How long does your bottling take?

[beachman]

I bottled 5 gal. yesterday with help of my wife and it took maybe 1 hr 15 min. Last batch I used dishwasher ahead of time and if you don't count that, it was less than 1 hour easy. I think the real key is a second person. With one person filling and one person capping, 50 bottles takes about 10-15 minutes.

 

[Brewmando]

Counting rinsing bottles, transfering to bottling bucket and actually filling the bottles and capping it take me 1-11/2 hours depending on the size of bottles being used. Sat. I bottled a batch and made another in under 4 hours.

 

[zachatola]

im usually at about 1-1.5 hr or so. I usually have all my bottles cleaned and in cases prior. Usually spray star san inside my bottles and start them on the tree, get my water/prim sugar going, then move to San the bottling bucket, add prim sugar, rack beer on top, give a very light stir with the spoon to ensure mixing, and start bottling. I also have a agata capper so that helps a lot too.

 

[zacster]

Since I'm soaking bottles in sanitizer, how long should I do that. I allow 10 minutes to soak. Is this unnecessary? Maybe I can get away with just rinsing them in sanitizer and letting them air dry, since the sanitizer remains on the inside surface anyway?

 

[TeleTwanger]

my last batch I filled my bottling bucket with star san and after soaking the racking cane/bottle wand and hose I drained the star san into each bottle and then emptied them and put them on my sanitized bottle tree. Star san only requires 2 minute contact.

 

[schweaty]

Too damn long! I'm sure its like anything else and that you'll get quicker with experience.

 

[zacster]

In any case, my bottling on 11/2 will be ready to drink on 11/23, the day I return from a long trip, to India! I'm going to need it.

 

[Revvy]

In any case, my bottling on 11/2 will be ready to drink on 11/23, the day I return from a long trip, to India! I'm going to need it.

Oh wow, India?!? I'd love to see, and eat my way through India.

So whatcha going for? And how long?

 

[Beerthoven]

I bottled a 5 gallon Hefe today, and from beginning to end it was 2.5 hours. Does it take everyone this long? This is my 15th batch including the ones I did 10 years ago, but it still takes a long time. Even the brew day routine doesn't take this long.

My day included jet washing and sanitizing bottles, 15 22oz bottles, 24 12 oz, boiling the bottling sugar, sanitizing everything else necessary, transferring to the bottling bucket, bottling and capping, then cleaning up. It does not include putting the bottles away, they are still sitting out in the kitchen.

Was I just being too methodical?

This sounds about like my experience also. I could save a lot of time by not re-washing the bottles on bottling day (I wash them thoroughly before I put them away), but I just can't bring myself to skip this step. My two cats spend a lot of time in the area where I store my bottles, and they are filthy creatures (and I love them dearly).

 

[HoppyDaze]

are there any bottle caps that I should avoid buying. Im just getting back in the game and was wondering if there were any bad brands out there. Good brands?

 

[Revvy]

are there any bottle caps that I should avoid buying. Im just getting back in the game and was wondering if there were any bad brands out there. Good brands?

IS there more than one brand out there? I just get the only kind at the lhbs...there's only Oxygen Barrier and non oxygen barrier, that I've ever seen..they're either LD Carlsons or Muntons....they just have a plain white label.

 

[HoppyDaze]

Is 300 caps for 9 dollars a good deal?
What about 9 dollars for 24 bottles?

 

[Revvy]

Is 300 caps for 9 dollars a good deal?
What about 9 dollars for 24 bottles?

I pay about 2 bucks for 144 caps, so to me 9 bucks for 300 seems a little steep.....9 bucks for a case of bottles seems reasonable though.

 

[shecky]

Is 300 caps for 9 dollars a good deal?
What about 9 dollars for 24 bottles?

No and yes.

 

[Eves]

Last batch I bottled I think it took me 45-50 minutes to santize and bottle 49 bottles. However, when I add in the time I take to santize the bottling bucket and tubing and such (10) and then the time it takes to syphon the beer from my fermentor to the bottling bucket (seemed to take forever, ~15, last time) and then clean up time after bottling (15) I figure the whole process is about 1.5 hours.

Oh...can't forget the time after I'm done where I just sit and grin thinking about how good the beer will be in 3 weeks. Sometimes I do this step for a while.

 

[zman]

It is about 1.5 hrs for me in total. However that is with the winged bottle caper. My gf is getting me an Agata Bench Caper so I am thinking that will be a time saver for me.

