First time bottling beer

[Jdl973]

Started brewing some beers that will need to bottle condition for 1-2 years. So it was time to move from just kegs and learn how to bottle beer.

I had a 12 gallon batch of Blue Moon Clone in 2 carboys which was ready to keg. Thought this would be a good test of our bottle technique. Figured would try an experiment, 5 gallons in a keg and 5 gallons split between green/brown flip tops, champagne bottles with corks and champagne bottles with caps. Maybe could do a tasting between them at the next meeting.

3.0 oz of corn sugar was placed in 2 cups of water, boiled 10 min (with a cover on the pan), chilled in ice bath and added to a clean carboy. The chilled beer was racked to the carboy containing the priming sugar.

Setup:





Used a 30 gallon clean trash can to sanitize the bottles. Finally found a use for an old freezer rack...



Switched out the racking tip with a filler tip (got to love quick connects). The filling went like a breeze. Carboy was put under about 8 PSI of CO2, gave a nice gentle fill on the bottles. :



Next time I will fill the head space with more beer. Good thing this beer will not be around for very long...

Filled the first champagne bottle and just about tore up my wet hands getting the cage on...so went to the vice and bent a piece of steel I had laying around into a hook (heated the tip and hammered it into the hook):



Used the "hook" to put the cages on...less wear and tear on the hands:





It went a lot faster then I thought it would. Will leave the bottles at 65-70F for 2-3 days, test for carbonation and then put them in the walk-in to bottle condition for a couple of weeks.

Anything I missed (other then don't leave so much head space)?

Jason

[Rob Martin]

Anything I missed (other then don't leave so much head space)?

I'd have to drink a few to know for sure.

[klickcue]

These work great for cages:
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/produc ... GoogleBase

[Ace]

I've used those to tie steel for concrete

[klickcue]

I've used those to tie steel for concrete

Yep, that is one of the uses, for concrete forms

But the most pleasure is wrapping up the wire on a cork cage

[Blktre]

Nice tool. No surprise there.
Id wait longer than 2-3 days for carbing before cold conditioning. Might not be long enough.

[Matt]

Id wait longer than 2-3 days for carbing before cold conditioning. Might not be long enough.

+1

[jbame]

Jason i let my bottles carb two weeks then cool I also had an experence where I cold crashed before botteling kild yeast had to redo and add back some yeast. just a tought ! Jack!!!!!!!!!!

[Jdl973]

good call everyone, thanks ...2 weeks it is for the small beer.

Just bottled my barley wine tonight. It had been in secondary for 7 months. Added 3.2 oz dextrose to 2 cups water, boiled 10 min, cooled, added it to a sanitized carboy and 400 ml 099 high gravity yeast. Racked the barley wine to the carboy. let is sit for about 6 hours until I had visible yeast activity, then bottled. Filled the bottles right up to the top. Will leave this at 70F for 1 week and then move it to 65F in the basement for 30 days. Test for carbonation and if good, they will move to the walk-in at 43F for a very long rest (thinking about a year if I can wait that long).

Thanks for the advice.

Jason

[Kollman]

I started brewing beer for one of the reasons I didn't have to wait a year to taste my work. How do you do it? Good luck!

[Jdl973]

Kollman,

The trick is to have SOOOO much beer on hand, you forget the stuff in the back of the walk-in so it can have the time it needs. At least that is the running theory...


Jason

[Kollman]

I like your logic, but my stash isn't quite big enough at this moment to be able to do that. Guess I will have to get to brewing.

[Jensen]

The trick is to have SOOOO much beer on hand, you forget the stuff in the back
Jason

Decided to give up on the ruffies, huh?