Bottled first batch, What went right and What went wrong (comments welcome)

[car421]

I know it takes time to get the process down and thanks to a great forum that helps new brewers like myself. I tried to follow the advice given here and even read all 500+ posts of Revvy's bottling thread. I welcome all suggestions/comments on my first bottling.

Just a quick background: It was a True Brew Amber that had been in the primary for 3 weeks. FG was steady at 1.012 with 2 readings 2 weeks apart. The beer was visibly clearer between the 2 readings.

I moved my carboy into the kitchen last night so everything would settle. I cleaned and sanitized everything with Starsan. I mixed up a 5 gallon batch in my bottling bucket. I attached my bottling wand to the bucket, put the bucket on top of another bucket and sanitized all my bottles with a few ounces (at the same time getting a feel for the bottling wand) put my thumb over the bottle and shook it up, dumped it into my dishwasher and placed the bottle on the rack which had been sprayed down with starsan. By the time this was done my 2 cups of water were boiling and I added the 5 ounces of priming sugar that came with my kit. I mixed that up and let it simmer for 5-10 min.

So far so good I think, but this is where I wonder if I made some errors. At this point I started my auto syphon into my bottling bucket. I thought I remembered one of Revvy's comments about the trub getting compact after 3 weeks in the primary and when I put my auto syphon in it stirred up a large cloud but the syphon had started already and I just let it go. I had to leave what looked like 2 bottles worth of beer in the carboy.

Possible error #2. I added the sugar mixture to the bucket as it started to fill and I never stirred it up after that. I hope that the syphoning action was enough to mix it well.

Possible error #3. I had all my caps in a bowl with some starsan and I also had a bowl next to the dishwasher that was to be used to dip the top of the bottle into prior to filling. I just kept forgetting to do this and probably got 50-60% of the bottles. I'm not even sure if I needed to do this.

Possible error #4. I did manage to get 50 bottles and kept the last 2 separate as they were cloudy and I even had to top off the last bottle from my FG sample. I did note which bottle that was.

Possible Error #5. I used a wing capper and I noticed that the capper put a small half-moon dent on the top of the caps. Is this normal?

Now the second wave of waiting begins. I will wait at least 3 weeks for them to carb up. In the meantime I will continue to read and get ready to brew my second batch next week. Just need to decide what to brew.
Cheers

 

[hoghead]

1. you want to leave as much trub as you can behind, but not that big of a deal you need the yeast to carbonate the beer anyway.
2. stirring is just an added safety feature to make sure the sugar is evenly distrubuted. most likely the siphoning mixed it well enough.
3. i have never dipped my bottles before filling them
4.even the cloudy bottles will be fine the yeast will settle to the bottom and when you pour them leave the sediment behind in the bottle
5.some cappers leave a dent in the cap i'd guess it is fine
RDWHAHB and in a few week you should have beer

 

[Screech]

I too bottled my first batch of beer today using pretty much the same method as you. I boiled the water and sugar mix together, then poured it into the bottling bucket. I then siphoned my beer into the bottling bucket hoping that the swirling motion is enough to cause an even mixture. I did not mix or stir mine either. hopefully we will get some carbonation out of our beers. Guess we'll have to wait and see. I think the half moon dent is normal if you push too hard on the bottling capper.

Kevin

 

[sclabrl]

I'm bottling on Tuesday and now that I read this, you guys have me thinking. I read my recipe kit from Midwest and it doesn't say anything about mixing the priming sugar, just add it to the the bottling bucket and transfer.

Does it need a slow stir after siphoning or is screech right about letting the racking and siphoning action mix it up to do the job?

 

[Screech]

I would prob. give it a slow mix. Just make sure not to add any oxygen to the beer. I know that I tasted the last little bit left in my bottling bucket and it tasted like sweet tea. It seemed to be all sugar water, thats why I'm alittle worried. I would prob. research and see what others have done to mix there priming sugar though. I need to figure out a better way to mix my next batch.

Kevin

 

[RM-MN]

Sometimes I get a perfect mix by just dumping the priming sugar mix into the bottling bucket and racking onto it but sometimes it doesn't mix well. A slow stir would help those times. The last time I started the siphon first and when there was an inch or 2 of beer in the bottling bucket I poured the priming solution into it. Give me 6 months and I'll be able to give you a report on how well that worked.

 

[car421]

So it looks like I don't have much to worry about.

 

[GASoline71]

In 2 to 3 weeks you'll have bottled beer to enjoy. I don't see anything you did to be detrimental to the outcome of your beer.

Cheers!

Gary

 

[car421]

In 2 to 3 weeks you'll have bottled beer to enjoy. I don't see anything you did to be detrimental to the outcome of your beer.

