Barreling / bottling

[Fred mercuree]

I done the same, then I bought a tap from wilko so much easier

how high up from the bottom did you fit the tap to avoid the sediment at the bottom?

 

[Andy44]

how high up from the bottom did you fit the tap to avoid the sediment at the bottom?

Just enough so you can turn the tap and it does not touch the work top

 

[JeffDragon7]

Has it got a tap on the bucket if so get a bottling wand makes life a lot easier. Good luck

Mine has a tap but spit too big for wand I need see if I can find another tap

 

[moto748]

My view, which I freely accept may not be shared by all posters, is that bottling wands are completely unnecessary, and seem designed to make the bottling process slower!

 

[JeffDragon7]

My view, which I freely accept may not be shared by all posters, is that bottling wands are completely unnecessary, and seem designed to make the bottling process slower!

You do straight from tap Moto ?

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Mine has a tap but spit too big for wand I need see if I can find another tap

I quite like the bottling wands that have a little valve at the bottom so the beer only comes out when they touch the bottom of the bottle - that means you don‘t have to mess about turning the tap on and off all the time.
To connect the bottling want to the tap it’s easiest to use a length of (sterilised!) silicone or PVC tubing - that will normally stretch to fit pretty well over both ends, and allows you to line up a row of bottles and just work your way along.

 

[moto748]

You do straight from tap Moto ?

No, I don't have a tap. I siphon the beer into a jug, and pour it into the bottles from that.

 

[Random Badger]

No, I don't have a tap. I siphon the beer into a jug, and pour it into the bottles from that.

Doesn't pouring from a jug increase the risk of aeration?

 

[531Man]

Hi Andy the proper answer is........

As has been said, correct and proper.
I'm not trying to be difficult, but this doesn't address priming sugar addition.
I'll let you give the authoritative method, but I've found racking on to the priming sugar already in a 'bottling bucket' and bottling from that is a lot simpler than trying to individually add sugar to each bottle.
As a little suggestion, I make a simple invert sugar solution with the priming sugar (boiled with citric acid) to put in the bottling bucket first, makes mixing-in guaranteed).
Over to you.

 

[531Man]

RE. priming sugar addition:

Oops, missed baron's post #2 at the beginning! Who said essentially the same thing.
Except the inverting bit.
To be clear, that's :
Sugar, Citric acid and water mixed then boiled together for 20 mins.

Don't forget the water or let it boil dry as then it will be toffee that you make!

 

[Hop_it]

I quite like the bottling wands that have a little valve at the bottom so the beer only comes out when they touch the bottom of the bottle - that means you don‘t have to mess about turning the tap on and off all the time.
To connect the bottling want to the tap it’s easiest to use a length of (sterilised!) silicone or PVC tubing - that will normally stretch to fit pretty well over both ends, and allows you to line up a row of bottles and just work your way along.

That's what I do, and it works well for me. I used to use a jug, but I now find the wand quicker because you don't have to keep refilling the jug, you don't get any foam in the bottle, and you can move directly from one bottle to the next without interruption. I normally fill a crate of bottles, stop to put the caps on, and then continue filling.
I have 2 bottling wands; one with a spring in the valve, and one without the spring. Despite the fact that it drips a bit between fills, I actually prefer to use the one without the spring because it requires no pressure to open the valve, and it's easier to clean/sanitise because there's less gubbins inside to catch any stray bits of hops and sediment.
But as has already been said several times - Everyone will eventually find what works best for them.

 

[moto748]

Doesn't pouring from a jug increase the risk of aeration?

Well, I think not, obviously. In my view it's a wildly over-stated problem. People are scared to even take the lid off a bucket to have a look inside, or give a quick stir!

Others may disagree, of course..

 

[Worf]

No, I don't have a tap. I siphon the beer into a jug, and pour it into the bottles from that.

I bottle straight from the tap. Have never used a wand. Just seemed like another expense & smoothing else to clean.
At it for 10 years now and have not (yet) to have a problem with oxygenation.

 

[Luiz]

Hi Andy the proper answer is after fermentation has finished say 10 daysish you need to check that you have a steady FG reading on a hydrometer for at least 2 days which means it has definitely finished then put it gently(try not to stir the yeast up) in a cold place if possible for the yeast and any suspension to drop to the bottom of the FV for a few more days then bottle.

Now the most common way done once you have attained some experience is that after 7-10 days you will know if it has finished but do not always trust the airlock as bubbling can sometimes not happen even though it is still fermenting. Once you are sure it has finished put it in the coldest place you have - this is called cold crashing and some brewers have a fridge they use to control ferment temp and aiding cold crashing with a temperature controller. When you have cold crashed say a couple of days this will drop the majority of yeast and suspended matter to the bottom so as to bottle a clearer beer.
When you have cold crashed then gently move the FV to where you are going to bottle and make sure it is at a say worktop height to aid syphoning. Place the FV with a tea towel at the back on the worktop so as the FV is tipping slightly forward to help getting the most beer out without disturbing the yeast.
So to sum it up I would do 10 days ferment then 3 days cold crash then move to your bottling place and leave overnight if possible to settle back down after moving it.
Do not forget that the hydrometer readings should be done until you have enough experience to judge that fermentation has finished or if its a big beer as they may take longer to ferment out
A bottling stick and a clip to hold the syphon tube will make it a simpler process for 1 person so as there is minimal disturbing of the sediment and thats why you cold crash and put in your bottling position the day before both are on a couple of quid
Ps the first 10 days are 7 to ferment +3 for the yeast to clean up any off flavours

Cheers The Baron,
thanks for the clear explanation.
Just for my curiosity: Why do you prefer to add sugar to each individual bottle instead of priming on a bucket?

 

[The Baron]

Cheers The Baron,
thanks for the clear explanation.
Just for my curiosity: Why do you prefer to add sugar to each individual bottle instead of priming on a bucket?

It stems from being a old brewer as that is how it was done years ago by most brewers.
I still prefer to add the sugar to the bottle although this is deemed old fashioned by some but if you transfer to a second FV and add the sugar in bulk it just adds the risk of oxidation or infection albeit a small risk if done with extra care.
Drawbacks are it is hard to vary the sugar amount to suit all styles of carbonation but I use a half teaspoon for ales which I level off with the back of a knife so the amount is pretty consistent in each bottle and a full teaspoon for lagers and wheat beers etc