Crawdaddy Amber Ale

[bassassassin772]

Ok so I bottled my first brew a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to try it. Popped a couple in the fridge and they turned out damn good. SWAMBO likes em my BMC buddy thought they were decent and I think it's the best thing ever. (but since it's like my kid then i have to think that.) I have a few questions though.
1) What is the best way to get the yeast in the bottle to stay at the bottom of the bottle. Can I drink homebrew straight from the bottle or do I always have to pour it.
2) when bottle conditioning i had them out for 2.5 weeks. now all are placed inside a fridge. Will they still meld together and get better or because they are so cold are the yeasties all dropped out and sleeping therefore causing the taste to stay the same.
3) Also how do I get less Yeasties inside my bottles?

 

[MikeinCT]

Cuz that's how I was raised. But home brew I pour into a glass. I pour it carefully but if you get a bit of yeast it's no big deal. Cheers, Mike

 

[Malintent]

The ONLY way to avoid yeast in the bottle is to keg your beer to carbonate, allow plenty of time for the yeast to crash cool out of suspension, and then use a beer gun (counter pressure bottle filler, to be precise) to fill bottles... or pass the beer through a 1 micron filter prior to kegging to get all the yeast out and then force carb.

that said, I find that naturally carbonated beer (bottle conditioned) can be drunk directly from the bottle as long as the bottles have sat very cold for long enough for the yeast to come out of suspension, and gelatinize at the bottom of the bottle. tipping the bottle back gently to take a swig should not disturb the mini yeast cake at the bottom of the bottle too much.

 

[bassassassin772]

thanks for the responses. Mike i'm with you on the drinking from the bottle. I hate pouring into a glass and it makes it a pain when drinking with my budds to pour into a glass. Malintent I will not be kegging anytime soon perhaps ever so that option is out. I bought a beer at Safeway that is from Mendicino Brewing Co. on the box it says bottle conditioned and there is very little sediment at the bottom. My bottle have about an 1/8th inch or so of sediment. I think next time I need to somehow strain my wort while pouring into the fermentor

 

[unionrdr]

It sounds more like you need to let the beer sit on the yeast cake a little longer to clear/clean up. You're getting too much yeast in the bottom of the bottle. I get just a little dusting in the bottom after 3 weeks at room temp,& 5 days in the fridge.

 

[bassassassin772]

I let it sit in primary four exactly 4 weeks at 68 degrees. Do u think it should have gone longer then that? What would be good to strain while pouring into primary. I was using a kit with pellet hops

 

[TheMan]

Tasting food, beer, wine, etc is a multi-sensory experience...if you want the most out of it you should put it in a glass. Your missing all the aroma by drinking from the bottle. Part of tasting something is smelling it while eating/drinking it. Try it side by side one in glass, the other in bottle. It's far better in a glass. This is why they even have different glasses for different styles, which DOES make a difference.

It is your beer though, you can do however you like.

As for the sediment, leave your bottles in the fridge a few weeks. It will compact itself and be less likely to leave the bottle.

 

[bassassassin772]

Yeah I figured it would taste a little different from a glass its just kinda a pain. So will the flavors still produce while in the fridge?

 

[Vuarra]

The only flavour that will produce is the dissolving of the CO2 in the beer, which is a bitter taste from carbonic acid.

When I do have home-bottled beer, I stand them up for a couple of weeks, then refrigerate them standing up for another week. I pour them to a glass because I like the scent of a beer, but YMMV.

 

[40watt]

Yeah I figured it would taste a little different from a glass its just kinda a pain. So will the flavors still produce while in the fridge?

A pain? I expect you will change your mind about that...unless you are trying to seek them.

 

[ryandlf]

Tasting food, beer, wine, etc is a multi-sensory experience...if you want the most out of it you should put it in a glass. Your missing all the aroma by drinking from the bottle. Part of tasting something is smelling it while eating/drinking it. Try it side by side one in glass, the other in bottle. It's far better in a glass. This is why they even have different glasses for different styles, which DOES make a difference.

I agree. I personally think drinking from the bottle ruins the experience of the beer and maybe its just me but I always tend to get a bit of a metallic flavor when I drink from the bottle. I also prefer to take a gulp of beer rather than pour it through the tiny opening of the bottle.

To each his own though, i'm not trying to flame you or anything, just sharing my opinion.

 

[MaltMonster]

2) when bottle conditioning i had them out for 2.5 weeks. now all are placed inside a fridge. Will they still meld together and get better or because they are so cold are the yeasties all dropped out and sleeping therefore causing the taste to stay the same.

Placing them in the fridge effectively stops conditioning. It will help the yeast to harden up on the bottom of the bottle though.

 

[C-Rider]

I hate pouring into a glass and it makes it a pain when drinking with my budds to pour into a glass.

My Papa was born in Munchen, and he just about NEVER drank out of a bottle. I've seen him send a beer back in a restaurant if it didn't produce a nice head. He'd tell them to wash their glasses better. :rockin:

W/BMC I've usually gone straight from the bottle, but now that I'm home brewing I love my heavy glass mugs that I keep in the fridg w/the beer. Here is a photo of my Cooper's Sparkling Ale.

 

[G_Brew]

you might lower the amount of sediment if you wait longer before bottling but only by a miniscule amount...

however, i found this earlier this month that may interest you.. of course i have not tried this product since i now have a kegging system.. but it may interest you... bottle conditioning WITHOUT sediment!
http://sedexbrewing.com//

 

[TheMan]

Yeah I figured it would taste a little different from a glass its just kinda a pain. So will the flavors still produce while in the fridge?

The flavors will still mellow, but at a slower rate. There is nothing wrong with leaving them in the fridge.

FWIW, I drink BMC from the bottle...anything else I pour in a glass.