2nd Batch ever - improvements & issues

I made improvements during mash
But this time around bottling was terrible

At one point the bottling stick stuck i guess, thought is was stopped and it overflowed spilling a lot. 2nd issue bottles are so dark i can't see when it gets full lighting sucks. Bottling issues may be do to the lemon shavings in this batch, also noticed a round filter piece was not installed - at the base of the bottling bucket probably is where it should have been so the siphon was getting clogged probably - may be lemon chunks in beer. Got 15 x 32 ounce bottles filled but what a slow and messy process this time around. Not happy - thoughts of not wanting to do it again - hope this batch tastes good - Lemon Wheat brew.

 

That beer sounds interesting. As a fellow beginner bottling was probably the most disapointing part as well. Hoses drip, and my wife refuses to fill bottle because she can't get the hang of the wand. Some things that we've either figured out or had friends tell us that helped were.....

1. Put down an old towel, and just assume you'll get it at least a bit wet with beer and sanitizing solution.
2. Fill on the floor, put the bottling bucket on a counter or chair and bottles on the towel below it, the just plop down on that towel or two (don't forget to have caps, nearby so you can at least place a cap on the bottles immediately after filling).
3. Put down a small plate (like a salad plate) and then fill on that. The flat hard surface makes the bottle a little more stable if you are clumsy like me and likely to knock things over.
4. (this one has been key). Place a couple of paper towels on the small plate (i know it sounds like I'm contradicting #3). This will catch the dribbles and slight overfills (which will reduce as you get the hang of when to pull the wand up) and the damp towels will form a nice surface for the bottles (think ****ty memory foam).
5. When you're done have another beer (you have been drinking through this ordeal right?) and tell anyone within earshot (this may mean yelling awkwardly at your neighbors) "thank god that mother-bleeper is done". Sigh, and then smile about the beer you'll be enjoying soon.

 

I copied my bottling method pretty much completely from Revvy's method that you can find here. Note that the whole setup is over the open dishwasher. This makes cleanup of any spills a simple matter of closing the dishwasher door. I still have a towel down to cover any other little drips.

 

The 14-year old buried in me just did a beavis and butthead laugh at this.

 

Another tip I picked up from a friend is don't hold the bottling wand directly, just use about a 1 1/2 inch piece of siphon tubing as a coupler between the spigot on the bucket and the bottling wand leaving the wand hanging pretty much directly off the spigot and freeing up one of your hands...and do it over the open dishwasher as the earlier poster said

 

Just venting, i like to improve, but sometimes you have to take a step back to get 2 steps ahead...corny

 

I also like to put anything going into the fermenter to dry hop,etc in a muslin sack. This keeps clogs from happening. It also keeps the yeast layer cleaner for washing.

 

As mentioned above Revvy's method works great. Since I bottle in my basement I just put a large pot under the bottling wand to catch the trips and over flows.
I started using 1 gallon paint strainers for hop and other additions to help keep the wort cleaner. Seems to work better than muslin bags and they are reusable.