Bottling First Brew Tonight

[Drama]

I'm bottling my first brew (American Wheat) tonight. It has been fermenting a few days longer than suggested (2 weeks). It is definitely ready to bottle though.

Any advice before I get started tonight? I have new bottles that I rinsed with DI water and allowed to air dry. I'm assuming they should be sanitized too?

Also, I got plain granular sugar with my kit. Do you measure it out and add to each bottle or do you make a slurry and add it directly to the fermenting carboy?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bmorebrew]

Yes, make sure you sanitize them. And the caps too, put them into a bowl of sanitizer. Star San or Iodophor are typical favorites. The best way would be to boil the sugar (though I think most prefer corn sugar to table sugar) for 5 or 10 minutes, allow to cool a little and pour into another bucket. Then rack your beer on top of the sugar solution (this will help mix it also) without splashing, and bottle from there.

 

[Revvy]

Bottling sticky

 

[jim9112]

I rack to a separate bottling bucket and mix my primer in there. And yes you want to sanitize the bottles and everything else that touches beer. A no rinse sanitizer like starsan works well.

 

[ale1]

I bottled my first batch last month and discovered it alittle more acward than I thought. I a friend of mine latter told me that I should have done a dry run with the sanitizer solution from my priming bucket to the bottles, just so I would have known what I was getting in to and to run sanitizer through my racking tube.
Any way, I found that my racking siphoin lost prime... Don't know why but maybe these guys can help. Also my wife asked me why I couldn't poor beer from the priming bucket to bottles using a funnel and I told her "let men worry about the beer! “ (ok I didn't say that, but my point is I am sure there is a reason but I don't know it.... Any help here?)

 

[remman4]

you don't want to add oxygen to the uncarbonated brew which pouring through a funnel would certainly do

 

[OilySheen]

I hate for this to be my first post, but....

Revvy's thread on bottling is the best thing I read on the subject. I'm three batches in, don't ask about the first brew, but when I was ready to bottle the second I was apprehensive to say the least. All the horror stories one hears how can you not be?

Anyway, I read that thread front to back, back to front. Let's just say if you follow those steps and ideas bottling doesn't suck at all it's really rather enjoyable. Only took me 30 minutes the first go around, easy as pie.

You can do it.

 

[Fennis]

ale1, I would suggest not using a funnel because you really want to try to keep your beer from coming in contact with the air as much as possible. A funnel could possibly cause the beer to aerate as it goes into your bottle where a wand allows the bottle to fill up from the bottom, and lets you fill it until it foams over, ensuring that you aren't sealing in more oxygen with the beer.

As for the OP's questions, most have already answered your question. I strongly suggest you batch prime instead of putting sugar into individual bottles, it will give you more consistent carbonation across your batch. I don't have much to add to the good information already stated above. Really, the most important part in the bottling process is sanitizing. Bottles, caps, and anything that comes in contact with your beer must be sanitized. Do not skimp on this part, do not cut corners, do not just say its good enough rinsing it with water. Its not.

Otherwise, have fun bottling. It might be somewhat tedious, but on the bright side, you are a few weeks away from enjoying your beer!

 

[mrhaj]

I second Revvy's thread on bottling. I bottled my first batch last weekend and it went smoothly.

 

[enkamania]

Get a partner

 

[OilySheen]

So......? How did it go? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[beergolf]

How did the bottling go?

I hope you read Revvys thread on bottling. I know I did before I bottled my first batch and it made it so easy.

The bottling over the dishwasher door is brilliant. To clean up the drips, just close the door.

I do not mind bottling at all. In fact I kind of like it. I love having all different kinds of brew around.

 

[Drama]

It went well. I definitely made a bigger mess than necessary, but I learned what went well and what to do differently! Thanks for the help guys.