Very First Brew - Bottling Question

[NJDiver]

Hello All,

I made my very first batch of brew on Sunday night using a Brewers Best Red Ale kit. (http://www.brewersbestkits.com/pdf/1010 2013 Red Ale Recipe.pdf)

I inadvertently deviated from the directions and the wort is fermenting in the bottling bucket. The directions state to ferment in the fermentation bucket, then on bottling day, add the priming sugar to 2 cups of boiling water then pour into the empty bottling bucket and siphon the beer into the bottling bucket then bottle.

Can I just add the priming mixture to the bottling bucket and mix then bottle? Would it be better to add the mixture directly to the bottles or maybe just the sugar to the bottles as I see some folks do on YouTube?

I will be using 22oz bottles.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[dstranger99]

No, Your gonna have a ton of gunk at the bottom of that bucket when it's over, When it's done fermenting, just rack it to the fermenting bucket, then in a couple weeks just rack it again to the bottling bucket on bottling day.

 

[Newsman]

Just a note... don't use the airlock activity to determine when fermentation is done. If you have a hydrometer, take several readings over several days and when the readings are steady over the course of several consecutive days, your fermentation is complete. However, don't rack to the fermentation bucket just yet. Give the yeast a few more days to finish cleaning up after themselves. Wait about a week after three identical consecutive hydrometer readings.
If you don't have a hydrometer, wait 3-4 weeks before racking to the fermenting bucket.

 

[unionrdr]

I wait 2 weeks before taking an FG sample to see where it's at. It's usually 3 weeks to finish fermenting & settle out clear or slightly misty. When it's settled out,you could rack it to the fermenting bucket & clean the bottling bucket & spigot before racking the beer into it & adding the priming solution. Just be sure to use a racking tube to transfer the beer from the bottling bucket. Then an auto siphon to rack back into the bottling bucket.

 

[glenn514]

^^^ Great explanation of a good idea. You really don't want to play around with all the trub at the bottom of the bucket when you bottle. Racking to another container and then back into the bottling bucket is the way to go.

glenn514

 

[NJDiver]

Just a note... don't use the airlock activity to determine when fermentation is done. If you have a hydrometer, take several readings over several days and when the readings are steady over the course of several consecutive days, your fermentation is complete. However, don't rack to the fermentation bucket just yet. Give the yeast a few more days to finish cleaning up after themselves. Wait about a week after three identical consecutive hydrometer readings.
If you don't have a hydrometer, wait 3-4 weeks before racking to the fermenting bucket.

Well, my airlock activity stopped completely by Tuesday night, so basically just after 2 days.

Today I decided to take a reading with a hydrometer. To my amazement, it read only 1.002! Initially the wort was at 1.042. Now I do have to say, that shortly after my first OG reading I broke the hydrometer when it slipped from the tube, so this is a new hydrometer. The really weird thing is I took a reading from a commercial beer and it showed the same 1.002 reading.. So what is going on here?

I figure I will wait till Sunday then rack it into the fermentation bucket as I was advised in previous posts, then let that sit for 2+ weeks then look to bottle.

Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[andy6026]

Down to 1.002 in 2 days is outside my realm of experience. I would definitely leave the beer alone for at least 2-3 weeks before considering to bottle it. Then, as others have suggested it, move it to the fermenting bucket, clean out your bottling bucket and then move it back to the bottling bucket for bottling.

BTW: When you move it to the fermenting bucket, I don't recommend that you simply open the faucet on your bottling bucket. Siphon it instead. You don't want to disturb the gunk (trub) in the bottom nor do you want to oxidize the beer at that stage. Use a siphon for both moves.

 

[NJDiver]

Thanks Andy,

I know this sounds strange, but could it be that the new hydrometer I got is bad? Should a commercial beer (Yuengling) have the same reading? Also after I wrote the above I went and tested some lain old tap water and it was reading below 1.000 at approximately 0.007. Something just seems very strange with it.

 

[Newsman]

Don't forget to correct for temperature when doing hydrometer readings.

 

[unionrdr]

Not to berate you or anything,but are you sure you're reading the hydrometer scale correctly?

 

[NJDiver]

Believe me, I have questioned myself on that after these readings! Yes, I am fairly certain that I am.

I plan on going through the whole process anyway. If nothing else it will give me some experience.

 

[unionrdr]

There's usually a simple answer somewhere in the process. Looking back over your brewday could provide the answer.