Bottling a batch

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So, I started on my second batch of iBrew's Ale a fortnight ago, after two weeks of fermentation tonight was the night for bottling.

I bought 12 1 Litre Swingtop bottles in Ikea for this project.

Here's a pictorial account of what went on.

Here's the bottles and funnels in a bath, with sterilisation mixture.



Here's the brew ready to go



Here's my beautiful assistant doing some siphoning



Here's the beer going into a bottle



And here's two pictures of the final outcome




Oh, I forgot to take a picture of one part of this. I used about 100 grams of glucose dissolved in some boiling water, which I spooned into the bottles before filling with beer.

I have an empty Guinness crate, but the bottles are slightly too large for it, so just going to stick these in the spare room, covered to keep the light off, and open them around August time.

The last batch I made, I started drinking two weeks after fermentation, which wasn't too bad, but another lot of it was left fofr 4 months and was absolutely gorgeous, going to give this about 2 months, see how it is.

Sonovagun

looks good! Nice colour to your Ale! Nice tip with the bottles in the bath! i take it you need to rince them afterwards, or do you turn them upside down and dry out?

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see this thread

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055929483

I actually used Milton in the end, I rinsed the bottles after being in the bath, there wasn't any smell of Milton off them so I thought it'd be ok.

The bathroom smells lovely and clean though

guildofevil

I have heard people question whether those bottles are designed to take pressure. Looks like we are going to find out.

If you are going to keep brewing here are two a little gadgets which will make bottling easier.



You attach the bottle filling stick to the end of your syphon tube and just stick it in the bottle you want to fill. The valve at the bottom stays open as long as you press it to the bottom of the bottle, but closes if you lift it, cutting off the flow of beer. Very handy indeed.

A syphon clip will clip onto the side of the bucket and hold the syphon tube in place while you work.

ShiverinEskimo

For home brew noobs such as myself Des what's the glucose in the boiling water for exactly?

Edit - Fermentation? Maybe. Trying to do some reading up. Always had intentions of doing this but never got around to it.

Brian CivilEng

ShiverinEskimo wrote: »

For home brew noobs such as myself Des what's the glucose in the boiling water for exactly?

Edit - Fermentation? Maybe. Trying to do some reading up. Always had intentions of doing this but never got around to it.

It is for a small extra bit of fermentation which will produce carbon dioxide. As the bottles are sealed the carbon dioxide will be pressurised and hence carbonate the beer. So that's why you get the nice bubbles in your beer. During the initial fermentation the carbon dioxide was released trough the bubbler so it didn't make the beer fizzy.

PhiliousPhogg

guildofevil wrote: »

I have heard people question whether those bottles are designed to take pressure. Looks like we are going to find out.

Interested to find out. Please let us know.

Made my first brew tonight....to think that man is capable of such great things...

Rookie question: If doing a secondary fermentation is it ok to pour straight out of the bin into a big plastic container & then back (leaving the sediment at the bottom behind)? Or should it all be done through a syphon/tap?

Brian CivilEng

PhiliousPhogg wrote: »

Rookie question: If doing a secondary fermentation is it ok to pour straight out of the bin into a big plastic container & then back (leaving the sediment at the bottom behind)? Or should it all be done through a syphon/tap?

You want to pour to secondary with the least amount of oxidation, if your pour from the bucket you'll probably end up creating a huge "head" of bubbles. This can lead to off flavours. Also it's very difficult to decant off the beer from the sediment, the smallest disturbance can cause the sediment to go back into suspension.

BaZmO*

abitofacomedian wrote: »

Also it's very difficult to decant off the beer from the sediment, the smallest disturbance can cause the sediment to go back into suspension.

It's easy enough if you use a syphon.

Brian CivilEng

BaZmO* wrote: »

It's easy enough if you use a syphon.

I believe that was my point.

BaZmO*

abitofacomedian wrote: »

I believe that was my point.

Should've really made your point more clear so

Brian CivilEng

I shall be clearer in future [HOMEBREW NERD JOKE] I forgot to add the Irish Moss 15 mins before the end of my post [/HOMEBREW NERD JOKE]

rubadub

I used to have a second bucket with a tap at the bottom. This allowed me to carefully syphon off the sediment and then add all my additional priming sugar in one go, this equally distributed it and then I could fill my bottles via the tap.

If doing 330ml bottles you could fill up 2L PET bottles and do a similar method.

Also your fermenter is quite high relative to the bottles being filled, this will cause a greater flow rate as the head of pressure is higher. If they are almost level you do not have to even hold your thumb on the end to stop the flow, just raise it up, as long as you have a loop going below the level of the beer your syphon will still work, just lower it again to begin again.

