Is it really that bad?
- Thread starter benzy4010
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
jdrowell15
Well-Known Member
It's not so bad, kind of fun actually...at first...until you start kegging, then you're like, "I'm never bottling again!" LOL
It's not that bad if you have a couple of hours to kill. Or lack a several hundred dollars for a kegging setup.
Plus it is a lot easier to grab 6-12 bottles for an outing than transporting a keg and cooler.
Plus it is a lot easier to grab 6-12 bottles for an outing than transporting a keg and cooler.
When I was in college, I enjoyed bottling. I had all the time in the world. Now it's just a huge time waster for me that makes me question the hobby due to all the work. Kegging from now on. And I'll bottle some from the keg too.
tektonjp
Well-Known Member
Bottling can be a chore with what comes with the standard kit. I have a keg as well, but I have a bottling "rig" set up, so it's pretty easy. Bottling bucket is elevated, use a vinator to sanitize, filling is hands free, then a bench capper at the end of the line. Painless.
Misfit
Well-Known Member
bottling almost made me quit the hobby. but really there is much worse things than spending an hour to bottle your beer.
Bottling isn't much of a pain at first. Another way to feel connected with your beer. But I just got my kegging setup in the mail from Midwest on Tuesday. In short, I'm never going back (except for what I plan to give to family/friends). And this is after four years of bottling.
That said, there are ways to help make things go much more smoothly and make things much less messy than they could be. Check around on the boards and you'll find some great advice. Here's a link to a good thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/ The biggest thing I did to help my bottling process was to use the dishwasher like the pic in the second post. That way if there's a mess, who cares - it's on the inside of the dishwasher door.
Oh, and most importantly, CONGRATS ON THE FIRST BATCH!
That said, there are ways to help make things go much more smoothly and make things much less messy than they could be. Check around on the boards and you'll find some great advice. Here's a link to a good thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/ The biggest thing I did to help my bottling process was to use the dishwasher like the pic in the second post. That way if there's a mess, who cares - it's on the inside of the dishwasher door.
Oh, and most importantly, CONGRATS ON THE FIRST BATCH!
I think folks who hate bottling are whiny complaining wimps who, rather than adapting the process to suit them tried to bottle the way all the books say, and wimped out and gave up to be little whiny kegging b*****s.
I can bottle a batch of 54 beers in about 45 minutes, with no effort at all, because I tailored the process to suit me. It's no harder to do than any other part of the brewing process.
You just gotta adapt it to what works for you....I've got it pretty streamline with no wasted motion, time or effort.
I discuss that idea, and many of us outline our processes here.
I can bottle a batch of 54 beers in about 45 minutes, with no effort at all, because I tailored the process to suit me. It's no harder to do than any other part of the brewing process.
You just gotta adapt it to what works for you....I've got it pretty streamline with no wasted motion, time or effort.
I discuss that idea, and many of us outline our processes here.
I went from kegging to bottling....and honestly...I don't mind bottling, but I bottle everything in 1L Grolsch bottles. I found that the convenience of the kegerator wasn't as convenient when I wanted to bring a few bottles on a road trip and didn't have a beer gun.
A bit harsh, I'd say. I don't think I'm a whiny complaining wimp, nor a whiny kegging *****.
I don't enjoy bottling. It's not the best part of brewing. That's hardly a reason to go on this little nasty rant.
Dynachrome
Well-Known Member
Slipgate
Well-Known Member
If you have never kegged, then you don't know what you don't know and bottling is just a part of the process. Once you do make the leap to kegging, you realize how time-consuming, expensive and technically a PITA the bottling part was and typically don't want to go back. I did one batch of bottles several years after kegging while helping a friend with a batch, and realized how much going to kegging had increased my enjoyment of the process.
Oh and I just use a growler when going places. I put it in the freezer beforehand and fill it slowly. I can get it within 3-4" of the top in under 5 minutes which is perfect.
Oh and I just use a growler when going places. I put it in the freezer beforehand and fill it slowly. I can get it within 3-4" of the top in under 5 minutes which is perfect.
Smashing
Well-Known Member
Bottling isn't my favorite part of the day but far from sucks. Over time you'll find what works for you and what doesn't. It's a bit of a proud moment when you see all your soldiers lined up on the counter.
Right now I bottle. It goes SO much quicker and easier with 2 people...not much of a chore at all...more of a social time. My roommate is sanitizing and capping while I fill - makes it go pretty fast.
I intend to build a keezer eventually, but being in an apartment, 7 cu ft is about as big as I could go, so I'm sure I will still end up bottling some batches so that I can have a bigger selection.
I intend to build a keezer eventually, but being in an apartment, 7 cu ft is about as big as I could go, so I'm sure I will still end up bottling some batches so that I can have a bigger selection.
sudsmcgee
Well-Known Member
drkaeppel
Well-Known Member
It's not so bad. I'm sure you will develop your own method. If you rinse the trub out of your bottles as you drink them, sanitizing for the next batch is much easier. Scrubbing mold out of bottles is what I really hate.
I have been bottling since my first brew [I'm in the 20's somewhere now]. I don't keg because of two things:
#1...I'm retired, so I have the time, and
#2...I liked the cost factor of bottles [FREE] vs. kegs/kegerator [$$$].
I actually rather enjoy bottling. When it's done, you can see...and hold...something you actually made! For me, it's just part of the brewing process.
glenn514
#1...I'm retired, so I have the time, and
#2...I liked the cost factor of bottles [FREE] vs. kegs/kegerator [$$$].
