Coopers diy kit

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

yaaybeer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Messages
56
Reaction score
1
Hi all. Great forum. I have a few questions and forgive me if they sound daft as its my first brew. 1. My hydrometer is reading 1012 for the last 3 days. OG was 1045. It has been in primary at the recommended temps(as per instructions) for 8 days. Is it time to bottle? Question 2 is should i sterilise the new bottles provided with the kit and if so how ? Thanks in advance


2
 
As to your first question, since you've had the same readings for a few days at 1.012 fermentation should be complete, and you could bottle at this point.

Question 2. Yes absolutely. Anything that will touch the wort/beer after you brew it must be sterilized. This includes your bottles and don't forget your bottle caps. Since the bottles are new you shouldn't need to scrub them with a bottle brush to clean them first. There are a few ways to sanitize them and I'm sure you can find a discussion on the forum as to which one is best/most effective/easiest etc. I used to soak all of my bottles in a sink filled with sanitizing solution like starsan or whatever else I used at the time. This way has always been effective for me, but is a little time consuming. I've recently gotten lazy and started using the dishwasher (absolutely no soap) and turning on the heated drying. I've not had any problems, but I think some brewers raise issues with this way. I've also heard of people using their oven to sterilize their bottles, but I don't know much about that and it makes me nervous.
 
If it's been reading 1.012 for three days in a row,it's likely done. Give it time to clean up by products of fermentation & settle out clear or slightly misty. Usually 3-7 days. The Cooper's PET bottles when new are already clean,so I just sanitized them with starsan before filling.
Never use heat on PET bottles. Also,bottle brushes may scratch the inside & potentially harbor nasties. So soaking them when dirty in PBW would be best,then rinse well. Also,the vinator won't pump with the Cooper's bottles as is. You need to take a 2L soda bottle cap & drill a hole through the middle to get it to fit over the post on the vinator & sit on the lil base ring. It'll now work with PET bottles.
 
Thanks so much for the detailed reply. That are plastic bottles and I'm wondering how hot the wAter should be?
 
Hot water can warp the plastic PET bottles. Luke warm would be as hot as I'd ever go. Any kind of heat is a huge no-no with them. Just use PBW for soaking them after dirty,& starsan for sanitizing right before filling.
 
No problem. I've done a lot of Cooper's so you have but to ask. I'm thinking of a new way to use the Cooper's cans I'm going to try in the near future.
 
Back
Top