Bottling my first brew (Coopers Australian Lager)

[marksa222]

I bottled mine after 2 weeks in the FV and it was about 1008. After 10 days it probably is finished but a few more days wouldn't harm if you can be that patient. I primed with 1 tsp of granulated sugar per 500ml bottle and i'd say that was about right.

 

[nhenson22]

Give it a gentle stir with a sanitised spoon. Leave it a couple more days. :

TBH I have had a couple of kits that stuck around there and no amount of rousing got the yeast going again. I think I narrowed it down to not aerating the wort enough in the beginning. My latest kit has not stuck. :

Thanks for the reply. When stirring would you want to kick up some of the sediment at the bottom or leave that alone? Also, if the fermentation has indeed stopped, would I be risking anything by exposing to oxygen?

 

[PuggledPrune]

Aye mix up the sediment. No splashing though.

It will be fine. Its a common thing to do with a stuck brew.

 

[pkeitch]

Hi to all. My name is phill and I am also very new to home brewing.
I have also purchased the Australian lager kit and have also been supplied with the 500 ml bottles? Many of my questions have already been answered (great forum) however I would like to ask, as my bottles are new and unused is it necessary to sterilise them before bottling or will a warm water wash be fine?
I am only on day 4 so haven't done much yet. This very warm weather is making it very hard to keep the temperature down though!! Fingers crossed!
Feel free to share any tips you may have.

 

[nhenson22]

Hi to all. My name is phill and I am also very new to home brewing.
I have also purchased the Australian lager kit and have also been supplied with the 500 ml bottles? Many of my questions have already been answered (great forum) however I would like to ask, as my bottles are new and unused is it necessary to sterilise them before bottling or will a warm water wash be fine?
I am only on day 4 so haven't done much yet. This very warm weather is making it very hard to keep the temperature down though!! Fingers crossed!
Feel free to share any tips you may have.

Hi Phil,

The weather is indeed making it quite tricky to keep temps low. I had a taste of mine yesterday when I took a hydrometer reading and did not notice any overly fruity flavours so I think all is ok!

I have read some mixed views on whether to sanitise the new PET bottles. Most say that it is fine to fill them straight out of the box, but if you already have your hands on a no-rinse sanitiser then it won't take too much time to give a quick squirt just to be sure. I have got myself some Star San now but am yet to get a bottle tree so I will probably just fill the bottles straight out of the box.

 

[nhenson22]

Update - I gave it a stir up on Tuesday night to try and get the yeast going again. Have taken a reading today and I am still just above 1.013. So basically, it's finished. It is not the end of the world, with an SG of 1.040, this means that after carbonation it will be 4.1% which is not a complete dissapointment.

I have a few questions from here, firstly to do with this brew. Should I now bottle straight away or hold off until the weekend to let things settle a little longer (after I stirred all the sediment up)?

Secondly, are there any tips you all have for making sure my next brew gets to the gravity expected? I am aware that I may have topped up with a tiny bit too much water but did not think that would have affected the process that much (we are talking maybe 100-200ml).

 

[fbsf]

Give it to at least Sunday if you can, so the yeasties can clear up after themselves.

An Og of 1.040 is about right for a kit, the final gravity depends on the yeast. If you want to be sure of a lower FG, maybe get some Fermentis S-04 or Danstar Nottingham yeast, and rehydrate in 110ml of 30° tap water 30mins before pitching.

That should make sure that the yeast is as viable as possible, and give you the best chance of a complete fermentation.

 

[nhenson22]

So, I have now had this in the bottle carbonating for nearly two weeks. As someone else suggested, with it being my first brew it might be a good idea to have a taste of one every 1 or 2 weeks to see how time effects the carbonation, conditioning, resultant overall taste etc. So I put one in the fridge yesterday to give it a few days chilling before tasting at the weekend.
I have noticed something strange and wondered if it was fairly common, the bottle that has now been chilled has all of a sudden gone very cloudy, where a bottle from the cupboard seems nice and clear. See pic below...

 

[mike77]

I have noticed something strange and wondered if it was fairly common, the bottle that has now been chilled has all of a sudden gone very cloudy

It is called chill haze and is normal. It shouldn't affect the taste just the appearance. If you leave the beer in the fridge for a few weeks then the haze should settle out and the beer will be clear again. Other than that I believe using gelatin as a fining a few days prior to bottling will reduce it. If you are all grain brewing then there are other finings you can use while boiling such as Irish moss.

 

[nhenson22]

I have noticed something strange and wondered if it was fairly common, the bottle that has now been chilled has all of a sudden gone very cloudy

It is called chill haze and is normal. It shouldn't affect the taste just the appearance. If you leave the beer in the fridge for a few weeks then the haze should settle out and the beer will be clear again. Other than that I believe using gelatin as a fining a few days prior to bottling will reduce it. If you are all grain brewing then there are other finings you can use while boiling such as Irish moss.

Cool, thanks for the explanation. it's not the end of the world as long as taste is unaffected. Is this still a problem when chilling bottles that have had a decent amount of conditioning time in the garage?

 

[mike77]

Is this still a problem when chilling bottles that have had a decent amount of conditioning time in the garage?

I'm not 100% sure but I think it may only be cold conditioning (lagering) that gets rid of it. From what I know it is caused by proteins suspended in the beer. When the beer is first chilled the proteins bind together into larger clumps causing the haze. As time goes on these larger chunks drop out of suspension in the beer and hence it goes clear again.