Bottling...

[jlg4398]

Hello, as of this morning I was pretty well convinced to let my Light Hybrid Ale brew another seven days. As they day wore on and the more research I found I decided to go ahead and bottle it up.
What I read several times is the type of Ale I have brewed can be bottled at seven days.
I gave it a taste test and the aroma, taste and color is really good.
I'm proud of myself. This is my first batch of beer. I don't have a Hydrometer or second fermenting bucket. I bottled from my fermenting bucket.
The only drawback was I fermented five gallons but only got 40 bottles of beer. My bottles are the 16 oz.

 

[freisste]

What made you bottle? No hydrometer means you don't know it was done fermenting, means you don't know how much fermentable sugar is currently in the bottles. This is how people end up with bottle bombs. Not trying to scare you, but you need to have a healthy level of respect for those bottles. Like the healthy level of respect people have for unexplored ordinance in war zones. Just saying.

 

[boydster]

40 bottles * 16 oz each = 5 gallons right on the money. Nice job! I very much recommend the hydrometer, especially if you are going to be bottling at 1 week... just to be safe. Bottle bombs aren't a good thing, and bottling at one week is a pretty sort timeline and you want to be absolutely sure it's done. Be careful with those bottles, just in case.

Congrats on your first batch!

 

[morticaixavier]

Hello, as of this morning I was pretty well convinced to let my Light Hybrid Ale brew another seven days. As they day wore on and the more research I found I decided to go ahead and bottle it up.
What I read several times is the type of Ale I have brewed can be bottled at seven days.
I gave it a taste test and the aroma, taste and color is really good.
I'm proud of myself. This is my first batch of beer. I don't have a Hydrometer or second fermenting bucket. I bottled from my fermenting bucket.
The only drawback was I fermented five gallons but only got 40 bottles of beer. My bottles are the 16 oz.

how did you mix in the priming sugar? or did you dose each bottle?

It's a risk for sure to bottle after 7 days. How long it takes the yeast to make beer doesn't really related to what anyone says about any particular type of beer. Sure, a small ordinary bitter brewed can be ready in 7 days but it also might not be. it's more or less impossible to tell if a beer has finished attenuating without measuring the gravity at least twice a couple days apart. and if the beer hasn't finished attenuating it will. Only now it's sealed in a glass bottle that is rated to hold... let's say 3-5 volumes of co2.

If you primed the batch correctly let's say you added enough sugar to achieve 2.5 volumes of co2 but because you don't know how much sugar was already in the beer still available to the yeast that might add another 2.5 volumes. It's only 3 gravity points we are talking about here (1.003) so it's not alot of sugar. At that level you'll likely be fine, the bottles might gush but they probably won't explode. however what if there was actuall5 or 6 gravity points left. now your bottles will gave 6-9 volumes of co2 and they may well start popping.

On the other hand, it might be just fine. If you pop open a bottle in a week and it's way over carbed get the rest of them as cold as possible as quickly as possible. If it's way way over carbed, do this while wearing heavy gloves and eye protection.

 

[LovesIPA]

Worst case, you're going to get some bottle bombs. Second worst case, the beer will be overcarbonated.

It might be OK to bottle in 7 days, depending on your fermentation temperature, OG, and how healthy your yeast pitch was. Then again, it might not. Without a hydrometer you're just guessing whether it's safe or not.

 

[Grinder12000]

The problem is that you did not allow the yeast to clean up after themselves. Fermenting might be done but the process of making good beer was not.

When yeast ferment they leave behind carcases and so forth. Once they are finished making alcohol and fermentation is finished they start to eat all of the dead crap.

I have never ever bottled before 3 weeks, even my hefe go three weeks so I can have a clean beer. Brewing is the procrastinators heaven. The longer it takes the better you beer will be.

Where did you read 7 days? If it was on the instructions I will guarantee they are poor instructions (as most instructions with kits are horrendous)

 

[LovesIPA]

The problem is that you did not allow the yeast to clean up after themselves. Fermenting might be done but the process of making good beer was not.

When yeast ferment they leave behind carcases and so forth. Once they are finished making alcohol and fermentation is finished they start to eat all of the dead crap.

I have never ever bottled before 3 weeks, even my hefe go three weeks so I can have a clean beer. Brewing is the procrastinators heaven. The longer it takes the better you beer will be.

But if you've never bottled a beer without going 3 weeks in primary, how do you know it would turn out? It might be great at 2 weeks or even 10 days. I probably wouldn't push it much earlier than that though.

