt coupler and a 1/2" ftp 90º elbow screws right in and puts the elbow almost flush against the bottom of the bucket.

Tested it out and if the bucket has a tiny tilt towards the spigot it leaves about 2 oz of liquid in the end.

Love it.
 
Revvy said:
When I bottle I just write on the bottlecap with a sharpie a letter code for the name of the beer I brewed. For Example, Old Bog Road (my brown ale) is simply OBR...If I have multiple batches of the same beer going at the same time, I will add a letter code as well.


I took this one bit further. I definitely don't have the patience for removing labels or putting them on. So I keep a huge collection of different bottle caps, and do each batch with a different color cap. On my fridge I have a magnetic dry erase board. Currently I'm low on inventory but it says:

English Nut Brown--Silver cap
Blonde Ale--USA flag cap

Helps me keep track without doing any extra work than just capping.
Click to expand...
 
Its a choice, nothing more nothing less.
I do both. Kegging is spendy, but you only clean one big "bottle ". I bottle condition sometimes, and other,use the
"Beergun"...
 
This thread is chock full of so much useful information, I love to hear about other people's methods.. Hearing other people's point of view is so helpfully perspective..It's the only way to -- A. Realize your methods were wrong and fix them, or B. Reaffirm that you're doing it right, and it works for you. That goes for any method, and really any opinion or line of thinking you could ever have. Observing other people's ways is incredibly valuable to me, and no person ever became wise by any Means other than this.
 
SillyBeer said:
Bottling hack. Use a dishwashing glass rack from a restaurant to keep from knocking the bottles over while bottling.
Click to expand...

The restaurant bottle rack is a great idea...hadn't thought of that.

I found some 1970s-era plastic Pop Shoppe crates last summer at a garage sale for a few bucks each. Picked up three of them. Keeps bottles from tipping over, as my method is to fill all with a cap set on top before I run them through the capper.

919aa749d854a7b332d208bc82515da2.jpg
 
Same here. I read somewhere that co2 actually forms and pushes oxygen out if you leave them prior to capping.
 
SillyBeer said:
Same here. I read somewhere that co2 actually forms and pushes oxygen out if you leave them prior to capping.
Click to expand...

I make 2.5 gallon batches, so when bottling, I fill 4-6 then set a cap on top of the StarSan foam and go about bottling more. About half the time, a cap or two from the very first ones I set a cap on will get pushed off before I can get to crimping them down. I can only assume this is CO² doing it.
 
When full, rubbermade contianers can provide some of the same benefits and contain the overflow mess associated with bottling.
 
I used the tips in this thread to bottle last week, thanks to everyone's tips it went much smoother than usual.

I will say though that using a screw on PVC pipe + elbow for a dip tube did not work too well at pulling all the beer out of the bucket. The siphon stopped once the beer level reach down to about spigot level and I still needed to tilt the bucket to get the last two beers out of the bucket.

Next time I'll try to use the cork + copper piper method instead, guessing the smaller diameter tube may help keep the siphon going longer.
 
I try stuff all the time, but just tip the bucket. Chances are the last bit after tipping isn't enough for a full bottle. Drink it! It won't be carbonated, but will give you an idea of the finished product.
 
phishie said:
I used the tips in this thread to bottle last week, thanks to everyone's tips it went much smoother than usual.

I will say though that using a screw on PVC pipe + elbow for a dip tube did not work too well at pulling all the beer out of the bucket. The siphon stopped once the beer level reach down to about spigot level and I still needed to tilt the bucket to get the last two beers out of the bucket.

Next time I'll try to use the cork + copper piper method instead, guessing the smaller diameter tube may help keep the siphon going longer.
Click to expand...

I use just an elbow, and it works every time. It goes on after the nut that comes with the spigot.
 
I just cut a small piece, 4" or so, off my racking cane, boiled it, pulled it out of the water and while holding inside of a dish towel slowly bent it over a small round vase to 90'. First time I didn't get 90, popped it back into boiling water and started over and presto! A real nice dip tube that is a HUGE improvement to bottling day, gets down to about 1/4 of a bottle, or less, left in bucket.
 
Mine works great. I replaced the factory nut of the spigot with the threaded elbow, the nut is not used. In my case I ended up cutting most of the down turned leg of the elbow off in order to clear the bottom of the bucket by a very slight amount. It leaves less then two ounces behind when level. Very effective.
 
phishie said:
Next time I'll try to use the cork + copper piper method instead, guessing the smaller diameter tube may help keep the siphon going longer.
Click to expand...

this is how I have mine and there is never more than an ounce or two left.
 
The important thing is to have a good deal on your diptube elbow whatnot. I had to add an extra gasket to get it to seal properly on the elbow but no longer have to use the nut from the spigot
 
phug said:
The important thing is to have a good deal on your diptube elbow whatnot. I had to add an extra gasket to get it to seal properly on the elbow but no longer have to use the nut from the spigot
Click to expand...

That is true. It's nothing more than a siphon. The pick up has to be below the surface of the liquid. The discharge has to be below the level of the pickup. And there can be no leaks along the way.
 
phug said:
The important thing is to have a good deal on your diptube elbow whatnot. I had to add an extra gasket to get it to seal properly on the elbow but no longer have to use the nut from the spigot
Click to expand...

Ahhh, this is likely my issue. The PVC elbow I use has a pretty loose tension fit over the threaded PVC adapter.

Next time I'll have to swap out the adaper+elbow for a modified one piece threaded elbow or try wrapping the PVC adapter with some tape (duct tape or plumbers tape) to get a tight seal when I slide on the PVC elbow.
 
phug said:
Please don't use duct tape inside your bottling bucket
Click to expand...

Yea that's a good point. Rubber cork + copper or plastic dip tube is probably the cheapest and safest option (as should have been obvious from the thread). The simplicity of two PVC parts from Home Depot just really appealed to me.
 

Similar threads

yard_bird
First Flat Bottles in Years
Replies
15
Views
688
yard_bird
yard_bird
Architect-Dave
Bottle Condition Guinness Clone
Replies
7
Views
485
Architect-Dave
Architect-Dave
Architect-Dave
Screwed up bottling…perhaps.
Replies
10
Views
426
Architect-Dave
Architect-Dave
K
Bottle Condition or Keg for Competition?
Replies
3
Views
417
kurds_2408
K
C
First Time Adding Priming Sugar to Bottling Bucket
Replies
23
Views
971
day_trippr
day_trippr
Williams Brewing 300

Latest posts

Back
Top