I generally have all my bottles pre washed. I get my bottles from friends a few cases at a time so I generally let them all soak in a big Rubbermaid tub with hot water and either dish soap or Oxyclean. I let that sit for a day or so then I de label and wash em all. I do not have a bottle tree so I just let them air dry. That is not much of a problem here in Colorado where it is generally dry as a piece of toast. I have another Rubbermaid bucket that I sanitize in. I fill the bucket with Star San water solution (which I re use) and sanitize that way. I follow the same process for the tubing, bottling bucket and parts...etc. I have not had any problems thus far.

 

[ohill1981]

how long after bottling do you wait before putting them in a fridgearator ?

 

[HoppyDaze]

Question:

My primary fermentor is sitting in a bathtub at the moment. When time comes to bottle Im worried that when I pick it up to pirtch it above the bottling bucket I will disturb the beer. Should I maybe do this a few days before bottling? I really dont have an ideal "pirtched" area to store it while fermenting. Is this going to be a problem?

 

[Revvy]

Question:

My primary fermentor is sitting in a bathtub at the moment. When time comes to bottle Im worried that when I pick it up to pirtch it above the bottling bucket I will disturb the beer. Should I maybe do this a few days before bottling? I really dont have an ideal "pirtched" area to store it while fermenting. Is this going to be a problem?

You dould just do it an hour or 2 before you bottle.

 

[Revvy]

how long after bottling do you wait before putting them in a fridgearator ?

3 weeks @ 70 degrees, usually, then stick one if the fridge for 48 hours, then open. If it's carbed you can shill the rest down, if not, give it another week or so.

Read this....http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/Of_Patience_and_Bottle_Conditioning/

 

[shecky]

3 weeks @ 70 degrees.

I think you should have that stamped on your forehead.

 

[kenstogie]

I have only done 3 batches and I buy "used" bottles from the Bev Center. How can they charge more for ones with out beer even if it is mediocre beer?

Takes 3 hours soaking in Oxyclean plus work to remove labels and clean. But bottling I have a tub of one step drop em in, shake, put on inverted in the top rack or the dishwasher to dry. They seem to dry in about 20 mins.

I bottle, cap, box and off to rest for carbonization. Takes me 2 hours or sooooo for the actual bottling. Clean up another hour.

 

[user 30639]

It usually takes me about an hour or so to do five gallons, assuming I have my bottles sanitized before hand.

I bet if the wife would help I could have it done ever faster...

 

[BStone]

It's about 30 minutes or so for me to get 5 gallons bottled. I like to stop and clean as I go, however.

 

[Tripod]

About an hour including making the priming solution. I sanatize in the dishwasher before storage and then again the night before just to be sure. When I wake up on bottling day, I just have to make the solution, rack the beer, open the dishwasher and staaaaaaaaart bottling.

Clean up takes a little longer because I like everything to be sparkling before I put it away...but the actual act of priming/bottling/capping is right at an hour.

-Tripod

 

[onejdn]

I don't trust the dishwasher to sanitize the inside of a bottle. I make sure my bottles are clean when Im done drinking then when its time to bottle I just sanitize them in the kitchen sink and put them into the clean, empty dishwasher to dry. all in all it takes about an hour, hour and a half tops to bottle and clean up. I have the clean bottles drying in the dishwasher and bottle on the stove next to it. i put a large cookie sheet on the open oven door and bottle right there. works great.

 

[boxerbrew]

Enlist the wife.................cuts time in half!!!!!!! She rinses and inverts while I fill. She caps some and I cap some. It takes us about 45 minutes. She cleans up!! I guess it takes me 45 minutes HAHA.

 

[kenstogie]

+1 for this........"I make sure my bottles are clean when Im done drinking"
+1 for this too.... "like everything to be sparkling before I put it away"

 

[Tripod]

I sanatize in the dishwasher before storage and then again the night before just to be sure.

I don't trust the dishwasher to sanitize the inside of a bottle.

Just for the sake of clarity...I clean 'em proper before they ever get to the dishwasher. I am the one actually doing the work via elbow grease. The dishwasher is just a final slap in the face to anything that dares to hang on!

-Tripod

 

[HSM]

It's been awhile, but the actual "labor" time is well under 30 minutes. Most of the time is just waiting for the soak, etc.

Dishwasher does all the sanitizing for the bottles.

Fill bottle bucket with bleach water and hose/rack/bottle cane... 2 minutes soak.. and wait...

boil caps.. 5 minutes.. wait...

Rack to bottle bucket, 10 minutes top. (all wait no labor)

Fill bottles.. 10-15tops... hit the caps, done.

I've been Keg'n everything for awhile and if there are any left overs they go in flip top bottles.