 

[BigFloyd]

Bottling at 7 days without hydrometer confirmation is a total crap shoot. You might want to put those bottles somewhere that will 1) contain any glass shrapnel and 2) keep the beer from making a big mess in case you hadn't hit FG at 7 days.

What I read several times is the type of Ale I have brewed can be bottled at seven days.

Where did you read that it was a fine idea? The time period for fermentation to complete depends on lots of factors (yeast pitch rate, gravity, pitch/ferment temperature and yeast strain all come to mind). For someone to tell you that a certain type of ale will be 100% done for sure in 7 days is awful advice.

Once a beer hits stable FG, it realistically takes 3-4 days (assuming the temp is right) for the yeast to "clean up" after themselves. I pitch plenty of yeast, so most of my ales hit FG in a week, lagers a bit longer. I'm in no rush (got plenty of homebrew), so I usually take the first reading at two weeks.

 

[LovesIPA]

Bottling at 7 days without hydrometer confirmation is a total crap shoot. You might want to put those bottles somewhere that will 1) contain any glass shrapnel and 2) keep the beer from making a big mess in case you hadn't hit FG at 7 days.

Where did you read that it was a fine idea? The time period for fermentation to complete depends on lots of factors (yeast pitch rate, gravity, pitch/ferment temperature and yeast strain all come to mind). For someone to tell you that a certain type of ale will be done for sure in 7 days is awful advice.

The font you use is hard to read but you consistently give solid advice.

 

[Grinder12000]

But if you've never bottled a beer without going 3 weeks in primary, how do you know it would turn out? It might be great at 2 weeks or even 10 days.

What?

It MIGHT be but why hurry if you KNOW it will be better after three. It's certainly not going to go down hill, it can only get better with time.

Getting Diacetyl and Acetaldehyde out of your freshly fermentated brew is the key, takes about 48 hours. but . . . . .

14 days I have to think is the absolute quickest you can go in a Primary and bottle.

 

[LovesIPA]

What?

It MIGHT be but why hurry if you KNOW it will be better after three. It's certainly not going to go down hill, it can only get better with time.

But how do you KNOW it will better after three?

In the case of an IPA, hop aroma and flavor fades over time. Probably not something to worry about when talking about the difference between 10 and 21 days, but if you get busy, forget about it, life got in the way, etc. and let it sit for six weeks there would be a difference.

 

[fearwig]

"Give it one week in primary and two weeks in secondary" - LHBS guy to everyone about everything. Holy **** what a bad idea.

Hy
dro
me
ter

And if you don't want to get a hydrometer, let it go a solid month to be safe. No secondary.

You already bottled, so I don't want to scare you, but, y'know, put those bottles somewhere safe and contained for a week, then try one out. 90% of the time they will be OK, maybe slightly overcarbed. 10% of the time they will all f'ing explode. Bad odds.

The only reason it's usually OK is because newbies also ferment way too hot and finish way too soon, to be honest.

 

[morticaixavier]

I have kegged a beer 7 days after brew day twice so this is hardly scientifically significant but...

The first time was totally planned. I designed the recipe, picked the yeast, and targeted a style I NEW could be ready that quickly. I hit it with plenty of nutrient and bumped the temp as close to 70 as I felt comfortable. It was a 1.032 ordinary bitter and it was a bit yeasty bit overall quite good after three days of force carbing. It was better after another week.

The second time was because I NEEDED the beer now so, it was at more or less what I expected for terminal gravity and I kegged it. that beer was a mess for probably two weeks after I kegged. the yeast didn't want to drop even in the fridge and it was butterscotch city.

So I can say that a beer CAN be good after 7 days but even then it'll be better after 14.

 

[rskelhorn]

This being your first brew, I assume you will go through your bottles pretty quickly once they carb a bit like I did haha

Probably will be ok, but on the safe side keep an eye on the carbonation as you go through them.

If they start getting really fizzy and/or way over carbonated you may be at risk for a bottle bomb.

Get a hydrometer!

 

[rattyboh]

Three pieces of advice:
1) try to listen to people on this forum. There is some great advice here for people starting out. I saw you posted a question about if it was ready to bottle 2 or three times on here and each time the response was "wait at least another week and get a hydrometer" for many of the reasons that have already been brought up.
2) I also noticed you fermented in the high 70s to low 80s. Look up swamp coolers. It is a cheap and easy way to control temps and will make your beer much much better.
3) read how to brew (online version is free) then read it again. It is a great resource and will teach you a lot about avoiding mistakes and making better beer


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[LovesIPA]

3) read how to brew (online version is free) then read it again. It is a great resource and will teach you a lot about avoiding mistakes and making better beer

The free online version is the first edition. The one you can buy now is the third edition and there are a TON of updates and improvements. The book is well worth the investment. Even John Palmer says that he wishes people would stop referring to the first edition.

