Bottled questions

[Donutz]

I bottled my first batch of beer today. It was a mutton's IPA kit where I added extra extract, Hops, and dry hops. It was a 5 gallon batch. I ended up with 38 12oz bottles. Is this about right? I was planning on about 46 bottles or so...

Also, I was told that they should stay in bottles for 2-5 weeks... So I have them labeled for that so I can sample at each week... Should they be kept at a certain temperature? I have them in a dark closet and in boxes....

 

[YeastFeast]

I bottled my first batch of beer today. It was a mutton's IPA kit where I added extra extract, Hops, and dry hops. It was a 5 gallon batch. I ended up with 38 12oz bottles. Is this about right?

You should've had 50+ bottles if you had 5 gal before bottling. I have to assume you starting with 5 gallons of water and with evaporation, gravity testing etc. you had much less before bottling.

 

[InLimbo]

Also, I was told that they should stay in bottles for 2-5 weeks... So I have them labeled for that so I can sample at each week... Should they be kept at a certain temperature? I have them in a dark closet and in boxes....

I second YeastFeast.

Also, keep them somewhere fairly warm (between 60-75) for two weeks in the bottle. Then throw one in the fridge and taste it. Shouldn't take more than two weeks to carbonate at 60-75 degrees.

 

[Beernik]

That's only 3.5 gallons.

The usual suspects for lost volume on someone's first beer: Did you rack to a secondary? How many samples did you pull? Are you sure you had 5 gallons going into the primary? Did you leave a lot behind in your fermenter or bottling bucket?

A lot of new brewers have difficulty leaving the beer alone. I've been re-living this with my new temp control panel on my ferment chamber. Now that I can control and monitor the temp I've been looking at it every day and fiddling around with it too much.

A good way to make sure you end up with 5 gallons at bottling is to make sure you have 5.25 to 5.5 gallons going into the fermenter and minimize the number of times you rack or sample. However, doing that you have to adjust your fermentables up or you lose points on the OG.

 

[Donutz]

That's only 3.5 gallons.

The usual suspects for lost volume on someone's first beer: Did you rack to a secondary?

How many samples did you pull? Are you sure you had 5 gallons going into the primary? Did you leave a lot behind in your fermenter or bottling bucket?

A lot of new brewers have difficulty leaving the beer alone. I've been re-living this with my new temp control panel on my ferment chamber. Now that I can control and monitor the temp I've been looking at it every day and fiddling around with it too much.

A good way to make sure you end up with 5 gallons at bottling is to make sure you have 5.25 to 5.5 gallons going into the fermenter and minimize the number of times you rack or sample. However, doing that you have to adjust your fermentables up or you lose points on the OG.

I didn't go to a secondary. Just used the primary. I took one sample for my OG and one right before bottling... Other than those two, I didn't open my bucket once or pull samples or anything. Kept it all sealed up tight. When I was racking it, there was a about 12-14 oz that I left behind due to so much sediment. Then in the bottling bucket I left behind approx another 12 oz... That is why I was guessing I would end up with approx 45 bottles or so...

Also, when I made the beer... I used the measurements on the side of the bucket that said I was at 5 gallons... I never actually verified that it was spot on or accurate.

 

[Beernik]

You shouldn't have lost too much then. I'd check the bucket volume measurements next. Some bucket are accurate. Some are way off.

 

[NTXBrauer]

Don't sweat it too much. Next time, put 5 gallons of water in your bucket and mark it so you know for sure. Most of us had the same exact result with our first batch. I know I had fewer bottles than I expected with my first 5 gallon batch.

As for the the bottle conditioning temp, your ambient room temperature should work fine. Just keep in mind 70 degrees is closer to ideal than 60. The cooler it is, the longer it will take to carbonate. You have the right idea to sample at 1 week, and each thereafter. When it is ready, I am sure it will be the best beer you ever drank.