Am I the only one who enjoys bottling?

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hamachi

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In so many threads, I see people comment about what a drag bottling was for them and how happy they were when they finally moved to kegging. But I enjoy bottling days almost as much as brew days, and in some ways more because the process is simpler, and it's when I finally get to sample the (admittedly still flat) product.

I find the rhythm of sanitizing, filling, and capping relaxing. I like being able to give 6 packs to friends. I really like being able to keep a large number of beer varieties at hand. (I currently have 20+ different types available.)

Does anyone else really like bottling, or am I the only one?
 
Short answer: Yes

Longer answer is longer. Some people enjoy gardening, I think it is miserable time in the dirt, and often when it is sunny and hot, which makes it even worse. Find your enjoyment where you can, who give a flying **** what anyone else thinks..
 
khannon said:
Some people enjoy gardening,
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i was sorry my tobacco sprouts didn't grow this year... :( sure curing it and, shredding by hand is a PITA...but i assure you, if i ever get consistently good at growing the things, i'll buy a salad shooter for shredding!
 
Haha, bottling isn't that bad, but after kegging, it's hard to go back! The important part is that you're doing what you like, and enjoying it! That's what it's all about. I'll still bottle and bottle condition, especially library beers or stuff that is already slated as gifts. I do use the keg as a bottling bucket keep down DO and make bottling day go a lot faster, though!
 
'Like' might be a strong word, but I don't hate it. I think mostly people are really just turned off by the time consumption vs kegging. That has never bothered me though. If I'm motivated, I can get through one of my standard batches (~3G, bottling off fermenter, bench capper) in like an hour. If I'm taking my time, I just stream something on my iPad or music.

khannon said:
ome people enjoy gardening, I think it is miserable time in the dirt, and often when it is sunny and hot, which makes it even worse.
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Interesting comparison haha. But makes sense. My wife likes planting flowers, I like tearing out the weeds and overzealous plants. There's probably a god complex/final judgement metaphor in there somewhere.
 
odie said:
yeah dude...ur all alone...lol
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well i have seen some people have 'fun' designing fancy labels! ;)

edit: the only label i have on my kegs informs me it's stolen property...and of course the HBT stickers!

edit #2: but i would rather ferment my beer in a storage tote, and drink it flat out of a pitcher, before i'll bottle more then 2-3 1 liter soda bottles of it!
 
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odie said:
yeah dude...ur all alone...lol

it has it's place...small batch and such...but after your first keg you will never look back...
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Don't miss bottle conditioning brews. The sediment on the bottom, needing to pour properly to avoid getting that into the glass, bottle bombs, too low carbonation, leaks, etc. are all reasons that I don't miss it. Plus, with kegging getting the desired/needed carbonation level is a lot easier, and safer. Not to mention you can bottle off of keg easily (few different methods).

Plus, with kegging you also have the option to can your beer (not just bottle it). If friends come over with a larger vessel for beer, you can fill that from keg as well.

One of the things I really like with kegging (compared with bottling) is the partial pour. With bottles, one you pop it, you need to drink it (at least crimped caps). Swing-tops have a little more flexibility, but you still need to finish it within a short amount of time. With kegging, I can pull any level in the glass without issue.

BTW, I can keg a 6 gallon batch in maybe 10-15 minutes all done. That's filling either a pair of 3 gallon or single 6 gallon keg. Reduced items to clean and sanitize and ability to fill with a closed system (from my pressure fermenters).
 
hamachi said:
In so many threads, I see people comment about what a drag bottling was for them and how happy they were when they finally moved to kegging. But I enjoy bottling days almost as much as brew days, and in some ways more because the process is simpler, and it's when I finally get to sample the (admittedly still flat) product.

I find the rhythm of sanitizing, filling, and capping relaxing. I like being able to give 6 packs to friends. I really like being able to keep a large number of beer varieties at hand. (I currently have 20+ different types available.)

Does anyone else really like bottling, or am I the only one?
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I love bottling for the same reasons. I put on a record, sanitize, bottle, cap, label, box, and have a couple beers. I don't mind the hours it takes. I also like to take the last bit out of the bottling bucket to try. It gets me excited to try the cold and carbonated version. The yeast sediment never bothered me at all. I like it because it lets me know it was alive at one point, but by now I've learned what to do to minimize it. I only notice it on really high gravity brews. I can always bring some homebrew with me if I go somewhere to share. I've kegged homebrew before, but that's only to put it on nitro. Bottling rules.
 
Immocles said:
'Like' might be a strong word, but I don't hate it. I think mostly people are really just turned off by the time consumption vs kegging. That has never bothered me though. If I'm motivated, I can get through one of my standard batches (~3G, bottling off fermenter, bench capper) in like an hour. If I'm taking my time, I just stream something on my iPad or music.
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Same here.
 
I'm a bottling neanderthal and I actually enjoy it. Kind of a relaxing way to spend a couple hours. I'm taking my 5 or 6 gallons of bulk beer from the fermenter and turning it into something tangible--i.e., a couple cases of bottled goodness.

Not that I wouldn't enjoy kegging. But bottling works for me, and waiting another 3 weeks or so to drink it doesn't faze me a bit.
 
