Bottling straight after fermentation

[TigerJon]

Ok so this is my first batch, ever! So desperate to get it right. I'm making a 5% pale ale. Started the batch last week and added hops after 5 days.

Am I right in thinking fermenting should be finished about 5 days after hops were added (10 days in total) obviously give or taking a day depending on hydrometer reading?

Also, I have no secondary fermenting bucket and was going to bottle straight from the primary fermentor after the 10 days. What is the best way to do this, and do I have to adapt the time the batch sits in the primary fermentor if I am bottling straight away?

 

[JonM]

Congrats on the first batch!!

Around here, we don't put a lot of stock in kit instructions, so ignore those. You'll be fine bottling right from the primary - that's what lots of is do anyway. If Gravity is stable and the beer is clearing, you're ready to bottle.

 

[BowAholic]

It would be easier if you racked to a bottling bucket with a spigot, on top of your priming sugar/water, leaving the trub in the bottom of the fermenting bucket. Congrats on the first batch.

 

[TigerJon]

Thanks for the reply very much appreciated.

So what's best, adding the priming sugar to the full batch and stirring (carefully) and give time for the sediment to settle back or add an even amount of priming sugar to each of the bottles and then add the batch to the bottles?

At this moment I don't have a second bucket and an 'expert' originally told me to add the batch to bottles and put half a tbs of priming sugar to each of the bottles and leave for two weeks. I'm just making sure I have all the possibilities before deciding.

 

[Bellybuster]

Calculate your priming sugar, create a simple syrup with that. Add to a separate sanitized bucket and siphon your beer on top leaving as much trub behind as possible. Bottle, condition, enjoy

 

[TigerJon]

Thanks, but for this process I am only using one bucket and bottling straight away...

1. Do I need to adapt the time and leave the batch in primary fermentor a little longer?

2. Shall I add the priming sugar to the batch prior to bottling (leave it a while and let sediment clear) or spread it evenly in the individual bottles and symphon the batch from there?

Note: I am using a symphon tube with spigot on the end.

 

[Bellybuster]

With only 1 bucket you need to prime the bottles individually. A good cold crash will help keep the trub in the bucket

 

[btbnl]

Your fermentation should be finished before you add the dry hops, or the CO2 still being produced will strip the dry hop aromas. I'm guessing the instructions assume 5-day fermentation and 5-day dry-hopping. As others have said, fermentation happens on the yeast's clock not yours, so ferment until the final gravity is stable over a couple of days.

If you're going to be bottling regularly, a bottling bucket and wand are a worthwhile investment. Put your sugar solution in the sterilized bottling bucket, gently siphon the beer off the trub/yeast allowing the flow to mix the beer into the sugar solution and avoiding any splashing/bubbling that would risk oxidization, bottle, and drink soon because the hoppy aromas/flavors will fade fast!

 

[TigerJon]

Any ideas what a crash is and how I can do this?
I am such an amateur ha!

 

[filthyastronaut]

Thanks, but for this process I am only using one bucket and bottling straight away...

1. Do I need to adapt the time and leave the batch in primary fermentor a little longer?

2. Shall I add the priming sugar to the batch prior to bottling (leave it a while and let sediment clear) or spread it evenly in the individual bottles and symphon the batch from there?

Note: I am using a symphon tube with spigot on the end.

1. 10 days seems early to me, but it depends on having stable hydrometer readings. Personally, I tend to give 2 weeks for a lower gravity beer and at least 3 weeks for higher gravity beers and I skip hydrometer readings besides the final gravity before bottling. That has worked for many, many batches now even though that's not necessarily best practice. I just don't like the idea of taking several hydrometer samples, means a little less of a quality finished product.

2. If you insist on bottling directly from the primary, you should not add the sugar to the whole batch, as you would need to stir to ensure even distribution and you'd rouse the yeast. This would likely just mean taking longer to clear, but if you wait for it to clear in the primary before bottling it the sugar will likely ferment out enough to affect your desired level of carbonation. So you can add sugar to each bottle, or priming tablets (measured sugar tablets made for homebrewers), but that will likely add an extra layer of tedium. Some people do that and are perfectly fine with it, but I'd just spring for a bottling bucket. With that you'd just siphon into it, make sure not to splash, and add a premeasured solution of sugar dissolved in about one cup of water. The amount of sugar depends on the volume of beer and the desired level of carbonation, and there are several calculators available online.