Cheers!

Gary

Thanks. I plan on waiting at least 3 weeks, maybe 4 as I keep the house at 66 and it might take some additional time to carb up. In the mean time I have ordered a True Brew Pale Ale kit and hope to have it this week to brew next weekend.

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks. I plan on waiting at least 3 weeks, maybe 4 as I keep the house at 66 and it might take some additional time to carb up. In the mean time I have ordered a True Brew Pale Ale kit and hope to have it this week to brew next weekend.

I wouldn't wait that long. I want to see what I have created even if I know it won't be as good as if I had waited. I just have to open on early. :cross:

 

[hopcop]

I don't see anything wrong with your process either. I did the same thing my first two batches. What I've done since those batches is I heat up 3/4 cup of corn sugar with 2cups of water and boil for five mins. When that is ready I start siphoning into my bottling bucket. When it's a third of the way full I add a third of my priming solution. When the bottling bucket gets to 2/3 full I add the second third of priming solution. I then add the rest just before I'm done racking. Take a stainless steel spoon ( sanitized) and gently stir a few times. Then I bottle. It seems to work fine for me. I'm not precise but close enough.
Happy brewing!
Cheers.

 

[Mugsfull]

1. The best way to keep clean bottles is to always rinse them well after using them.
I always gather up my stored bottles and take a look in them to ensure there's no crust. Then they go in the dishwasher on Sanitize cycle. I've never had a problem. Otherwise soak them overnight in one-step or oxyclean and the crust will float out of the bottles. Then rinse.

2. I never stir in the bottling bucket. I bring the water and sugar to boil, cool and pour in first, then the siphon creates a whirlpool effect and mixes well

3. I do soak the caps in a bowl of sanitizer as I bottle. I remove the bottles one at a time from the dishwasher and fill. I don't begin capping until I've filled all the bottles.

I sit in front of my open dishwasher and bottle over it to avoid spills. I always fill 1 or 2 bottles, then pour myself a 4 oz sample to enjoy. If it tastes great at bottling, it's gonna be great in 2 -3 more weeks!

 

[Screech]

I placed a beer in the fridge tonight. I put it up to a light and saw some yeast on the bottom, however, not alot. It's only been a week so I'll try it tomorrow just for funs.

Kevin

 

[ahaley]

I'm almost to that stage right now, I was supposed to bottle on the 8th but I got busy with work :x I hope that leaving my 5gal in the same plastic fermenter will be ok? From what I've read on this thread is that it doesn't matter if I stir my priming sugar or let the spigot mix it?

 

[RM-MN]

I'm almost to that stage right now, I was supposed to bottle on the 8th but I got busy with work :x I hope that leaving my 5gal in the same plastic fermenter will be ok? From what I've read on this thread is that it doesn't matter if I stir my priming sugar or let the spigot mix it?

How many months was it? I hear that over 8 months might be a bit much.

 

[beerman0001]

This is what happens when you go into noob overload it is too late to worry on your next batch change what you think you did wrong. Wait for the 3 weeks put it in the fridge for a week then enjoy your first brew. And yes I think the week of cold conditioning does make a difference.

 

[car421]

1. The best way to keep clean bottles is to always rinse them well after using them.
I always gather up my stored bottles and take a look in them to ensure there's no crust. Then they go in the dishwasher on Sanitize cycle. I've never had a problem. Otherwise soak them overnight in one-step or oxyclean and the crust will float out of the bottles. Then rinse.

After some additional reading I am a little worried about the bottles. I rinsed every bottle when I finished the beer and then stored in empty beer cases. I then filled every bottle with very hot water and put in one of those rope handled tub's and filled that with hot water to remove the labels. I did inspect all the bottles prior to my Starsan rinse. I thought that I had red on here that that was good enough for the bottles

2. I never stir in the bottling bucket. I bring the water and sugar to boil, cool and pour in first, then the siphon creates a whirlpool effect and mixes well

I did not cool the mixture - could this be a problem?

3. I do soak the caps in a bowl of sanitizer as I bottle. I remove the bottles one at a time from the dishwasher and fill. I don't begin capping until I've filled all the bottles.

I did the same

I sit in front of my open dishwasher and bottle over it to avoid spills. I always fill 1 or 2 bottles, then pour myself a 4 oz sample to enjoy. If it tastes great at bottling, it's gonna be great in 2 -3 more weeks!

I did that with the sample for my FG reading. Tasted goood for warm flat beer

 

[ahaley]

It wasn't 8 months, I'm far to impatient for that! Lol it's been about 2 weeks since its been in the primary fermenter, but I don't k ow how long it's safe to leave fermenting beer in a plastic bucket before tastes become off