1st batch in the fermenter, some bottling questions

[fg12351]

Hey all,

New brewer here. My lovely assistant (wife) and I made a Red Ale yesterday for our first brew and it's in the fermenter. I'm using the basic Best Brewer's kit and a lot of luck. We shall see what happens! Had to use 2 small brew pots on our crappy electric range but it seemed to work.

My OG was a little low, about 1.041 or so and it was supposed to be 1.048-1.052 but from what I have read that is ok.

When I get ready to bottle:

I have a bottling bucket with a spigot and a plastic clear hose. I also have a siphon that came with the kit.

What do you recommend for transferring to the bottling bucket and then the bottles? Siphon to the bottles using the siphon and hose to minimize sediment? (I'm only using a primary fermenter). Then use the spigot and hose to fill the bottles?

Any other recommendations I would appreciate.

Plan on learning alot here,

thanks,

FG12351

 

[archiefl98]

Yep, add your priming sugar that's been boiled to the bottom of the bottling bucket and rack on top of it. Transfer to the bottling bucket with the siphon, being careful to reduce sediment. Use the spigot on the bottling bucket with a bottle filler to fill up the bottles.

There's an awesome thread here:
Revvy's Bottling Tips of Awesomeness

 

[Pubwilson]

Do you have a bottling wand also? Its best to try and batch prime to save time and help sanitation. I am kinda new too, going to start my 6th beer tonight. Search for batch priming on the forums.
Boil some water and the priming sugar or DME that you plan to use for bottle condition/carbing. Transfer that mix into your bottling bucket. Rack your beer using your siphon into the bucket, making sure you dont splash, which would result in oxygenating your beer, something you DON'T want. The racking process should stir the beer and sugar enough. next sanitize your tube again and then hook it up to your bottling bucket containing your beer. Using the wand on the other end of the hose, bottle your beer carefully. Remember the wand carries volume. What I do with a wand is fill the beer to the top cause when you remove the wand, a perfect amount of space will be left for carbonation. Since SWMBO is helping you, have her cap the them right away using your SANITIZED bottle caps. Just keep them ready in a bowl of sanitizer. Good Luck to you, and hope everything goes well, and welcome!

 

[fg12351]

Thanks guys, FYI I realize now I should have searched first but thanks for the info. I will let you know how it turns out.

 

[TipsyDragon]

well first recommendation is to chuck the racking cane that came with the kit. its practically useless, you will get frustrated trying to get a good siphon going with it. i suggest buying an auto-siphon, you will be much happier and it wont hurt to leave your beer on the yeast while your waiting for it to arrive.

that being said on bottling day (2 - 3 weeks after brew day) boil your corn sugar for 10 minutes and let cool. while its cooling sanitize your bottles. when all the bottles are ready add the sugar water to the bottling bucket. next use your brand new auto-siphon to rack the beer to your bottling bucket. make sure the end of the hose is on the bottom of the bucket and sort of warping around the edge. this will set up a natural swirling motion that will mix your sugar and beer. once its transferred get ready to bottle. connect the sanitized hose to your sanitized bottling wand (its that plastic rod with the while thing with the button on the end) and connect to the spigot on your bottling bucket. next open the spigot and put the wand into the first bottle. next press down. when the beer is barley about to overflow remove the wand. then finally cap with a sanitized cap.

 

[Grinder12000]

Having 47 bottled 5g batches under my belt here are a few suggestions to make things easier.

bottling bucket with a spigot - attached the hose to the spigot and bottling wand to hose - they work great. Bottle on the floor with newspapers everywhere. Put bottles in 6-packs for the case, whatever, you can just go from bottle to bottle without spilling a drop.

I tip the bucket with books to get more beer out. Don't worry about the last inch. It has leftover garbage and you can drink it and use it for the FG. Make sure you have bottle caps and also make sure you are carbing with corn sugar and not One Step (lesson learned on that one).

When finish - I IMPLORE you to wash the spigot. The Italian bottling spigot (red handle) can really hold sugar in a couple places (I junked mine).

The rest is pretty straight forward. The key is getting in a comfortable position.

Place newly capped bottles in a warm area, 70 degrees is perfect, cooler and carbing will take longer but they WILL card eventually.

Open one bottle a week and notice the changes in flavor and carbing.

If you taste you brew at the end of bottling and it tastes good that is GREAT! It should get even better. If it tastes weak and watery and it's a light colored beer the carbing will fix it - no worry's. It it tastes like ass . . . . .good luck, in my experience an ass tasting beer will only tastes like a better ass (not that I know what that tastes like but I can imagine).

HOWEVER - flaws will fix them selves. (an ass tasting beer is all flaws) I'm talking about a god tasting beer but with one thing wrong type flaw. I had a TWANG beer once that went away and was pretty darn good.