Question on bottling
- Thread starter rcgriff88
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What???
Are you thinking that your beer has to be bottled in the same daypart as it was brewed?
No...it's not photsensitive...
Bottle on.
Are you thinking that your beer has to be bottled in the same daypart as it was brewed?
No...it's not photsensitive...
Bottle on.
If fermentation is done, it is done. Any time of day is fine to bottle.
Just make sure the gravity readings are the same 2 days apart. Also that said reading is in the range where the FG should be.
TopherM
Well-Known Member
Definitely not a shuttle launch you're dealing with here. There really isn't a window were you HAVE to bottle or else or anything like that.
If you are at your final gravity, it's OK to bottle. If you leave it in your ferementor for a few days or even weeks after hitting FG, your yeast will actually go back and clean up their byproducts, which makes for a cleaner beer. After that process, your beer will effectively start bulk aging/conditioning, so no worries even leaving your wort in the fermenter for 3-4 weeks after FG is reached. This is even almost a requirement for some higher gravity/higher ABV beers.
So never bottle before you've hit your final gravity, but leaving your wort in the fermentor for a few weeks after you reach FG is encouraged!
If you are at your final gravity, it's OK to bottle. If you leave it in your ferementor for a few days or even weeks after hitting FG, your yeast will actually go back and clean up their byproducts, which makes for a cleaner beer. After that process, your beer will effectively start bulk aging/conditioning, so no worries even leaving your wort in the fermenter for 3-4 weeks after FG is reached. This is even almost a requirement for some higher gravity/higher ABV beers.
So never bottle before you've hit your final gravity, but leaving your wort in the fermentor for a few weeks after you reach FG is encouraged!
firebirdude
Well-Known Member
You could wait an entire two more weeks if you wanted. The final gravity is what you should be looking at. Once it stops dropping, give it 2-3 more days and then bottle. For most any brew, ballparking two weeks is probably fine. If your schedule doesn't permit bottling for an extra few days, so be it. Zero ill effects.
How long has it been fermenting?
rcgriff88
Well-Known Member
2 weeks and it seems to me that it's done, with that being said its my first batch so I really don't know **** but the bubble are gone and sorta smells like beer. When I was at work I stopped by a brew shop and they said since its a mr beer kit 2 weeks is all it needs and since I didn't have cash and they wouldnt barter with me to get a hydrometer I don't know if it's done. I am gonna let it sit in bottles for 2 weeks but plan on cracking one open on st paddys day.
There will be no downside to letting it go another week. Worst case scenario your beer will taste better. It is a pain in the ass when you are just starting out because you want to drink your beer as soon as possible. Once you get a pipeline going it gets easier to let batches sit for a while before you get around to them. Funny thing is, once I got to that point, my beers got better.... That my friend is what the FBI would call, "A Clue".
A couple of things...you can't control how long a beer takes to carb and condition. Most average gravity beers take a minimum of 3 weeks when stored at 70 degrees, and that's for 12 ounce bottles, if you are bottling in those pint or larger Pete bottles, you could expect at least 4 if not 6 weeks ot carb up, and that won't even gaurentee it would be conditioned and not still tasting green.
Something you need to realize from the get go is that we're not in charge, the yeast are, and they can't read instructions, and calendars, and most of the time they differ from our desires.
Additionally whether it's a mr beer kit or not, beers benefit from time conditioning, even in the fermenter. Especially if it' s a lesser quality extract kit. It really wouldn't hurt, in fact would more than likely, improve if you gave it another week or 2 in ther fermenter before bottling.
One biggest thing is that the yeast cake at the bottom will compress further, which would 1) make you beer clearer, 2) would also give you more beer "back" being that it's a small batch, you'll have less loss to the trube at bottling time.
I recommend folks adopt a month conditioning for their beers before bottling, whether it be an extended primary or in the case of a larger batch of beer, and 2 weeks in primary and 2 weeks in secondary (but since you're using the mr beer, and it's a smaller batch, a month in primary is what I would go with.)
