i have just started to brew coopers irish stout, now in 6 days or so it needs to be bottled, the only 'bottles' i have are 2litre plastic milk containers with screw top lids, are these ok for the job? and how many carb drops to a 2 litre bottle? it says 1 for 375ml so i think 5 will do, but im such a learner, lol thanks for any help.
bit lost here with carb drops.
- Thread starter thomas353
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Well, bottling so soon, depite what the instructions say is really a bad idea, most of us leave our beer in primary these days for 3 weeks to a month before bottling. So don't be in a rush, and spend the next 3 weeks aquiring some sutable bottles.
Your milk bottles more than likely wont work. THey will more than likely explode and you will lose your beer.
You need to get bottles that can stand the rigors of carbonation.
You don't want to waste your beer, so take the time to get the right bottles. Either glass beer bottles that take crown caps or 12 or 16 ounce plastic soda bottles or even the cooper's plastic beet bottles with screw top lids.
Your milk bottles more than likely wont work. THey will more than likely explode and you will lose your beer.
You need to get bottles that can stand the rigors of carbonation.
You don't want to waste your beer, so take the time to get the right bottles. Either glass beer bottles that take crown caps or 12 or 16 ounce plastic soda bottles or even the cooper's plastic beet bottles with screw top lids.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
no
it does say in the instructions that it should be bottoled within 6 days, but if i can leave it in the fermenter barrel for a month i shall, i was not sure if this would spoil it. thanks for the info. And i will invest in some correct bottles
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
Yeah they write instructions so that they don't hinder the sale of the product. If they wrote to wait a month, they wouldn't sell as many kits to get people started in the hobby.
You CAN bottle it after 6 days but for a variety of reasons it is better to wait. The yeast might have done the bulk of their work by then and it would be beer but there is still some cleaning up that they yeast have to do. If you rush it, you run the risk of off flavors and over carbonation.
Search Revvy and Bottling and read what he has already had to say on this subject. He is very detailed and informative in his explanations.
Throw out your instructions and read this....
Ignore the Instructions,. Do not bottle after 5-10 days!!!!!!
The problem is that yeast don't know how to read so they seldom follow the instructions. They dance to their own tune and its seldom 4 x 4 Time.
What those instruction usually leave out is the use of a hydrometer to PROVE that fermentation has indeed stopped in 7-10 days.
As most of us now realize, if fermentation can sometimes take 3 days to even begin, there is a high likely hood that it is not really done on the 7th day (come one we KNOW that the inexperience brewer will read 7-10 days and do it on the 7th, I did my first time, it's human nature.)
The kit and kilo or basic kit manufacturers are banking on the fact that they only have a limited window of sales to an individual before he/she moves on to the next step of brewing, either trying recipes in books or online, or going all grain. So the bank on 2-3 sales per new brewer before they discover how to brew beer better.
Also as you ALL know, as you became more experienced, this is a hobby about patience, but in this quick trunover society retailers know that something that takes time, would be less popular than something with a quick turn around time...So they know that even though the beer would be better if they told the n00b to wait even a week further, they want to make this hobby as "pain free" as possible....
They're not technically lying, IF the yeast takes hold within a few hours and finishes in a week, you can bottle a lower to moderate gravity beer in 10 days, as Orfy's 10 for 10 milds proves. They just leave off the fact that waiting even a week more makes for better beer.
If you've noticed, it's mostly the kit and kilo, brew in a bag or mr beer type kits that say to do it quickly. The better kit manufacturers usually tell you to wait, as well as suggest to use a hydrometer. I've noticed the the Norther Brewer Catalog gives the most accurate range of their beers based on gravity and style. They will say, for example, "primary for 14 days, secondary 3-6 months, bottle condition another 6" for a higer grav beer.
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so how long can i keep it in the fermenter? its at a constant 22-24c? and to be truthful i dont understand why i need to carbonate it, tis a bit like the guinness they serve in england, seems to have a slight fizz to it, here in ireland its like cream. never heard of fizzy stout. thanks for your views on the beer market, very informative
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
You can leave it in there for months if you wanted. Your enemies are oxygen, light and bacteria. As long as you are keeping those out and keep it at a good temp, it will be fine.
I'm not a stout guy but I would think the longer the better for a stout and you can look up proper carbonation levels per style and adjust your carb process accordingly.
I'm not a stout guy but I would think the longer the better for a stout and you can look up proper carbonation levels per style and adjust your carb process accordingly.
paraordnance
Well-Known Member
instructions on kits are lame, as Revy said leave it for at least 3 weeks and read this forum in meanwhile. You can thank us later
Well, give the guy a break, its his first brew and he probably has as much patience as I did when I started (or still have - I'm probably only one who ADMITS tasting bottled beers after 5 days, tho in my defense, I always bottle leftovers into small samplers)
I have yet to see a Coopers kit that havent done fermenting in 14 days - by that time, its usually totally clear in fermenter already (my humble experience).
