Bottling this weekend

[GroovePuppy]

OK, I know there are some threads currently active that answer most of my questions, I just want to be sure that I have it down.

Saturday will be 3 weeks since I boiled my first wort. Temp of the carboy is ~70F according to the Fermometer, small "fizz" type trickle of bubbles and the gravity was 1.009 2 weeks ago against a target of 1.012, so I think I'm ready. I plan to move the carboy on Friday, maybe Thursday to let it settle. Should I cover it to keep light out?

I cleaned and sanitized my bottles same day I boiled the wort, i.e. 3 weeks ago, and then placed them top down into a box on top of clean paper towels but I assume I should resanitize? On Saturday I will sanitize everything for the siphon to the priming bucket and mix for bottling. When I resanitize the bottles can I lift them straight from the iodophor, shake the worst of the drops out then fill or should I let them dry a little?

I'm just trying to get clear in my head how this will all happen. If it's anything like the boil it'll all make perfect sense after I've done it, of course by then it's too late.

Here's what I think will happen.

- Thurs, move the carboy to a suitable spot for siphoning to priming bucket (primary fermentor).

- Sat, sanitize priming bucket, siphon tubing, etc.

- Boil priming sugar and water for prescribed time and cool.

- Place priming mix in bucket, siphon beer into bucket with no splashing and mix.

- Fill sanitizing bath with bottles and sanitize bottle wand.

- Place bucket above dishwasher (liked this tip).

- Take bottle from sanitizing solution, shake, fill, cap, repeat.

- Leave for 3 weeks (yeah, right!).

One last question. Can I bottle them all and then cap, or should I cap each as it's filled?

Whew, I wish I could just RDWHAHB but as yet I don't HAHB!!!!

GP

 

[TheJadedDog]

Sounds like you have a pretty good plan there. Remember to sanitize absolutely everything that will come into contact with your beer; this includes the bottling bucket, spigot, siphon, tubing, bottles, caps, ect...

To answer some of your specific questions: yes I would re-sanitize the bottles (I usually wait until bottling day to do this anyway) and yes you can pull them from the solution and let them dry for a minute then fill. As for capping the bottles, I usually fill 6-8 at a time, then cap, then fill the next 6-8.

Good luck with your first bottling day and be prepared to make a mess.

 

[Homercidal]

You forgot the most important part....




Relax, Don't worry, Have a Homebrew!

 

[Revvy]

You forgot the most important part....




Relax, Don't worry, Have a Homebrew!

He can't, it's his first batch.....

Relax, don't worry, have a microbrew!!!!

 

[GroovePuppy]

He can't, it's his first batch.....

Relax, don't worry, have a microbrew!!!!

Now that I can do. I'll make sure I have one on hand for the duration and a second and third for the clean up.

Woohoo! Can't believe there's only two days left of airlock-sniffing on my first batch. :rockin:

 

[Mirage]

That is great! What kind of beer did you brew?

 

[GroovePuppy]

It's a British Pale Ale from a 5 gallon extract kit. I want to move to grain eventually but extract will be fine for a while. I love some of the microbrew beers here in Northern California but I think the hoppiness is just silly. I'd like to brew an IPA that's more like the British style.

 

[BoxofRain]

Great feeling isn't it? Now do you have the patience to wait 3 weeks? I couldn't do it. I tried a bottle a week to see the progression. Just wait for 6 weeks from now when you can drink one that's fully conditioned and been in the fridge for a while! Be sure to save some to drink for the next batch you make!

 

[GroovePuppy]

I plan on trying some after at least a week I guess. My biggest problem is how many people have expressed an interest in trying it. Trouble is I am so excited about my first batch I'll talk about it to anyone who'll listen. I just hope they appreciate it. The "share" list for batch two will be decidedly smaller.

 

[Revvy]

I know you're excited...but really you start digging into your brew after a week AND let people taste, you will not have anything when it reaches it's peak...also since it will be green still you probably won't be enjoying the joys of full carbed and conditioned beer...

Do yourself and your impatient friends a favor...Read this https://www.homebrewtalk.com/558191-post101.html

Watch the video...and walk away from your beer for 3 weeks....otherwise, you'll really be wasting your time and effort on an inferior product...

Get brewing instead..that way you will have a full pipeline, and you will have batches coming online just as you are finishing others....

Trust me, and the rest of us who tell you to have patience....it WILL BE WORTH IT.

 

[shecky]

I know you're excited...but really you start digging into your brew after a week AND let people taste, you will not have anything when it reaches it's peak...also since it will be green still you probably won't be enjoying the joys of full carbed and conditioned beer...

Do yourself and your impatient friends a favor...Read this https://www.homebrewtalk.com/558191-post101.html

Watch the video...and walk away from your beer for 3 weeks....otherwise, you'll really be wasting your time and effort on an inferior product...

Get brewing instead..that way you will have a full pipeline, and you will have batches coming online just as you are finishing others....

Trust me, and the rest of us who tell you to have patience....it WILL BE WORTH IT.

Oh Revvy, you make it sound so easy. I'm one to try a bottle per week just to see how it progresses. I have no problem leaving it alone, but I like to take some notes and then compare week to week.

Of course, your advice is, as always, sage.

 

[TeleTwanger]

when I bottle i will fill a bottle then place the cap on top and let it be and fill another. By the time they're all bottled I start capping the first one I bottled. If you let them sit a little with the cap on but not crimped some of the head space will get purged by the small bubbling action from bottling. I think this helps removing some o2 from the headspace.