Ultimately, it's entirely up to you which method you want to use. Part of the journey in this hobby is discovering which practices are best for you.

 

[TigerJon]

Your correct followed the instructions, after 5 days add the hops, then allow a further 5 days until fermentation SHOULD be complete.

 

[stella_tigre]

At this moment I don't have a second bucket and an 'expert' originally told me to add the batch to bottles and put half a tbs of priming sugar to each of the bottles and leave for two weeks. I'm just making sure I have all the possibilities before deciding.

Did anyone already say that half a TBS is too much? Isn't it usually half a TSP?

 

[podz]

It would be easier if you racked to a bottling bucket with a spigot, on top of your priming sugar/water, leaving the trub in the bottom of the fermenting bucket. Congrats on the first batch.

It would be even easier if you just fermented in a bottling bucket with a spigot and bottle a few points above terminal gravity. That's what I usually do.

 

[TigerJon]

With only 1 bucket you need to prime the bottles individually. A good cold crash will help keep the trub in the bucket

Any ideas on what a crush is and how it's achieved?

 

[TigerJon]

Half a TSP sounds more like it my mistake!

 

[CGish]

If I were stuck bottling out of the primary, I would use dominos sugar cubes in the bottles to prime the batch. I use this trick occasionally when I rack to the secondary for a flavoring addition and have a few bottles worth left over in the primary. Rather than try and add corn sugar to the bottle or racking the left overs to a bottling bucket, I just put a cube in each bottle, put the bottling wand on the end of the siphon, and fill the bottles. Many people report this works well with a whole batch.

 

[slym2none]

Any ideas on what a crush is and how it's achieved?

Cold-crashing is dropping the temp of your beer while still in the fermentor, to drop the most yeast & other particles out of suspension, as well as to compact the trub layer on the bottom of the fermentor so you get less of that in your final destination, be it bottles or a keg. I make small batches, so I can get my fermentor in my refrigerator. Others have the fancy temp-controlled fermentation chambers & just dial the temps down to just above freezing. However you can get it cool, leave it for 3-5 days.

 

[Kharnynb]

Generally, especially for a beginner, i would be patient.

7-10 days before dryhopping, to prevent adding it too early when fermentation is still very active.
total primary fermentation time around 2-3 weeks.
Get a bottling bucket, either with a spigot or an autosiphon and bottling wand, these investments will pay back fast in ease of use during bottling.

with a bottling bucket, you can then batch prime the beer with some sugar syrup you make yourself by boiling a bit of water with the amount of sugar you calculate using one of the online priming calculators.

 

[Rhumbline]

Congrats on the first batch!!

Around here, we don't put a lot of stock in kit instructions, so ignore those. You'll be fine bottling right from the primary - that's what lots of is do anyway. If Gravity is stable and the beer is clearing, you're ready to bottle.

As always, there are dissenting voices. I recommend following the instructions carefully for the first few batches. That way you can rule out a lot of variables if things go wrong. Once you've got a few successful brews under your belt following the instructions you can experiment with one aspect at a time and see the effect.

 

[tracyk]

I would just go down to one of the big box stores to get a 5 gallon bucket to bottle with unless these are not close to you. Its better than nothing and you can make it work with a siphon hose or racking cane.

If that is not a possibility than use the 1/2 tsp per bottle to carbonate with. I do agree with Rhumbline in following the instructions as it gives the new homebrewer something to go by. Great choice in choosing a Pale Ale which is relatively easy to brew and almost always has a great outcome, instead of the more complicated brews.

 

[slym2none]

1/2 tsp/bottle is kinda low, closer to 2.0 vols. of CO² than 2.5, which is about where you'd want a pale ale carbonated to. I'd go 3/4 tsp per bottle, personally.