But, listen to "Zee Yoda" (hihihi) - get some decent bottles - you've put some effort in brewing and I bet you dont want to spoil the beer.
and +1 to the kit instructions - they do love to divide everything by 3....
(or still have - I'm probably only one who ADMITS tasting bottled beers after 5 days, tho in my defense, I always bottle leftovers into small samplers)I have yet to see a Coopers kit that havent done fermenting in 14 days - by that time, its usually totally clear in fermenter already (my humble experience).
But, listen to "Zee Yoda" (hihihi) - get some decent bottles - you've put some effort in brewing and I bet you dont want to spoil the beer.
and +1 to the kit instructions - they do love to divide everything by 3....
Many of us leave our beer in primary for a month. And if we choose to secondary it is best to wait a minimum 14 days before racking. This insures that the yeast finishes fermenting the beer, and that they largest amount of yeast in solution helps clean up the byproducts of fermentation which can lead to off flavors. This also leads to really clear and crisp tasting beer.
Brewer_Bob
Well-Known Member
so how long can i keep it in the fermenter? its at a constant 22-24c? and to be truthful i dont understand why i need to carbonate it, tis a bit like the guinness they serve in england, seems to have a slight fizz to it, here in ireland its like cream. never heard of fizzy stout. thanks for your views on the beer market, very informative
You are still going to want to carbonate it. Stouts have a lower volume of CO2 than other styles but they still have it. Carbonation, even at low levels, plays a major part in the flavor and body profiles of the beer. A fun experiment might be to bottle a couple without the priming sugar to see the difference between the carbed and non-carbed ones.
I'm not expert though. I am bottling my first batch this weekend. It will have been sitting in my primary for one month. I don't secondary.
its not really my first brew, i did make wine about 23 years ago when i was just a young lad but that was to get drunk, this is to savour.......... and get drunk. any help is greatly appreciated, and to be truthful im more interested in the hobby and the science behind homebrewing..... and getting drunk. i have just bought them coopers PET plastic 500ml bottles, and as for rushing, trust me i have the patience of a saint
but that was to get drunk, this is to savour.......... and get drunk. any help is greatly appreciated, and to be truthful im more interested in the hobby and the science behind homebrewing..... and getting drunk. i have just bought them coopers PET plastic 500ml bottles, and as for rushing, trust me i have the patience of a saint
EoinMag
Well-Known Member
its not really my first brew, i did make wine about 23 years ago when i was just a young lad
Tom, pop over to www.beoir.org and sign up there. You'll find an Irish community of knowledgeable homebrewers and possibly find someone who can get you some proper bottles.
I sell cases of bottles for a German friend for 4 euros a case, so that he gets his refunds on the bottles back instead of having to ship the empties back to Germany. That said the present lot are spoken for, but I have bottles every few months to sell off for him.
Indyking
Well-Known Member
Somehow coopers marketing chose to prioritize getting a product ready to drink as quick as possible when they designed their kits and instructions. I suppose that is more appealing for a beginner non-boiling kit brewer than anything else, so they may have a point. Fact is, you will get a much better product if you at least double the times they recommend for fermentation and carbonation. You won't regret!
Just finished bottling my first batch of brew yesterday, with Coopers, i did a mix for bottling, I used the included Coppers plastic bottles (2 sugar tabs per bottle) and 12 oz glass bottles (1 sugar tab)......Do your self a favor....get good bottles and a good capper,bottle tree, and bottle washer.............don't skimp! Yesterday went like a dream! It took about an hour start to finish to bottle my brew! Oh by the way my brew was in primary for 3 weeks before bottling, and the taste was good and the brew was pretty clear.......so just wait for it! Now three weeks in my furnace room ( about 70 degrees) then off to the frig! Batch of English Bitters started..........the pipeline has begun :rockin:
Good Luck and CHEERS
Good Luck and CHEERS
You'll find a lot of tips to make your bottling session go easier here,
Bottling Tips for the homebrewer.
Bottling Tips for the homebrewer.
heres another question, some one could help to put my mind at rest. i started it on tues about midday its now 11pm wednesday and i have a strong smell of alcohol coming from the cupboard my fermenter is in? seems a bit early to start smelling of it, its not a bad smell nor over powering, maybe its my mind playing tricks? and thanks to everyone for there links and tips, didn't realise so many people are prepared to help. cheers
the stout turned out lovely, 4 weeks in the fermenter then bottled, no infection, very dark in colour, and smooth, i put one carb drop per bottle and it turned out gorgeous, sadly only 23 litres of it, the plastic cooper bottles were very good, easy to fill and it was a pleasure doing it, had three bottles of it last night. the gravity turned out at about 1.001/2 from 1042 ish! hard to see it proper to be truthful, but its got the kick to it and it taste great so im very happy, thanks to all
