Bottling while the beer is very cold

[johnny_dove]

I have had a bit of luck with the weather. I have had constant temperature of 35°f on my balcony for the last 48 hours allowing me to try a proper cold crash:) (I am brewing an AG ESB with Nottingham yeast.)

1. Beer temp: Should I carry my bucket back inside and let them beer warm up before I bottle or am I better off bottling cold beer? I have scoured the forums and some people say it needs to be warmed while others advocate bottling the beer cold. (The amount of Co2 needs to be calculated at the warmest temp achieved during fermentation.). If I carry the bucket inside I will disturb the sediment. Feels better to bottle it through the balcony door :)
2. Priming: I have not transferred to a secondary bucket in order to avoid oxidation. I was hoping to avoid transferring to a bottling bucket for the same reason. Can I boil a little water with the correct amount of sugar and add on top of my bucket? Will it dissolve evenly in my 6.5 gallons of beer? Some people say it will but I am a bit sceptical especially since my beer is so cold. I could also use mini sugar cubes that are 2.1 grams each. Was thinking 1 cube for 330 ml bottles and 2 cubes for 500 ml pet bottles.

Best regards,

Johan

 

[bunkerbrewer]

Hi -

I've bottled beer straight after crash cooling to 5 degrees C without any problems. You need to put the bottles in a warm place for a week or two afterwards though, to activate the yeast again.

I'd recommend a bottling bucket. If you syphon carefully oxidation isn't an issue, and adding your dissolved sugar before the beer goes in will ensure it's all mixed up. Trying to mix your priming sugar into the primary FV will most likely just stir up all the trub...

 

[johnny_dove]

Thanks for your reply, I guess putting the dissolved sugar in first helps limiting oxidation as well. One may stick siphon under the surface. I know that some guys pour the solution over the surface and don't stir. They claim it blends in 20 minutes. Does not feel right...