I would advise all beginners to syphon outside, it can get VERY messy! And do a practise run with tap water first, into the bottles you plan to use. People can be stuck with a thumb on the tube stretching for the next bottles, then have to release the syphon and it backwashes into the beer disturbing the sediment etc. Best have 2 people on the job.

eoinf

guildofevil wrote: »

I have heard people question whether those bottles are designed to take pressure. Looks like we are going to find out.

If you are going to keep brewing here are two a little gadgets which will make bottling easier.



You attach the bottle filling stick to the end of your syphon tube and just stick it in the bottle you want to fill. The valve at the bottom stays open as long as you press it to the bottom of the bottle, but closes if you lift it, cutting off the flow of beer. Very handy indeed.

A syphon clip will clip onto the side of the bucket and hold the syphon tube in place while you work.

where is the nest place to get one of these?

Brian CivilEng

eoinf wrote: »

where is the nest place to get one of these?

The Homebrew Company, online or they have a bricks and mortar store in Mountmellick, Co. Laois.

Syphon Clip

Bottling wand

Saruman

Another handy gadget is an autosiphon. No sucking required. You just pump a few times and the flow starts.

The bottling wand is a must have. To be honest Des, using the funnel method you are splashing the beer and subjecting it to oxygen. This is not something you want.
Also not only is the bottling wand handy but when the beer reaches the top and you pull it out you are left with exactly the right head space in the bottle.

You can get them at HBC as suggested but also bestbrew and homebrewwest or any of the other Irish or indeed international suppliers.

Try keep those clear bottles away from light too. Ideally you want the brown swingtops.

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Saruman wrote: »

The bottling wand is a must have. To be honest Des, using the funnel method you are splashing the beer and subjecting it to oxygen. This is not something you want.

Aye, but I was unemployed, and trying to keep costs down and build up my equipment over time.

Saruman wrote: »

Try keep those clear bottles away from light too. Ideally you want the brown swingtops.

Yep, the clear bottles have been covered since bottling.

I only found out about the brown ones after I'd bought and bottled with the clear Ikea ones.

Saruman

Well Des I suggest you replace them with brown swingtops asap. And the best way to do that? Get beer that comes in them.

Drinking all that beer is a touch job but someone has to do it

No seriously the clear ones will be fine once you keep them out of the light.

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I got some brown swingtops in Alpack, going back for more when I get paid.

I'll be opening the beer in the OP this weekend.

Degsy

Des wrote: »

I'll be opening the beer in the OP this weekend.

Invite?;)

A-Trak

Let us know how you get on Des.

I've an iBrew kit, (Larger,) sitting unused.
Whilst the beer was quite palatable, I found the 5L PET bottles and Tapadraft gas system a pain in the hole.
Gas ran out far too quick and the getting daggers from the misses everytime she went to put something in the fridge with massive bottles taking up space.

Would much prefer to bottle them individually.

How much glucose per 500ML did you use, and how carbonated were they upon drinking?

Edit - Have now seen the other iBrew thread,

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I bottled this in early June, so fermented it early/mid May

Cracked it open tonight. Nice "pop" on opening, tasty beer.

poitinstill

nice and clear...looks good. how is the taste ? i think they are a muntons ale kit

oldscoil

Well done Des.

That looks damn tasty!!!!

Can I ask the group....which is better for brewing a stout:

Clear swing top.

Or brown bottles that you cap yourself?

Thanks in advance Folks,

Brian

BaZmO*

Swingtops are always handier to use but brown bottles are always preferable to clear bottles.

LK_Dave

Sorry for taking this off subject. I too am new to home brewing and use a keg instead of bottles. A pressure 40 litter keg costs between €50 to €60 depending on where you shop online. Looking at the Alpack price for 80 500mm swing top bottles costs €92 plus VAT = €111.32.

This is a huge cost difference, can somebody tell me the advantage of using individual bottles over a keg? Aside from the fact that if you get a contamination in a keg the whole lot is lost.

Please note I’m not pro or anti bottle v keg. I just want to get the best value for my money.

Saruman

What sort of keg are you using? A plastic King Keg?

There is no advantage over bottling other than it makes it easier to store and give to friends.

I personally keg and would not go back to bottling. If I want to give someone a bottle I pour it from the keg and it is grand as long as it is consumed within a few days as after that it loses carbonation. A proper keg setup is more expensive than bottling.

LK_Dave

Saruman wrote: »

What sort of keg are you using? A plastic King Keg?

A pressurised Youngs keg. I think my next purchase will be a King Keg....but times are hard!!

DM addict

I have to agree that the siphon valve thing for bottling is brilliant. Stopped us from making even more of a mess than usual.