 

[BigFloyd]

I have kegged a beer 7 days after brew day twice so this is hardly scientifically significant but...

The first time was totally planned. I designed the recipe, picked the yeast, and targeted a style I NEW could be ready that quickly. I hit it with plenty of nutrient and bumped the temp as close to 70 as I felt comfortable. It was a 1.032 ordinary bitter and it was a bit yeasty bit overall quite good after three days of force carbing. It was better after another week.

The second time was because I NEEDED the beer now so, it was at more or less what I expected for terminal gravity and I kegged it. that beer was a mess for probably two weeks after I kegged. the yeast didn't want to drop even in the fridge and it was butterscotch city.

So I can say that a beer CAN be good after 7 days but even then it'll be better after 14.

Interesting info, but your practices (or mine) for beers that we are kegging can be a bit more fast and loose than if you're going to prime/bottle. Keg and force carb a beer that's not done fermenting, it may taste a bit sweet and have lower ABV. Sugar prime and bottle the same beer-------boom.

 

[Setesh]

Congrats on your first batch! It's soooo hard not to rush things in this hobby as you have already discovered. I didn't read all the comments, so this may have already been covered, but I highly suggest you keep your beer in tubs just in case you have any bottle bombs. Trust me, you do NOT want that mess, especially if you are married

 

[jlg4398]

I prime 3/4 tsp of corn sugar. I looked at the bottles just now and they seem ok.

 

[BigFloyd]

I prime 3/4 tsp of corn sugar. I looked at the bottles just now and they seem ok.

How can you tell by looking?

Are they glass or PET?

 

[morticaixavier]

Interesting info, but your practices (or mine) for beers that we are kegging can be a bit more fast and loose than if you're going to prime/bottle. Keg and force carb a beer that's not done fermenting, it may taste a bit sweet and have lower ABV. Sugar prime and bottle the same beer-------boom.

I 100% agree. my comment was more to the point that a beer CAN be ready to drink that quickly. I am in no way advocating bottling without a stable final gravity. I learned that lesson once and that was enough.

 

[CastleHollow]

I prime 3/4 tsp of corn sugar. I looked at the bottles just now and they seem ok.

Carbonation (and continued fermentation, if there is any) will take time. The yeast will continue to convert the sugar until they are done, meanwhile building CO2 and pressure. It's not something you can see, until you pop that bottle. Or it pops for you.

 

[CB_in_Tokyo]

But how do you KNOW it will better after three?

In the case of an IPA, hop aroma and flavor fades over time. Probably not something to worry about when talking about the difference between 10 and 21 days, but if you get busy, forget about it, life got in the way, etc. and let it sit for six weeks there would be a difference.

I brew 10 gallon batches. When my pipeline is low I will go grain to glass in 10 days (I keg). The second batch that doesn't get kegged until later is always better. Sometimes it is hard to tell they are the same beer.

So do I know that in your case, with your beer, that it will be better...no I cannot say that I know that for an absolute fact, but I know where my money would be were I a betting man.

 

[fearwig]

Overcarbing/incomplete fermentation is a great argument for cracking a bottle 7 days in... And another 10 days in, and so on. You also learn to tell the difference between green beer and irredeemable beer, which is useful.

If you crack one a week after bottling and it really gushes, fridge or pasteurize asap.

Also, use a bottling bucket, for real. Or tabs, if you won't.

 

[BigFloyd]

The OP sent me a PM indicating that he used plastic (maybe Mr. Beer PET?) bottles, so the concern about glass bottle bombs can be laid to rest.

 

[Setesh]

The OP sent me a PM indicating that he used plastic (maybe Mr. Beer PET?) bottles, so the concern about glass bottle bombs can be laid to rest.

+1.
I switched to plastic bottles myself after I got a call from my wife one day saying "Come home now! Bottles are exploding!" The plastic bottles were safer, but they were still a PITA, so shortly after that I started kegging.

 

[fearwig]

That has me thinking. Maybe if I blow up some bottles, I'll be able to justify the expense of a kegerator...

 

[Setesh]

That has me thinking. Maybe if I blow up some bottles, I'll be able to justify the expense of a kegerator...

