OK I'll do it, How long does it take you to bottle?

[RickWG]

Follow up to the "how long does it take you to brew" thread.

It takes me a while to do a 5gal batch including sanitizing bottles (52ish of them if it's 12 oz), other sanitizing, bucket, spigot, hose, cane, wand...say maybe 2.5 hours. (just a guess, never timed myself.)

Wife and I did two 5 gal batches on Sunday and it took just over 2 hours. I'm going to have to get her to help more often! (12 and 22 oz bottles...)

 

[Brewing Clamper]

It seems to me I can get a 5g batch done in an hour. I guess practice is the key there...

 

[homebrewer_99]

About 1 hour. I use 0,5 liter bottles...usually 37 to a batch.

 

[bradsul]

Takes me a while to setup and tear-down my kitchen (apartment dweller) so I usually figure 3 hours to be safe. I really don't mind bottling though, I turn up the stereo, pour a pint and enjoy my final labour before enjoyment of the finished product.

 

[dibby33]

1-2 hrs. Should get faster as I get my cellar more organised as it is a little cramped down there - way too much stuff. I use pre-cleaned/sanitised bottles so I just have to pop the tops off them, fill them up and cap 'em.

 

[Barley-Davidson]

About an hour, maybe an hour and a quarter. I don't really mind bottling, but I'm really starting to think more about kegging.

 

[Ryanh1801]

I have done it in as little as 1 hour by myself, and as long as 2 and 1/2.

 

[Speranza]

Sanitizing takes the longest part for me. With the SWMBO helping (I love her so much) I can move the "Golden Elixer of Life"TM from Secondary to Bottling Bucket to Bottles and capped and stored in about 15-20 minutes. Its just the dipping in StarSan and moving of bottles that takes forever.

 

[Biermann]

bout an hour, hour and a half. . . depends on the bottles. Of course, I only bottle one batch out of every 5 or so. I usually keg.

 

[67coupe390]

I let my bottles sit in sanitizer over night then rinse before bottling. So about an hour for a 5 gal. batch, thats with clean up. I switched to kegging and it is such a breeze that I missed bottling a little.( I usually invited friends over to bottle ) Now I do ten gal. batches so I can bottle half and keg half.

-67

 

[Biermann]

I always make sure my bottles have been thoroughly cleaned-- I then immerse in StarSan, and do a Vodka rinse. (Vodka in a spray bottle). Quick, efficient, and effective.

 

[TheJadedDog]

From beginning to end the process takes me 2.5 to 3 hours. I find the most time consuming parts to be sanitizing all the bottles and cleaning-up afterwards.

 

[scottthorn]

I sanitize my bottles in the dishwasher on SaniCycle.
A bit later I boil water and add DME/sugar for priming.
While those items are returning to a more reasonable handling temperature I sanitize the bottling bucket, tubing, racking cane and caps.

The actual filling and capping of bottles doesn't take long at all. It's the sanitizing prep work and the cleanup afterwards that eat up the clock. I'd say it's easily 2.5 hours from start to finish although waiting for the dishwasher isn't exactly strenuous work - especially with a pint of ale in hand.

 

[GoBrewers]

I haven't kept official time, but I know I'm coming in under an hour, not counting the time for a sanitizing dishwasher cycle (with PBW). First, I microwave the priming solution for 5 minutes in an erlenmeyer flask. While that is going and cooling, I sanitize the bottling bucket, then pour in the sugar solution near the beginning of the racking. Then bring it up to the dishwasher and bottle over the open door to catch drips. Next time I'll time it.

 

[zoebisch01]

Wow, last night it took my daughter and myself about 35 minutes to siphon, bottle, cap and clean up 6 gallons. .5 liter bottles, they were getting filled at about just under 3 a minute roughly. She fills the bottles, I cap,wipe,box and if necessary initial the beer's id on the cap with a Sharpie. I have a SuperAgata and that does save a HUGE amount of time. We have the process pretty smooth now.

The other stuff adds up, but I mean if you want to get technical you should add the time it takes you to prep the bottles after they've been used, etc etc. The dishwasher thing takes what like 5 minutes tops to load and unload. I do that the day before usually.

Like a brew day. Do you count the time you spend in the LHBS or online? I am sure most of us don't so I dunno where you'd draw the line for what counts in the process.

Either way, I kind of like bottling. It is like a runner when he breaks that ribbon.

 

[Willie3]

For all who strictly bottle. There is something nice about kegging but you miss the psssssssstttttttt! of the bottle opening. And you also miss the pour. Now from a tap can't be beat but there is something said about opening your own bottles too. I guess it is more of a nostalgic frame of reference.

I am bottling my first batch ever. I used kegs for over 50 batches. My brother-in-law used to bottle his when I was too young to drink then he turned to kegs. I miss the excitement of opening those bottles. Now I am back baby.

Thanks for the tips in this thread. Now I can gauge b/t 2-3 hours of bottling.

- WW

 

[RickWG]

yeah, even though I would go to kegging sometime I would like to bottle some as well. Of course you could get a bottling gun and bottle from the keg I guess. Is it called a bottling gun?) Like to keep some of my beers around for a while.

 

[cubbies]

It takes me about an hour or so. When I finish a bottle of beer, I rinse it in the sink and put it in the dishwasher. After I run them through the dishwasher, the bottles go in a closed, clean tub in the basement. Then on bottling day I rinse them with hot water, and hit them with a spray of sanitizer and hang them on the bottle tree. Typically use 22ozers, but I usually mix in maybe 12-12ozers.