Bottling..."For the first time"

[phug]

the extra 2 days won't hurt anything

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, you'll likely just wind up with clearer beer. Oh darn!

 

[Keith_O]

Won't hurt a thing!



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[SBGuy212]

How do you get higher ABV?

 

[unionrdr]

By adding more fermentables. At some point though, you'll also have to add more yeast as well.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

If you have time next weekend, you might even want to leave it in the fermenter for another week (you'll have time to create some more empty bottles). Additional time lets the yeasties do some cleanup. I never bottle earlier than 3 weeks and sometimes as long as 6. There are folks on here that go even longer. It definitely won't hurt and almost always helps. You don't have to worry about bad effects until you start measuring your fermentation time in months.

 

[SBGuy212]

By adding more fermentables. At some point though, you'll also have to add more yeast as well.

And you can do this at any point, even if the beer as been settling in the fermenter for about a week? And what would be a good fermentable to add to my brew? And after adding more fermentables and yeast, it's ok to stir it in? Just worried about involving too much oxygen to my brew.

 

[SBGuy212]

If you have time next weekend, you might even want to leave it in the fermenter for another week (you'll have time to create some more empty bottles). Additional time lets the yeasties do some cleanup. I never bottle earlier than 3 weeks and sometimes as long as 6. There are folks on here that go even longer. It definitely won't hurt and almost always helps. You don't have to worry about bad effects until you start measuring your fermentation time in months.

Oh ok. Thank you! Yeah it's been in for 2 weeks now. Fermenting for 1 week and settling for the past week. Thinking about trying to making some attempts to increase my ABV?

 

[unionrdr]

And you can do this at any point, even if the beer as been settling in the fermenter for about a week? And what would be a good fermentable to add to my brew? And after adding more fermentables and yeast, it's ok to stir it in? Just worried about involving too much oxygen to my brew.

I prefer to do it in the boil. I've never added more malts & yeast after fermentation begins. But I suppose you could. But you would be increasing volume as well, so ABV won't go up that much seems to me.

 

[frankjones]

I use oxy clean to clean and bleach with water mixture that is a common and cost effective sanitation procedure that is used the world round. I have never had an infected batch. It's cheap. Easy. Convenient. People will say that you can get off flavor ... Just rinse well. I spray the solution generously inside and out let sit five mins and rinse well with in a five gallon bucket of clean rinse water from the tap. I can clean and sanitize 150 bottles easily for 50 cents

Other commercial products are amazing but they are costly. A gallon of clorox bleach for $4. Far more cost effective for hundreds of batches if not thousands. I did not do the math lol. But fat more economical

 

[unionrdr]

The problem with using bleach solution is having to rinse it off. Using tap water can just put back what you were trying to sanitize, in my opinion. I value my health more than saving a few bucks. No offense meant. But Starsan & PBW are so easy to use & work so well, I'm hooked on'em.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

You'll still need StarSan for the racking cane, tubing, caps, etc. I always try to keep it on hand as that's pretty much the one thing you can't afford to run out of.

A few extra days won't hurt, in fact it'll probably benefit from being left in there. Some folks on here bulk condition for a month (or more).
No rush

 

[myelo]

There's no question that bleach is very cheap but my $20 package of Starsan makes 80 gallons of sanitizing solution that lasts me a long time. For me it's worth the relatively small extra cost to not have to worry about rinsing or off flavors.

I sterilize my bottles in the oven and really like it. Pop em in the oven the night before (350F for an hour) and they're cooled and ready to go the next day.

Lot's of options so whatever works for you is good.

 

[frankjones]

I guess but I use bleach and my beers come out fine. Bit I don't mind the extra rinse and using good sanitary conditions from the start is a good practice.

 

[frankjones]

Bleach is used and recommended by OSHA for sanitary practice if mixed and used correctly.

 

[frankjones]

If you get an infection from your tap water then you have easy bigger problems then off flavor in your beer. Around here the craft breweries use bleach and water and they don't have problems

 

[C-Rider]

1-rince bottle after drinking and let it dry upside down
2-wait til I have 12 bottles cleaned
3-place them in a bucket w/OxyClean
4-when I have another 12 bottles I take out the first batch, lables are gone by then.
5-rince and let drip dry upside down (the 12 that just came out of the oxyClean
6-store the cleaned, de-labled,dry bottles in a closed plastic box
7-soak clean bottles in Star San on bottleing day for a few minutes
7a-put bottle caps in a strainer and dip into StarSan and let drip
8-place bottles on lower rack of dishwasher after spraying StarSan on the rack
9-place bottling bucket on the diswasher
10-fill bottles and place on counter
11-place sanitized caps on bottles and cap.
Easy Squeezy Lemon Peeze. or what ever that means. LOL

 

[unionrdr]

Like I said, bleach is a good sanitizer, but toxic. So rinsing it off negates any effects gained. And while OSHA says it's OK, there are other chemicals restaurants & such use that are safer & made for food equipment sanitizing, like Starsan. For not much more money, an 8oz bottle has lasted me 4 years.

 

[fartinmartin]

+1 Unionrdr

 

[radiogorillaz]

I know this is a bit dated of a response since the thread is a month old, but I'm bottling my first brew is weekend. Learned some great things here.

Just add something, I use baking soda and warm water. It may be cheaper than the Oxy. Not sure if it has the same cleaning effect.

I tested my bottling tube this week and the thing leaked like crazy. Is that a concern? Guess I will have to put another bottle under faster and have my wife cap for me. Is the heavy leaking common? Should I replace it? Is here an upgrade I can get?

Does the temperature of the priming solution matter? Should I let it sit covered to cool for a short time before adding?


-Nate

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[Cheesy_Goodness]

I'd take it apart and reassemble. If it's constantly flowing the spring is probably compressed.
Either way, a few drips isn't out of the ordinary, but a "leak" will make for a messy bottling day

 

[Keith_O]

I'd take it apart and reassemble. If it's constantly flowing the spring is probably compressed.
Either way, a few drips isn't out of the ordinary, but a "leak" will make for a messy bottling day

+1
Unless you like the extra rush and drama! :rockin:

 

[radiogorillaz]

@Keith_O; lol...not sure for my first bottling day.

I'll try and take it apart and see if I can fix it.


-Nate

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