First time making beer, what next?

[marc1]

On a side note I went to 2 grocery stores today and I could only find kool-aid brand lemonade packets that where the kind you add sugar to. All the other lemonades have sugar added.

I'd just follow the recipe for it. The directions say "Add 2 packets of dry lemonade (unsweetened, 0.2-0.23 oz each) to the beer at packaging"
So, use the Kool-Aid.

 

[smokeskrene4207]

ok all. I have my beer cold crashing. I put it in the fridge this morning. 1.008 is my fg. Ill be bottling Monday night after a 48 hr cold crash. I'm excited to rack to bottling bucket. I have 48 beer bottles. I'm using a dishwasher to remove the labels and sanitize the bottles. I have a hand capper ill be using. Hoping I can drink a few in a few weeks for my birthday 2 weeks from monday.

 

[Rish]

Sounds like you're on your way! You may want to pick up more bottles since you say you started with 5.5 gallons. You may need up to 60. Depending on the type bottles you have, hand cappers can be a bit of a pain. If you have problems with this batch you might want to look at bench cappers. Mine makes bottling day much better.

 

[smokeskrene4207]

I have 6 12 packs, only 48 are label free. I was assuming I'd get at least 4 12 packs worth minimum, and whatever is left after filling the 4 12 packs I was going to use 20 oz soda bottles for testing carbination levels every few days as was recommended to me. Idk if it matters but I'm assuming the point of the soda bottles is to not waste a pretty unopened beer to see if its ready when you can just crack the soda bottle and get all you need to know.
I have a scale to measure my priming(corn) sugar. I think for my beer I want something like 2.2 volumes of co2? I think that would be something like 4.65 oz of sugar and 2 cups water and 2 packs of lemonade boiled and added into my bottling bucket. I then rack the beer onto the sugar water and lay my siphon tube in a circle on the bucket bottom to allow for thorough mixing. I will then bottle, cap, wait til carbed enjoy.

 

[Rish]

If you want to use the soda bottle to check carbonation, you really only need one (when it feels as firm as an unopened soda it's done) , but you'll pretty reliably reach full carbonation in a couple of weeks at room temperature so you can check one then to see. Just me, but I'd rather have the beer in beer bottles instead of soda bottles.

 

[smokeskrene4207]

I just realized my math on bottles is wrong. Ill need 60 bottles or close to. Stripping labels now lmao.

 

[smokeskrene4207]

I bottled yesterday evening. 53 beer. I drank 3 flat. Seemed pretty good. I didn't let it stay in the fridge long to clear completely, only about 30 hrs. I boiled the lemonade packets and sugar in 2 cups water. I forgot to measure the sugar by weight. I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup leveled plus 2 tablespoons priming sugar. I did notice on the fresh bottled beer it was lacking in lemonade flavor. I'm hoping it'll blend in more or else I'll need to add in a third packet for the next brew.

 

[Rish]

Congrats! Great to get the fire one in the bottle. If you used corn sugar to prime you may be light on carbonation depending on what you want. Typical volume measure is 3/4 cup for 5 gallons. If you used table sugar, you'll be closer. I use 2/3 cup of that. Now on to the next one!

 

[smokeskrene4207]

Congrats! Great to get the fire one in the bottle. If you used corn sugar to prime you may be light on carbonation depending on what you want. Typical volume measure is 3/4 cup for 5 gallons. If you used table sugar, you'll be closer. I use 2/3 cup of that. Now on to the next one!

I actually started a peach wine after I bottled. Its bubbling away. I'm going to rack it over more peaches. Its got 16lbs of fruit 10lbs sugar in primary. I'm going to do a secondary with 16lbs of peaches and an extra 4lbs of sugar. I'm purposely trying to keep the alcohol low and peach flavor high. My starting gravity is 1.053.
The batch is 6.5 gallons.