First batch, questions about bottling

[damdaman]

Hey everyone, I'm currently 6 days into fermenting my first batch of beer. So far everything looks great, the active fermentation stage has been over for a couple days and the beer is clearing and looking good (also smells good).

I used a basic amber recipe they gave me at the brew supply store:

7lbs light LME OG:1.052
1.5oz chocolate malt
1lb crystal malt 60L
1oz northern brewer hops
1oz willamette hops
Wyeast 1272
1 Whirlfloc tablet

I have two questions at this point...

1) When is a good time to bottle? I have read that it is good to get the beer off the yeast cake after the active stage of fermentation is over, but I've also read that it is better to let it sit for as long as possible for the yeast to "clean up" after themselves. Like I said I'm on day 6 and the active fermentation has been over since day 4. There does not appear to be much activity going on, but I don't want to bottle too soon. (on the other hand, this is my first batch and I am of course anxious to try it!)

2) The kit I bought has a 6 gallon bucket with a spigot to use for bottling. I'm planning to add the boiled corn sugar-water to the bucket, then siphon the beer into it. I read that it is important not to aerate the beer during bottling, so it seems to me that using the spigot would make it likely to cause splashing in the bottles. Should I use the racking siphon instead to transfer from the bucket to bottles, or is there a trick to using the spigot that does not aerate the beer?

Thanks for any tips!

 

[TipsyDragon]

bottle after 2 weeks minimum ... or 1 week after airlock stops bubbling which ever is longer.


yes there is a trick to bottling your beer. its called a bottling wand .. should of come with the kit. its a clear plastic tube with a white thing on one end with a kind of button thing in it. attach a length of clear rubber tube to the end opposite the white thing and the other end of the tube to the spigot of your bucket. then open the spigot and get a bottle ... put the wand in the bottle and press down. beer will start filing with no splashing. just keep an eye on the fluid level so you don't over fill. fill the bottles till you are barely going to spill then pull the wand out. you will end up with a perfect amount of head space when you pull the wand out.

 

[damdaman]

Thanks, yes I do have one of those wands, wasn't sure what it was for. That makes total sense.

 

[skyzo]

Yeah definetley give it at least another week or so in the fermenter. It can only get better

 

[iparks81]

check out Revvy's bottling thread..id post a link but ....its far to difficult after 4 "old chubs"

 

[dracus]

+100 to revvy's thread. He will show you the best way to bottle. Then go and watch his video on carbonation.

The only other tricky part (assuming you don't have and auto siphon) is starting a siphon.

 

[sunblock]

if you use the spigot you should not have to siphon. I did my first few batches with a buddy just opening and closing the spigot, while I filled fliptop bottles. never had any issues but I drank it all within a month as well.

 

[TipsyDragon]

if you use the spigot you should not have to siphon. I did my first few batches with a buddy just opening and closing the spigot, while I filled fliptop bottles. never had any issues but I drank it all within a month as well.

he has to rack it from his carboy into the bottling bucket.

definitely get an auto siphon.

 

[pksmitty]

+1 to Revvy's bottling thread. Lots of great ideas in there.