In fact I just brewed an AG batch that I'm fermenting in a mr beer keg, and I'm leaving it for a month, mostly because I want a nice, tight trub layer which would mean less beer lost at bottling time.
I know you're impatient, we all are with out batches, especially our first one, but your beer will thank you, and you'll thank us, if you slow down a bit.
rcgriff88
Well-Known Member
It's not that I'm impatient I was planning on doing 3 weeks in primary but when I went to the brew shop they said two weeks was enough and I thought they were suppose to give good advice. And from what I can see since its hard to see into the LBK it looks clear
Nightstalker
Well-Known Member
I started with the Mr Beer kit also. DO NOT TOUCH IT. Those beers did MUCH better with time. I was like you and in a hurry to drink the beer. Hell I still am. But believe me when I say this. Let it sit. The beer I like the most that came from the MR Beer kits was one that I forgot about and looked in the closet and said .. HOLY S#!T ... I forgot that was up there. It was in one of those PET bottles for a month and a half. After being in the fermenter for I think 2 weeks. Just wait or as they say around here ... RDWHAHB.. Or since this is your first batch. Go get some beer at the store or ask a brewing friend to give you a beer. You will be happy you did. 
Folks at brew shops aren't necessarily as serious of brewers as those who tend to live on forums sharing knowledge and experiences, additionally they may not be up on the latest info, often they give the worst advice. You can look at some of the threads of folks complaining about LHBS advice throughout this forum.
LHBS=Local Home Brewing Store. You're welcome.
One of the biggest rights of passage for homebrewing is to discover what that means for yourself. NOT by someone posting the answer. It's one of the most common slogans in brewing.
Swmbo is the other right of passage.
You'll find it very quickly, but I'll cheat a little and make it easy for you.
Here is they man himself explaining it. You'll also find out his story of where it came from (I doubt many homebrewers know this story). The explanation is in the first 5 minutes of the video.
Pappy with James Spencer: RDWHAHB
Here is they man himself explaining it. You'll also find out his story of where it came from (I doubt many homebrewers know this story). The explanation is in the first 5 minutes of the video.
Pappy with James Spencer: RDWHAHB
Single White Male with Body Odor? I thought that described all of us (except Yooper of course)
Nightstalker
Well-Known Member
I thought they were always talking about me. But they forgot a letter .. Its suppose to be SWMBOB .. Sexy White Male Brewing Outstanding Beer. Its all a lie but hey .. Its my lie and I will tell it how I want
rcgriff88
Well-Known Member
That funny. But I have a question does anyone or would it be recommended to use priming sugar with a mr.beer kit? I would think it should have came with the kit but it didnt, do I need to have it or is it not nessesary with their kits?
Nightstalker
Well-Known Member
You will have to prime with some sort of sugar to get the proper carbonation in a respectable timeframe. And yes run to your LHBS and get some priming sugar even though Mr Beer kits instructions say table sugar. Just a recommendation after doing 4 batches with the Mr Beer with white table sugar.
Sorry Kolchak, but table sugar is absolutely fine for bottling. Been doing that for a long time. Use about 10% less than the dextrose (corn sugar), but really that's close enough that you could use the same amount and not notice a big diff. There will be no difference in any way (time, flavor, carbonation) except it will save you some money and time. Cheers!
Nightstalker
Well-Known Member
LOL at the Kolchak reference even though it has nothing to do with where I go my name ... Anyways I wasnt not saying table sugar would not work (sorry if that was implied) just that I had better luck out of priming sugar(corn sugar). Hell I even used honey a few times. There are instructions on how much sugar to add with each Mr Beer kit. When I did it I just added the required amount to each bottle. I was using the PET bottles supplied in the Mr Beer kit.
... Anyways I wasnt not saying table sugar would not work (sorry if that was implied) just that I had better luck out of priming sugar(corn sugar). Hell I even used honey a few times. There are instructions on how much sugar to add with each Mr Beer kit. When I did it I just added the required amount to each bottle. I was using the PET bottles supplied in the Mr Beer kit.