Oddly enough this is the only thing my wife has actually prompted me to purchase. She asked me how much it would cost to have a nice keezer in the house so I could serve beer at parties. I told her about 1k, she told me to get to it! Once we move into the new house I will, right now that would just be one more thing to move.

Moral of the story is to put a different spin on it. If your wife likes entertaining then point out what an awesome thing it would be to be able to pour real pints of beer for people at parties! If she would have kittens if bottles exploded in the house then pitch it to her as protecting her lovely house (carpet, paint, wood floor, whatever). It's all in the approach!

 

[MindenMan]

My daughter will be driving soon, and any expenditure over the price of brewing a new batch of beer ($30.00 or so), will usually pass. We are looking for a nice, clean, all wheel drive, or just front wheel drive. My 5 cu. ft. modified freezer/fermenting chamber only holds one 6.5 gallon bucket with an airlock attached, and one 5 gallon w/o an airlock at the same time. I realize I don't have to put a regular airlock while fermenting is vigorous, and foil will probably do just fine, but I brew 5 gallon batches right now, and usually have three 6.5 gallon fermenting buckets in rotation. As the initial fermention is done, I move the bucket into a cool/warm place in the house to finish. My wife tolerates 4 cases of beer conditioning in the corner of the dining room, as the dining room table is a computer work place.
I apologize if I got off topic.

 

[jlg4398]

I bottled on Friday today is Sunday. I checked and my brew has some corn sugar in the bottom. I gentle shook and agitated on a few of the bottles until it has dissolved. Is that the correct thing to do?

 

[rmyurick]

That might actually be yeast. I wouldn't shake it, but it probably didn't hurt anything. depending on the ambient temp., I would probably wait at least 2 Weeks to pop one.

 

[DocScott]

How did you add the priming sugar? My opinion is the best way to prime is to make a priming solution. Basically, boil a small amount of water (~2 cups) with the total amount of sugar for the whole batch. Add this to the bottling bucket and rack your finished beer onto it. Next, bottle. The sugar gets dissolved and equally distributed to ensure uniform carbonation in each bottle.

Most likely the "sugar" at the bottom is actually yeast or other hop/trub/etc settling to the bottom. This is normal. When you pour, most people like to leave the last 1/4 inch in the bottle - doing this leaves this sediment behind and out of your glass

 

[BBL_Brewer]

I'm with rmyourick, that's almost certainly yeast that you're seeing. If it's not, it's sediment that transferred over when you racked. It's not sugar. Shaking the bottles and re-suspending the yeast won't hurt anything. In fact, it could speed up carbonation a little. If temps are good though, no need to keep shaking the bottles. Just let them sit until they're ready to drink.

 

[jlg4398]

I have a simple question. After you bottle your brew and if for some reason you put too much corn sugar in the bottles to prime them, how long will it be before they start to explode?

 

[Sbarnard80]

Depends on how much sugar you put in and the temp. How much are we talking?

 

[jlg4398]

I put in the recommended 3/4 tsp per 16oz bott;e.

 

[Dan]

I'm not sure of the correct amount to use. I've been kegging from the beginning. But if you used the recommended amount of priming sugar you should be just fine, unless you didn't hit FG before you bottled. Then there would be a concern of over carbonating the beer/BBs.

 

[Sbarnard80]

As long as the caps are on pretty well, there is some play in there to overcarb some and not have them explode on you. It very often takes more than a week to carb, so if you are concerned open 1 up then and see hoe it is. If it's a gusher, may want to either store them in a tray or probably better yet, get them in the fridge ASAP and invite some friends over to take care of them. But it sounds like you are fine with this batch.

 

[strangegreenman]

Off-topic, but worth mentioning if you get bottle bombs: if your are adding the corn sugar per bottle, you're probably adding it as powder or carbing drops and then filling up with beer, right?

I suggest not doing that much. Dirty dust in the sugar could set you up with an infection in some of your bottles (also potentially causing BBs).

Now, DON'T WORRY, your beer's probably fine even if you did this, but I find it's better to take 1/2 to 3/4 cup (175mL) corn sugar per five gallons of beer, dissolve it in 12fluid ounce/360mL water and boil it for a few minutes. Stir that syrup into the beer and then bottle it. It's easy, more reliable carbonation with less risk of boom and yuck.

 

[Brewmenn]

I put in the recommended 3/4 tsp per 16oz bott;e.

Based on my math that sounds about right, or maybe even a little low.