Bottling up today!

[wellyfish]

I'm bottling up my first home brew today.

Water, buckets, bottles and steriliser everywhere ... it's like working in a brewery!

Question though, I have a syphon aka plastic tube which I'll use to get the job done - what's the optimal bit of kit to use to syphon though?
I've read about racking cane and bottling filler attachments 'bit' but don't know whether I should get them or not.

back to the fray!

 

[Muddy Funker]

Nice one,

I have this thing attached to 2 metres of the appropriate size tubing http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/aca ... pment.html
It's the bottle filler about five from the bottom of page. It's a must have if bottling in my opinion :

 

[Baz Chaz]

Yup I use the Brupack bottling stick and wouldn't be without it :thumb: the valve at the bottom of the stick comes off for easy cleaning as well :thumb:

 

[wellyfish]

Nearly done, having a break for a beer!

Those gadgets look smart, thanks for the tips!

 

[gurtpint]

Yup I use the Brupack bottling stick and wouldn't be without it :thumb: the valve at the bottom of the stick comes off for easy cleaning as well :thumb:

My vote goes out for the stick as well. I recently got one after having always used siphons and it made the bottling process a whole lot more pleasant + tidy.

 

[wellyfish]

Finished bottling, realised that using screw tops is not the best idea - glass everywhere - wondering now how to store the stuff.

It's a 'Coopers australian Lager' kit and I've lost the instructions

 

[Welshwitch]

why have you glass everywhere did your bottles explode ?? We use old plastic lemonade bottles the Grandchildren love it the more bottles we need the more lemonade we buy them

 

[Ceejay]

Nice one! The bottling stick is definitely the way to go, especially if you attach it to a tap on your bottling bucket/fv. Makes the process really easy. If your bottles are clear (i.e not brown) you'll need to store them in a box, away from any sunlight. Assuming you primed with sugar, and it's bottle conditioned you'll need to store them somehwere at room temperature for a couple of weeks or so to condition the beer, then try and put them somewhere cool if you can.

 

[wellyfish]

The bottles are clear glass.

I did store them for a week or ten days in boxes in the house. Then the wife got fed up with 'beer everywhere' so I had to stick them all in the unheated garage.
I've brought a couple in to drink and they are a little cloudy - is this because I stored them at the wrong temperature?

 

[Springer]

Must get one of those sticks, love bottled beer and anything that helps the process is good news.
Like ceejay said, maybe you got evicted to soon, especially if the temp goes down at night, it probably just didn't get enough time to start the conditioning. It make a big difference a constant correct temperature rather than a stop start one, I use a temp controlled cupboard for fermenting and then bottle conditioning.

 

[Baz Chaz]

... I did store them for a week or ten days in boxes in the house. Then the wife got fed up with 'beer everywhere' so I had to stick them all in the unheated garage.
I've brought a couple in to drink and they are a little cloudy - is this because I stored them at the wrong temperature?

After bottling I keep the bottles in a crate covered with a t-towel in the study near the radiator for 7 days. Then they go out into 'The Den' which is my unheated workshop attached to the garage, they're just put in a cupboard. I keep 4 bottles of each brew in the house and 'bottle up' as needed :

If your beer is cloudy you might be disturbing the sediment as you pour Having said that, even if that is what is happening it shouldn't affect the taste, just the look :evil: :!:

 

[gurtpint]

^ Might be chill haze too. Mr. Palmer's take on the issue: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter7-4.html

 

[graysalchemy]

Just keep yoir eyes shut when you drink :) .

It may be that the yeast hasn't compacted down in the bottle. Some yeasts settle and compact. Better than others. Give it time or just do as I said above.