GulfCoastGirl
Well-Known Member
Newbie here myself. I brewed my first (and only) Mr. Beer kit on 1/30. I bottled it on 2/13 (so 14 days fermentation). I did not yet have a hydrometer so I had no idea what was going on.... the directions said 10 days... I was able to hold out for 14 days.
I've had the bottles sitting in my pantry since. I pulled out 2 of them on 2/29 and refrigerated them for 3 days. After what seemed like forever.... I opened the first one on 3/2.
Here's a shot of it right after I poured it. As you can see.... a pretty weak head on it.
The beer was ok.... definitely not winning any awards but it IS beer and I made it so I drank it! I'm leaving the reset of the bottles in the pantry until the end of March (at least that's the plan).
I certainly understand wanting to drink your first beers.... I was just in the same boat! I would say... if you HAVE to have one.... then make it just that ONE. Follow the others advice and let the rest of it condition 4 weeks or more.
I've had the bottles sitting in my pantry since. I pulled out 2 of them on 2/29 and refrigerated them for 3 days. After what seemed like forever.... I opened the first one on 3/2.
Here's a shot of it right after I poured it. As you can see.... a pretty weak head on it.
The beer was ok.... definitely not winning any awards but it IS beer and I made it so I drank it! I'm leaving the reset of the bottles in the pantry until the end of March (at least that's the plan).
I certainly understand wanting to drink your first beers.... I was just in the same boat! I would say... if you HAVE to have one.... then make it just that ONE. Follow the others advice and let the rest of it condition 4 weeks or more.
GulfCoastGirl
Well-Known Member
You don't need a bottling bucket with the Mr. Beer kit. You just bottle right from the little plastic keg. It's a PITA holding the little lever but it works. You pour the sugar right into the bottles. There is a little chart in the instructions telling you how much sugar per bottle. I got the kit with the 1 liter PET bottles so it was 2 1/2 teaspoons per bottle. I washed and sanitized the bottles, a small funnel to get the sugar in the bottles and my measuring spoon.
Additionally, even though I sanitized the keg and spigot before use..... I sprayed down the spigot with sanitizer before I bottled.... just to be safe.
Nightstalker
Well-Known Member
I don't know if I would have told everyone that. But man that would be a neat trick :cross: Plus you should condition/carb around 70 not 98.6
GulfCoastGirl
Well-Known Member
I don't know if I would have told everyone that. But man that would be a neat trick :cross: Plus you should condition/carb around 70 not 98.6
WhiteEagle1
Well-Known Member
Ha!
stevehardt
Well-Known Member
A word of friendly advice from a fellow noob and Mr Beer guy that has had a bottle bomb:
1. Get a hydrometer. Really no way of knowing for sure when beer is ready to bottle without one.
2. Since you don't have a hydrometer, give it another week before you bottle to be sure it's done.
3. I'm a fellow Mr. Beer guy but don't go by their timeline or you'll get swill...figure 3 weeks in the LBK, 3-4 weeks in the bottle at around 70 degrees and 3 days in the fridge minimum. I made some pretty good beer with Mr. Beer, but you gotta give it time.
I did the same thing you're proposing to do with my first batch, and I ended up cleaning some of it off the kitchen ceiling because fermentation wasn't complete when I bottled it at two weeks (the SWMBO was not happy!).
That said, welcome to the hobby. It's a learning process. Keep brewing, reading, and asking questions
rcgriff88
Well-Known Member
I was bored last night while my fiancé watched the voice ha and watched part of the bottling mr beer video and the dude said to taste it and if it's flat tasting leave it in for bout a day if it's sweat it's good to go. Soo my question is does anyone agree or disagree with that and does anyone actually do this step?
Nightstalker
Well-Known Member
Been a while or me on using the Mr Beer but I think you have it backwards. If memory serves me ... Its if it taste like FLAT beer THEN you are good to go. If it is Sweet .. then it is a NO go.
Many grocery stores carry dextrose (AKA glucose, corn sugar).