Saruman

LK_Dave wrote: »

A pressurised Youngs keg. I think my next purchase will be a King Keg....but times are hard!!

Ah ok, I use a corny system in a kegerator that takes two kegs. When you factor in the price of keg, disconnects, beerline, gas bottle, gas regulator and then the kegerator equipment it adds up.

rubadub

LK_Dave wrote: »

A pressure 40 litter keg costs between €50 to €60 depending on where you shop online. Looking at the Alpack price for 80 500mm swing top bottles costs €92 plus VAT = €111.32.

If you want value for money then I would not be buying swing tops. I presume your keg is plastic so would you be totally against plastic bottles? You could use PET bottles for fizzy water (still water bottles usually are not suitable) only problem is they would be too transparent (the light effecting the beer).

I used to use reusable crown lids, they were plastic and they had a safety system so they would blow off if over pressurised, there was a bubble thing on them which rose up first to you could tell in advance if they were overdone. €92 for 80 empty bottles is madness! 6x500ml brown perlenbacher bottles are about €6.35 in lidl, and its a decent enough beer. 80 of them would be €85. The perlenbachers are twist offs though, so the lid might not be suitable, but I am sure there are other cheap beers in brown bottles.

You do not need to buy gas either, so the cost is a once off

Saruman wrote: »

There is no advantage over bottling other than it makes it easier to store and give to friends.

And the easier storing also means far easier to refrigerate.

LK_Dave

Saruman wrote: »

Ah ok, I use a corny system in a kegerator that takes two kegs. When you factor in the price of keg, disconnects, beerline, gas bottle, gas regulator and then the kegerator equipment it adds up.

Point taken on the full set-up cost and it is hard to cool the keg I have- I have setup a system in the garage so I can pile ice around the keg and the runoff water just goes down a sink.

rubadub wrote: »

I presume your keg is plastic so would you be totally against plastic bottles?

Not at all.

I used to use reusable crown lids, they were plastic and they had a safety system so they would blow off if over pressurised, there was a bubble thing on them which rose up first to you could tell in advance if they were overdone. €92 for 80 empty bottles is madness! 6x500ml brown perlenbacher bottles are about €6.35 in lidl, and its a decent enough beer. 80 of them would be €85. The perlenbachers are twist offs though, so the lid might not be suitable, but I am sure there are other cheap beers in brown bottles.

You do not need to buy gas either, so the cost is a once off

And the easier storing also means far easier to refrigerate.

I have in the past purchased Perlenbacher in Lidl and I agree it is a decent enough pilsner. But the glass on these bottles appears to be very thin/light and I must admit that I would be hesitant to trust a whole batch in them.

rubadub

LK_Dave wrote: »

Point taken on the full set-up cost and it is hard to cool the keg I have- I have setup a system in the garage so I can pile ice around the keg and the runoff water just goes down a sink.

You might be able to get cooler jackets or something, those ones full of salt type gel.

LK_Dave wrote: »

But the glass on these bottles appears to be very thin/light

This is a danger with proper crown caps, esp. if people are just guessing priming sugar amounts (I preferred to mix all the sugar in a batch and then bottle). I would think the reusable caps would blow off well before the glass would explode. Dunno if you can still get them, I got them in easons a good 18 years ago!

Tesco do a german or belgian beer in green PET bottles, with regular coke type lids. Another one I used to use was bulmers 1L bottles which have these standard lids too. I remember having an overpressured schweppes glass bottle once, the lid on it was so under pressure it was completely round at the top!

irokie

Aldi do several beers that come in reasonably strong brown crown-cap bottles. We're currently disposing of a 12-pack of Shöfferhoffer Hefeweize. It's very drinkable, and should leave us with enough bottles for our cider by the time the cider stops smelling like rhino farts.

I like bottling the beer because it means that we can have a few in the fridge at any one time, and if we're going to a party or a BBQ or something, we can bring a few with us. If you're bottling, though, I would advise getting a few bottle-crates. They make it so much easier to transport and/or store your bottles.

hamsterboy

LK_Dave wrote: »

I have in the past purchased Perlenbacher in Lidl and I agree it is a decent enough pilsner. But the glass on these bottles appears to be very thin/light and I must admit that I would be hesitant to trust a whole batch in them.

Have a batch of Coopers Wheat Beer in Perlenbacher bottles for the last 2 weeks and it seems to be grand. Never really thought the glass on the bottles was thin. Have already used them for my nettle and ginger beer during the summer and that was pretty fizztastic.
I gave a few bottles to a mate and he asked if the secret ingredient was Alka-Seltzer

Would have no problem using the bottles dude

HB