I don't care for cleaning bottles and the yeast sediment/careful pour aspects. I do like being able to give beer away occasionally.

I have discovered that I find it easier to do a careful pour from a short/Sierra Nevada style bottle than an EZ cap swing top. Less rousing of the yeast at the bottom.
 
If I had a huge space with all the right tools, bottling would be not as bad.
Things I'm missing:
1. A bigger house to enable number 2 without angering SWMBO
2. A bigger brew room
3. A place in said brew room to store:
a. bottles
b. Bottle crates and "lids" to allow me to dump all bottles at once
c. Bench capper
D. bottle rinser (build a stationary 1 x 4 array of nozzles) cantilevered off the wall
E. self priming pump to push pbw and star san into bottles
F. faucet with garden hose connection
g. Sink with side drainboard
H. floor drain for spills
I. overhead sprinkler system with CIP head for entire room

if all those were installed, then MAYBE!
 
Can't say I enjoy it but I can respect how simple the process is once I finally get enough bottles re-cleaned and ready to go for another couple gallons. Keg is more of a where would I put the thing? How would I get cold beer??? Have thoughts of dumping it all in one place and putting the lid on once and hooking it to a tank (if I could afford little 1.5 or 2 gallon ones since I never make over 3. Then I realize why I like having bottles to just grab a few and put in the refrig. That and I swear I can taste the co2 when I've carb'd a couple 1 liter bottles to try out with that little stainless cap I can connect to. Seems like it brings a very subtle bitter? 95% of the time I'm even too lazy to use labels. Sharpie with one or two letters to indicate what's in there is close enough. 'K' on the cap means Kolsch. 'I' is Irish ale. Just to piss my own ocd off.

I like bottling. (Short version)
 
I've been kegging for about a year now. Though I do see some advantages, time is not one of them.

For me my keezer doubles as a fermentation chamber, which means I have to take it all apart and then when the beer is ready to keg put it all back together again. And of course I clean and sanitize the keg as well as flush and clean the beer lines and taps. All in all it takes about the same amount of time to keg as it did to bottle.

What I like about kegging is that it feels cool. And I can pour just a small amount at a time. But I think that the best part is that I can carb up a beer in a few days in a keg where in bottles it took two
weeks or more without fail.

But bottling wasn't so bad. It was easy to share with people and the process I found to be simpler.
 
I found that moving to kegging was the single biggest quality improvement to my beers. I am not sure if it was the reduction in oxidation (well before I started doing closed transfers), the control over carbonation, or the "lagering" that occurs having a keg in the fridge for weeks. Plus that 2-3 weeks of bottle conditioning...I just don't have that kind of patience!

My biggest complaint about bottling is not botting day, but the constant flow of bottles. Even with kegging most of my beers, I constantly have bottles that need some extra cleaning, new bottles that I have to remove labels, bottles that are drying, bottles that are dry and need to move into my storage area...and then a storage area of several cases of bottles.

Also, when I want to give bottles to friends or bring bottles to share at a club meeting, I really like having a bottle filled from the keg so I don't have to deal with the yeast layer in the bottle.

I do keep telling myself that I should fill 12 or so beers off each keg, just so I can have more variety around. I probably should bottle more of my Belgians since my kegging setup does not support highly carbonated beers.
 
i swear bottling a 10 gallon batch into two bottles is way better then 110 tiny ones!
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Yep... OK, "half" in the bag... Brewing is ~90% cleaning.. should packaging be to? Who loves cleaning?
 
I've bottled every batch of beer I've ever made, never had any complaints, but I recently purchased two 2.5 gallon kegs, a 5 pound CO2 tank and all the hoses and fittings needed because I'm finally ready to give kegging a try. Next week I'm planning on converting the new 2.6 cubic foot mini fridge I bought into a kegerator. One keg will fit snugly, along with the CO2 tank, if I add a collar to the front like how most brewers will add one to the top of a chest freezer. Might have to take some pictures as I go along and post a thread in the DIY section here on HBT.
 
I used to enjoy bottling, and then it got a bit of a chore. Eventually I found that I despise it so much that I actually ended up lagering beers for exended periods because I just didn't feel like bottling them.

So yeah, bottling made it's mark. I still bottle, because I like having a few bottles around, being able to give to friends, etc., but kegging wins hands-down for me. Kegging results in a clearer beer to me, I can play with the carbonation almost on the fly, and I can control the volume I pour, all of which are important for me, which I cannot do with bottles.
 
hamachi said:
Does anyone else really like bottling, or am I the only one?
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I really like bottling too. I am of the kind that enjoys some tedious and repetitive task from time to time. As you and others have put it, it is relaxing.

That may also have to do with the fact that I'm not brewing very often at the moment. If I'd have to plan a bottling session once a month or more, I may start thinking otherwise. That said, I bottled 14 gallons in one run two weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
And of course, I'd love to get into kegging as much as the next guy, but it is just not possible at the moment due to space constraints. I would never get away with a kegerator in our apartment....

But I'm fairly sure that even with kegs available l would continue bottle conditioning a significant portion of my homebrew.
 
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