 

[TeleTwanger]

dang it! DP

 

[GroovePuppy]

I know you're excited...but really you start digging into your brew after a week AND let people taste, you will not have anything when it reaches it's peak...also since it will be green still you probably won't be enjoying the joys of full carbed and conditioned beer...

Yeah, I hear ya. I meant to say I'll try one at 1 week, then another at 2, etc. I do plan to save a couple for the long term to see what happens. I won't distribute to friends or consume in quantity 'til I'm sure it's ready within reason, but you have to give me something here, after the weekend I won't even have an airlock to sniff!!!!

OK, time to plan batch 2. I may try the same kit again but with the lessons from the things I know I did wrong. That way I'll get an appreciation for subtleties in the method.

You know homebrewing has to be the perfect hobby, unless you can think of another that results in beer!

 

[GroovePuppy]

BTW, is it still cool to name my beer if it's from a kit?

 

[Revvy]

BTW, is it still cool to name my beer if it's from a kit?

You're the brewer, you can do whatever you want with it!

 

[BoxofRain]

You're the brewer, you can do whatever you want with it!

...and we want to hear the name when you come up with it.

 

[GroovePuppy]

So I need one piece of info still. If I move the brew from it's darkened room tonight to bottle on Saturday, should I cover the carboy to keep it dark? I'll measure the gravity before moving obviously.

I also read that fluorescent light was bad for beer but it didn't say why. Anyone?

Cheers

GP

 

[TeleTwanger]

So I need one piece of info still. If I move the brew from it's darkened room tonight to bottle on Saturday, should I cover the carboy to keep it dark? I'll measure the gravity before moving obviously.

I also read that fluorescent light was bad for beer but it didn't say why. Anyone?

Cheers

GP

Yes especially if it's getting direct sunlight. I usually put a heavy t-shirt over it or I take the cardboard box the carboy came in and I cut a hole in the bottom big enough for the airlock to get through and I slip that over it. Diffused light is probably ok but I don't chance that even.

 

[shecky]

So I need one piece of info still. If I move the brew from it's darkened room tonight to bottle on Saturday, should I cover the carboy to keep it dark? I'll measure the gravity before moving obviously.

I also read that fluorescent light was bad for beer but it didn't say why. Anyone?

Cheers

GP

Why do you need to move it so far in advance? Don't move it until you're ready to rack to your bottling bucket and you won't have to worry about light.

 

[mmb]

I also read that fluorescent light was bad for beer but it didn't say why. Anyone?

Basically, light, from any source, reacts with the bittering agents from the hops and creates other compounds that smell "skunky" to humans.

"Hops help flavor beer, inhibit bacterial growth and are largely responsible for the stability of the foam in the head," Forbes said. "Hops, however, are light-sensitive, and the three main compounds in them identified as being light-sensitive are called isohumulones. When attacked by either visible or ultraviolet light, these break down to make reactive intermediates known as free radicals that lead to the offensive taste and skunky odor."

UNC chemists figure out what causes ‘skunky beer’

 

[Revvy]

Why do you need to move it so far in advance? Don't move it until you're ready to rack to your bottling bucket and you won't have to worry about light.

I agree...Though some people figure letting it sit for awhile will let anything kicked up by moving the beer out of the brewcloset settle back down....I don't bother...I move it out then sanitize bottles and boil my priming sugar...I figure that's enough settling time.

 

[GroovePuppy]

Why do you need to move it so far in advance? Don't move it until you're ready to rack to your bottling bucket and you won't have to worry about light.

Look, I'm an excitable chap in the midst of my first brew. It wasn't so much that I needed to move it but I got to hug the carboy for 30 seconds while I carried it.

 

[shecky]

Look, I'm an excitable chap in the midst of my first brew. It wasn't so much that I needed to move it but I got to hug the carboy for 30 seconds while I carried it.

You can hug it in the closet, too. Then hug it again when you move it on bottling day.

 

[GroovePuppy]

You can hug it in the closet, too. Then hug it again when you move it on bottling day.

It's on my kitchen counter now with a towel 'round it. Maybe I can sneak hug when my wife isn't looking.

 

[Revvy]

Look, I'm an excitable chap in the midst of my first brew. It wasn't so much that I needed to move it but I got to hug the carboy for 30 seconds while I carried it.

And that my friend, netted you a spot in the memorable quote thread.

 

[schweaty]

I think the hoppiness is just silly.

Those, good sir, are blasphemous words. There is NEVER too much hoppiness!! Hope your first brew turns out great!!

 

[GroovePuppy]

Beer primed and bottled on Saturday with the patient assistance of my lovely SWMBO. I had some clear bottles that I used (most were brown, all in boxes in a dark room) just so I could see some of what was going on with batch#1. I've read in some posts about bottle krausens (kreusens?) but after two days I don't see anything. Is this OK? I know, I know. Let the yeasties do their job. RDWHAHB. I think I'm going to call this on "Worrier".

Actually I'm just hoping to get one of those terribly sexist pictures of a young lass (who probably has a great personality and is a fabulous conversationalist) with a gun posted in response. :fro:

 

[schweaty]

You wanted it, you got it!

 

[Revvy]

You wanted it, you got it!

Copycat!!!!!!