First brew bottling day (pix)

[nostalgia]

Hooray! Started a new thread to continue the saga of my first brew so the thread wouldn't be overwhelmed with pictures. And I love pictures

FG was 1.012, which is the bottom of the given range in the kit instructions.

I boiled the corn sugar and water - only using 3/4 cup of corn sugar instead of the 1+ cup that was in the kit. I then took a hydrometer sample and started siphoning.

Once the beer was in the bucket, my awesome wife stepped in to lend a hand.

She took a few fun pictures of me cleaning bottles in my PJ's.

to be continued...

 

[nostalgia]

It looks good! Tastes nice, too. Definitely green and a little on the bitter side. I bottled a half dozen 12 ouncers that I'll be cracking open once a week as testers.

And did you know that the large flange on a dual bottle washer can fit in the neck of a 6 gallon Better Bottle and get stuck in there? Me neither.

Thanks to everyone who lent help and advice!!

-Joe

 

[tdavisii]

Congrats. I like the pictures.

 

[bottleopener]

hooray beer!

 

[eschatz]

looks great, i'm sure it'll taste the part too!

 

[vfinch]

It's pretty cool that your wife is lending a hand and you're have fun! I'd say this is one of the coolest hobbies I've done in a long time, it's 300x better than I thought it would ever be.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Lookin good!

 

[Ben25]

Congrats on your first beer! I just bottled my first last weekend. About the carboy; if you heat the neck up, either with a hair dryer or some really hot(not too hot or you will melt the bottle) water, you might be able to wiggle that piece out of there.

 

[Coastarine]

I boiled the corn sugar and water - only using 3/4 cup of corn sugar instead of the 1+ cup that was in the kit.

This is a very good call. It took me half a dozen batches to realize this. The 5oz of priming sugar that most kits come with is the absolute most I would ever use in any beer, and then only in styles that called for fizzy.

 

[98EXL]

very nice, and especially that SWMBO helped out....bottling sucks, and I only do it when she's around now.....I can't take it

 

[Rezilynt]

Congratulations!! Nice job on getting her to help too - so much easier.

 

[DubbelDach]

The only thing that makes bottling more bearable is that my wife helps. I fill, she caps.

 

[The Blow Leprechaun]

I boiled the corn sugar and water - only using 3/4 cup of corn sugar instead of the 1+ cup that was in the kit.

Next step - start measuring the corn sugar by weight instead of volume, it's more accurate that way.

I tend to brew English style beers which are usually low in carbonation, so I usually don't even come close to using the full 5 oz in a priming sugar packet.

 

[BierMuncher]

Nice job and congratulations.

Now repeat the bottling mantra after me...

21 days at 70+ degrees
21 days at 70+ degrees
21 days at 70+ degrees
21 days at 70+ degrees
21 days at 70+ degrees
21 days at 70+ degrees

No sooner...no cooler.

And give those cases a rock back and forth every 2 or 3 days to keep that yeast awake and doing its thing in those bottles.

 

[nostalgia]

21 days at 70+ degrees
21 days at 70+ degrees
21 days at 70+ degrees
21 days at 70+ degrees
21 days at 70+ degrees
21 days at 70+ degrees

Teehee Thanks BM and everyone else who offered congrats. It was very exciting and gratifying to see that first brew in the bottles.

Yes, I will wait 3 weeks. I do have 3, 12-oz bottles off to the side earmarked as testers, though. I'm going to open one a week, just to see, smell and taste the progression. Because I'm curious. And it's my beer. Nyah!

-Joe

 

[The Blow Leprechaun]

I do have 3, 12-oz bottles off to the side earmarked as testers, though. I'm going to open one a week, just to see, smell and taste the progression.

I always like to test a bottle after a week to see where it's at. If it foams up like crazy, I know I need to watch the rest of the bottles like a hawk to make sure they don't explode. If it's already carbonated, I know I can begin enjoying the fruits of my labors!

The big question is, when's the next batch coming up?

 

[nostalgia]

The big question is, when's the next batch coming up?

Sunday! Trying out a lager (see on deck link below), since I'm an ambitious bugger I've got a Love-controlled freezer to primary in and a cold fridge to lager in. The starter is already going.

After that I'm going back to ale with a True Brew IPA kit, followed by more Apfelwein and a ginger beer.

-Joe

 

[EvilTOJ]

Congratulations on the last step to beer, besides waiting for it to carb. Someday, I'm sure you will look back on this day with....

 

[Zackb911]

Yay Triumph Spitfire

 

[nostalgia]

Yay Triumph Spitfire

Nothing like driving a little British convertible on a cool night to put a smile on one's face

-Joe

 

[nostalgia]

After a week in the bottles I chilled and opened one tonight to see how we're doing.

Drumroll, please...

Oh, sweet anticipation...

Well that was unexpected!

Really nice head on it. I've drunk about half the glass and I've got beautiful lacing left on it.

The flavor is still yeasty and young, but good. No funky flavors, just beer. A little on the malty and sweet side, but I'd definitely expect that from a red ale.

Which leaves one thing left to be said: w00t!



-Joe

 

[BeerPressure]

Nice looking beer!

I just bottled my first brew yesterday. Cant wait to crack one open. I will be buying a couple more kits to brew while i wait.

 

[c.n.budz]

Nice Autobot T-shirt

 

[BrosBrew]

Do they need to be stored at above 70 degrees seriously? Is like 65 - 68 (fermentation temps) okay?

 

[Evan!]

Do they need to be stored at above 70 degrees seriously? Is like 65 - 68 (fermentation temps) okay?

You might be okay at those temps, but the warmer temps ensure complete fermentation in the bottle.

 

[Evan!]

Hey, is it just me, or does that huge smile, with the whole "brewing in the kitchen" thing, remind anyone else of the photographs in a certain homebrewing bible?

 

[Hoosierbrewer]

Wow your first bottling event looks about like mine, except that I did not have my wife helping and I had beer spilled all over my kitchen floor. Beer did end up in the bottles and carbed just like yours and there was a towel involved in the clean-up. ha-ha. Good news that after a few of these events, SWMBO bought me a kegerator.

 

[Rezilynt]

Lookin good!

 

[Big10Seaner]

Evan! do you mean the Joe Brewer pics?

 

[The Blow Leprechaun]

Do they need to be stored at above 70 degrees seriously? Is like 65 - 68 (fermentation temps) okay?

It'll be okay, it might take a little longer to fully carbonate, though. I like to try one at a week just to see where it is (if it gushes, you've got a problem!), and then another at two weeks, which should be enough carbonation time for most brews, but don't worry if it's taking longer.