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I use my MBKs as experimental fermentors as well as for a bottling bucket.
I just bought a couple of the new spigots a month ago, hoping that they would be better than the white ones. They do seem to be harder material but I did have an issue getting them to seal properly.
I was just curious if I could swap out the Mr. Beer spigot with a bottling one I found at a local home brew store. The listed size is 5/16 - 3/8.
So, I'm thinking about making hard root beer using a Mr Beer Classic American Light refill kit.
If I understand correctly, I would brew the CAL in my LBK as normal. When the beer is done fermenting, transfer the 2 gallons of beer to a sanitized steel pot big enough, then gently mix the beer with 2 to 3 cups of sugar, and 2/3 bottle of root beer concentrate, (the one I picked up, Watkins 2 oz, makes 3 gallons of root beer), and bottle.
When the bottles are carbonated, (Squeeze test plastic bottles), pasteurize the bottles to stop the yeast, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=193295.
Any thoughts?
Yep, that'll be fine. Quite a few people do that with the LBKs. I've now got a 2.5G Slimline (basically a square water jug) to use as a bottling bucket. I was using a 2G bucket for my 1G recipes but happened upon this 2.5G slimline deal so now I can use to bottle my 1-2G recipes.
So I'm about to do a partial mash + the one can of American Lite extract. I've seen some info on how to go about this but I am still uncertain on amounts and such. Essentially I'm trying to make a better beer with the extract that I have. I'm even thinking of going a little stronger ABV. At any rate I'm trying to figure if I should have 1 gallon of wort via BIAB + the extract and then another gallon of water added (I suppose at the sparge process) for a 2 gallon batch. If so then how much grain am I using and what kinds?
I'm thinking it be nice to do a citrusy hoppy strong beer around 6-6.5% Extract alone is rated at 5% ABV.
Anybody ever try a extract recipe from the Briess web site in a LBK? I'm thinking about brewing their "Turtle on a Log".
http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Recipes/beer/display/turtle-on-a-log
It's for 5 gal. But I think that if I half the recipie, 2.5 gal. Should fit in a LBK.
Has anyone used a hose to fill the bottles attached to the spigot?
Yep. I cut a small piece to attach to it. Works flawlessly, once you get the flow rate down to prevent too many bubbles. Never bothered with a bottling wand. View attachment 339613
Yep. I cut a small piece to attach to it. Works flawlessly, once you get the flow rate down to prevent too many bubbles. Never bothered with a bottling wand. View attachment 339613
A bottling wand gives other advantages. I'm not saying your approach won't work (it has for you).
But if you want beer to stay fresh for a year or more, filling from the bottom is better.
What's the inside diameter of your hose?
Bottling wands are very easy to use. You just put it in the bottle and press down to start the beer flowing. When the bottle is full, lift the wand off the bottom and the beer stops flowing. When you take the wand out, the bottle is filled with the right amount of beer.Never tried a bottling wand, so can't compare. However, if you take your time and make sure the flow rate is slow and smooth, it fills up with zero bubbles. Takes a few tries to get your technique down, but just set the ones with a little foam aside for a minute, and then cap or top off a little if needed. You could always cut a longer tube to start closer to the bottom, but this works really well. Unless you're getting really crazy and trying to rush it, there's virtually no foaming/bubbles - so there's no issues storing over a year if the recipe is suited to it. Never had any oxidized bottles, and have had some nearly 2 years old that tasted great.
That being said, I may look into a bottling wand, and if I already had one, I'd probably try it out. Are they easy to use solo, or is a brew-buddy recommended?
Bottling wands are very easy to use. You just put it in the bottle and press down to start the beer flowing. When the bottle is full, lift the wand off the bottom and the beer stops flowing. When you take the wand out, the bottle is filled with the right amount of beer.
I've never used a beer-buddy and when I searched for it, all I found were links to an app.
I don't know if you'll have much luck finding a brew-buddy searching online (except maybe on this site perhaps), although there's all sorts of websites these days... Just joking of course!
I was asking whether or not a bottling wand is easy enough to use to use without an extra set of hands (aka - a buddy or helper / 2-man process)? My "brew-buddy" (my bro-in-law) recently bailed on me after brewing together the last several years, so I recruited my younger cousin to help out. He's now in "intern" phase, so he's assigned mostly on the cleaning and heavy-lifting duty. And gets some free beer at the end, so he should be back
Ok. I've always brewed alone. It has been a long time since I've bottled, but if I remember correctly, I found it easier to bottle worth the wand than without.
I don't know what bubbling you saw in videos, but if a bottling wand is used properly, there is much less chance for oxidation than bottling from the tap, no matter how careful you are. The reason for that is that when you bottle from the tap, the beer is traveling down the side of the bottle and is exposed to the air the entire time. With a bottling wand, there's no exposure until it hits the bottom of the bottle. If you're adding any oxygen anywhere else in the process, you're doing it wrong.Just watched a few youtube videos of using a bottling wand. Looks simple enough, although, every bottle I saw filled seemed to produce air bubbles/slight foaming -- I assume due to the beer traveling through the small space of the valve. Wouldn't be enough for me to worry about at any rate, but I just wanted to note that the small tube attached to the spigot method can actually result it much less bubbling than what I saw in the videos if you're careful enough (ie...slow flow rate, don't rush it, and tilt the bottle on its side slightly when filling to prevent sloshing). I do like the consistency of the bottle-fills with the wand, though. I may pick one up and try it out on my next brew just for the heck of it, and to compare for myself. My only gripe with my current process is that it's difficult to get the perfect (or at least consistent) amount in each bottle, since you're basically just eye-balling it. The wand looks like it takes care of that issue at least, so might be worth it. That and if it speeds up the process slightly, that would be a bonus. Cheers.
I don't know what bubbling you saw in videos, but if a bottling wand is used properly, there is much less chance for oxidation than bottling from the tap, no matter how careful you are. The reason for that is that when you bottle from the tap, the beer is traveling down the side of the bottle and is exposed to the air the entire time. With a bottling wand, there's no exposure until it hits the bottom of the bottle. If you're adding any oxygen anywhere else in the process, you're doing it wrong.
A bottling wand fixes your gripe of inconsistent fills. You fill to the top, remove the wand, and Bob's your uncle.
If you are bottling from the tap, you should absolutely be using a beer gun or at least a growler filler.
You'll have more sediment in the hazy bottles.
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