Bottling day...

[Junebug]

Hey everybody...
Today was my very first attempt at bottling. As usual, I was a tad nervous due to the earth shattering importance of my task. I managed to maintain my composure...I'm almost allowing myself to believe that I didn't completely screw this up! This was an amber ale that I kept in primary for three weeks.
Here I am siphoning the ale into the bottling bucket. I took this pic while holding the siphon, hence the weirdness.


I was somewhat surprised by the clarity. I really like the hue.


After a while I calmed down a bit and went into a sort of zen-like mode while bottling. It was actually very nice.
Finished product. I placed it in a plastic tub, closed up the boxes and covered the whole works with a tarp...just in case!


Regretably, Squirreling Dervish Brewery employees were given the day off. Here is Brau Frau Bob...


and Boosker the serving wench.

 

[Junebug]

I forgot to mention that I sampled the ale and it wasn't half bad, lol! I'll crack one open in three weeks and see what I think. I imagine what I tasted today was a "green" beer. Still, a beer none the less. I am still on a sort of high- I can't believe I actually made this, you know? :rockin:

 

[Barley-Davidson]

Congrats.

Do you have another batch in the works? If not I suggest you start one, it'll take the edge off waiting for this batch to condition.
It'll also help shore up your supply, once you start drinking this batch it'll be gone before you know it.

 

[Junebug]

Thanks, Barley-Davidson!

I have a Kolsch that I just racked into secondary, but I don't have high hopes for it. It was my first attempt with secondary and I majorly screwed up the transfer and got a lot of air into it. I know that will probably screw up the flavor. I'm going to keep it and see how it turns out, of course. If nothing else, I found out the hard way why an auto siphon was oh so necessary for moi...I ran out and picked one up two days later. In the meantime...I'm going to start a wheat beer tomorrow evening. I know that once I'm through a few of these "firsts" things will get easier.

 

[ColoradoXJ13]

I forgot to mention that I sampled the ale and it wasn't half bad, lol! I'll crack one open in three weeks and see what I think. I imagine what I tasted today was a "green" beer. Still, a beer none the less. I am still on a sort of high- I can't believe I actually made this, you know? :rockin:

eh, why wait three weeks, I've had beers that were carbed and delicious after a week!

 

[DeathBrewer]

Thanks, Barley-Davidson!

I have a Kolsch that I just racked into secondary, but I don't have high hopes for it. It was my first attempt with secondary and I majorly screwed up the transfer and got a lot of air into it. I know that will probably screw up the flavor. I'm going to keep it and see how it turns out, of course. If nothing else, I found out the hard way why an auto siphon was oh so necessary for moi...I ran out and picked one up two days later. In the meantime...I'm going to start a wheat beer tomorrow evening. I know that once I'm through a few of these "firsts" things will get easier.

how did you siphon it? it'll probably be fine. kolsch's should sit for probably 6 weeks after they're bottled, tho...to mellow out the sulfur taste.

good luck on the wheat. looks like you're hooked!

 

[dibby33]

Congrats. Nothing better than home made beer...

 

[Junebug]

eh, why wait three weeks, I've had beers that were carbed and delicious after a week!

I was trying to not be an impatient newbie...but perhaps I'll try a "sample" bottle on your say-so....

 

[Junebug]

how did you siphon it? it'll probably be fine. kolsch's should sit for probably 6 weeks after they're bottled, tho...to mellow out the sulfur taste.

good luck on the wheat. looks like you're hooked!

The flow kept stopping. My assistant brew meister Janet informed me that each time I placed the hose below the surface of the beer in the secondary fermenter, the flow stopped. I wonder if the end curled up and over the surface of the beer...but even so, shouldn't it have kept flowing? I ended up holding the end of the hose slightly above the surface of the beer in the secondary fermenter, which worked...but introduced air into the mix. Today's siphoning went without a hitch at all and I can't imagine what I did so differently with my Kolsch a couple of days ago (except that today I used the auto siphon). I really do hope it will be o.k. because it was looking really good up until that point. I bet my next attempt will be much better. You're right...I am hooked.

 

[Junebug]

Congrats. Nothing better than home made beer...

Thanks, dibby33! I am looking forward to many home brews in the future.