I actually rather enjoy bottling. When it's done, you can see...and hold...something you actually made! For me, it's just part of the brewing process.
glenn514
OP
OP
benzy4010
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2011
- Messages
- 1,136
- Reaction score
- 9
Yea I'm just out of school so I'm poor haha I am gonna have my dad help. I'll just watch a game while I do it or somthing plus having another person will make it more assembly lineish. I was wondering about growlers I have seven from whole foods but wasn't sure if I can really use them
sudsmcgee
Well-Known Member
I have been bottling since my first brew [I'm in the 20's somewhere now]. I don't keg because of two things:
#1...I'm retired, so I have the time, and
#2...I liked the cost factor of bottles [FREE] vs. kegs/kegerator [$$$].
I actually rather enjoy bottling. When it's done, you can see...and hold...something you actually made! For me, it's just part of the brewing process.
glenn514
Marengo, IL? Cool. BTW, are you in an RC or an MC? Before I had a kid I was very active with the Northern IL SCRC.
It all depends on your priorities.
Almost all of us started with bottling, and many of us have transitioned to kegging. It is a large up front investment, and if you are just getting in to the hobby, it can be difficult to rationalize.
In fact, I typically recommend starting with bottling to figure out whether brewing your own beer is something that you really want to do before you start buying a lot of equipment that you will potentially get rid of for a loss if you ever decide to stop brewing. I have seen many people go this route, and it is unfortunate.
If you have the spare cash right now, like the convenience factor, and new gadgets that you get to play with, kegging is great. If you also plan on brewing a lot, kegging is great.
I brew 10 gallon batches at a time, and when I was brewing regularly, I had close to my federal legal limit for my household with two adults. If I had to bottle all of that, it would have been miserable, and I have no idea where I would have stored it all.
Again, for me, storing 70 kegs for long term aging in my walk-in cooler, is much easier than trying to manage thousands of bottles. Not everyone is in the same boat as me though, and don't let anyone tell you that what you decide to do based on your own priorities is wrong. We all make decisions based on our own circumstances, and should be happy with that.
Almost all of us started with bottling, and many of us have transitioned to kegging. It is a large up front investment, and if you are just getting in to the hobby, it can be difficult to rationalize.
In fact, I typically recommend starting with bottling to figure out whether brewing your own beer is something that you really want to do before you start buying a lot of equipment that you will potentially get rid of for a loss if you ever decide to stop brewing. I have seen many people go this route, and it is unfortunate.
If you have the spare cash right now, like the convenience factor, and new gadgets that you get to play with, kegging is great. If you also plan on brewing a lot, kegging is great.
I brew 10 gallon batches at a time, and when I was brewing regularly, I had close to my federal legal limit for my household with two adults. If I had to bottle all of that, it would have been miserable, and I have no idea where I would have stored it all.
Again, for me, storing 70 kegs for long term aging in my walk-in cooler, is much easier than trying to manage thousands of bottles. Not everyone is in the same boat as me though, and don't let anyone tell you that what you decide to do based on your own priorities is wrong. We all make decisions based on our own circumstances, and should be happy with that.
BrewMU - I actually have over 100 kegs at this point. I estimate that I am using at least 70 of them right now.
benzy4010 - unfortunately, kegs are rising in price. I found the vast majority of my kegs through craigslist, but have bought from a number of online venders fairly recently. I would recommend for you to purchase as many as you can reasonably now, as I only expect the price to increase from here. I have bought some kegs from cornykeg.com, from their clearanced ones since they were cheaper. You can check with a local soda distributor, restaurant supply, bulk distributor, etc. to look for cheaper prices, but you may need to be willing to buy a pallet or more from some places.
benzy4010 - unfortunately, kegs are rising in price. I found the vast majority of my kegs through craigslist, but have bought from a number of online venders fairly recently. I would recommend for you to purchase as many as you can reasonably now, as I only expect the price to increase from here. I have bought some kegs from cornykeg.com, from their clearanced ones since they were cheaper. You can check with a local soda distributor, restaurant supply, bulk distributor, etc. to look for cheaper prices, but you may need to be willing to buy a pallet or more from some places.
Before I become one of those whiny keggers, I bottled 150+ batches of beer (5 gallon batches). That's right- I bottled until about three years ago. 750+ gallons of beer, all bottled. By hand. Myself.
Storing that many bottles is tough, too. My basement is much neater with 7 kegs (plus three little 3 gallon kegs) instead of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of bottles.
Still, if you're not sure you love the hobby, bottling is definitely cheaper!
Storing that many bottles is tough, too. My basement is much neater with 7 kegs (plus three little 3 gallon kegs) instead of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of bottles.
Still, if you're not sure you love the hobby, bottling is definitely cheaper!
lnhoskins
Well-Known Member
I do everything ass backwards, I started with a keg but after having so much trouble finding co2 in Germany, I switched to bottles. I think it's kinda fun bottling... It's waiting to drink it that's a pain. I have 3 batches bottled now, and can't touch any of them... Oh well, off to the store for some dopplebock. The 1/2 liter pop top bottles they use in Germany make bottling more convenient. Either way ya go, make the most of it and enjoy the hobby as much as I and I'm sure everyone else does! Cheers!
Or go buy Grolsch in the flip tops. It's usually in green bottles, so it's a bit skunky, but if you buy it by the case, maybe it won't be skunky and you can drink the beer and keep the bottles. (That's what I did).
Darkness is all that matters. If the location has daylight at times then it could cause problems. Put them in a cardboard box if you can. Fridge is fine too.
Bottling is fine and part of the process whether you like it or not unless you keg. However, with kegging I definitely find myself drinking green beer more often due to the fact that I can have it fully carbed in 2 days, with bottles it is easier to be patient.
