Bottling?

[gillonstewart]

Apologies all if this is a regularly asked question.

After the disaster with the cider leaking out of the keg, I have decided to bottle the batch of beer that's on just now. It's just a kit beer, Cooper's real ale made with brew enhancer. To make things even easier as a first time bottler I'm going to use carbonation drops.

The reason I've never bottled before is that I like a crystal clear beer and the fermentation in the bottle leaves yeast so ive always brewed straight into the pressure barrel and drank it once clear.

Do I leave the beer in the fermentation bucket until it's clear then bottle and prime with the drops or can I use finings at the end of fermentation then bottle and prime? I'm confused because clearing/fining it would get rid of the yeast to my mind, so I'm imagining I would just end up with a nice clear beer that is flat and too sweet.

There is something satisfyingly simple about brewing straight into the pressure barrel but I don't want to risk losing another batch so that's out for now.

Thanks in advance

 

[Agentgonzo]

Apologies all if this is a regularly asked question.

After the disaster with the cider leaking out of the keg, I have decided to bottle the batch of beer that's on just now. It's just a kit beer, Cooper's real ale made with brew enhancer. To make things even easier as a first time bottler I'm going to use carbonation drops.

The reason I've never bottled before is that I like a crystal clear beer and the fermentation in the bottle leaves yeast so ive always brewed straight into the pressure barrel and drank it once clear.

Do I leave the beer in the fermentation bucket until it's clear then bottle and prime with the drops or can I use finings at the end of fermentation then bottle and prime? I'm confused because clearing/fining it would get rid of the yeast to my mind, so I'm imagining I would just end up with a nice clear beer that is flat and too sweet.

There is something satisfyingly simple about brewing straight into the pressure barrel but I don't want to risk losing another batch so that's out for now.

Thanks in advance

No need to apologise!

You'll normally want to fine in the fermenter. This will allow the vast majority of the yeast to drop out and be left behind in the fermenter before you bottle. Whilst it seems that a totally clear beer is devoid of yeast, unless it's been filtered it'll still contain yeast. And this yeast will be plenty enough to bottle condition your beer. It also has the benefits that you end up with far less yeast left in the bottle. When done well, you basically end up with a very thin layer (under half a mm) of yeast on the bottom of the bottle and it's fairly easy to pour the bottle off and have a clear glass of beer.

 

[Leon103]

What finings are you talking about?

If you can drop the the temperature right down. This will drop it clear. If you have another bucket then siphon off the beer, batch promd and bottles

 

[Agentgonzo]

What finings are you talking about?

If you can drop the the temperature right down. This will drop it clear. If you have another bucket then siphon off the beer, batch promd and bottles

You can add irish moss or gelatin to the fermenter at the end of fermentation to help the yeast drop out. It won't make it any clearer in the long run, but it does make it clear faster (same with dropping the temperature).

 

[Tommo 2]

You can add irish moss or gelatin to the fermenter at the end of fermentation to help the yeast drop out. It won't make it any clearer, but it does make it clear faster (same with dropping the temperature).

Why worry, if your brew is fully fermented out I would just bottle it ( have never used finings or cold crashed ) have always used the two two and two method and batch primed, the beer always comes good with time , patience is the brewers best friend who as never let me down once

 

[Agentgonzo]

Same here. I have a sufficient backlog that I can let it clear under its own schedule and not fret about it.

 

[Leon103]

You can add irish moss or gelatin to the fermenter at the end of fermentation to help the yeast drop out. It won't make it any clearer in the long run, but it does make it clear faster (same with dropping the temperature).

I know but I was more interested in what the op was going going to use

 

[gillonstewart]

When I used to brew in the pressure barrel I would just leave it alone for a month or two and it would clear naturally. Obviously I couldn't add finings or anything to speed up the process or I'd lose all the pressure.

I have Young's clear it two part finings which work very well. You'll get a crystal clear wine or beer overnight. I just assumed that would drop all the yeast out but if it doesn't that's good news.

The reason for wanting it clear before priming and bottling is to minimise the sediment in the finished beer. The longer I leave it in the fermenter the more likely it is to get an "infection" so to speak so I'm thinking fine, prime, bottle then forget about it for a month or two.

 

[Agentgonzo]

There's no chance of getting an inspection by leaving it in the primary. There's no way nasties can get in to infect it, and of flavours from leaving it on the yeast too long are just old wives tales

 

[Old Fart At Play]

Apologies all if this is a regularly asked question.

After the disaster with the cider leaking out of the keg, I have decided to bottle the batch of beer that's on just now. It's just a kit beer, Cooper's real ale made with brew enhancer. To make things even easier as a first time bottler I'm going to use carbonation drops.

The reason I've never bottled before is that I like a crystal clear beer and the fermentation in the bottle leaves yeast so ive always brewed straight into the pressure barrel and drank it once clear.

Do I leave the beer in the fermentation bucket until it's clear then bottle and prime with the drops or can I use finings at the end of fermentation then bottle and prime? I'm confused because clearing/fining it would get rid of the yeast to my mind, so I'm imagining I would just end up with a nice clear beer that is flat and too sweet.

There is something satisfyingly simple about brewing straight into the pressure barrel but I don't want to risk losing another batch so that's out for now.

Thanks in advance

I always bottle. Irish Moss near end of boil. Leave in fermenter for 2 weeks. Rack into a different vessel, containing your priming sugar, leaving almost all yeast/trub behind. Then bottle. The little yeast in the bottle will settle out witin 2 weeks. When serving, pour from bottle into jug, leaving just a few ccs behind.

Works for me!

Cheers

 

[user 45849]

Why worry, if your brew is fully fermented out I would just bottle it ( have never used finings or cold crashed ) have always used the two two and two method and batch primed, the beer always comes good with time , patience is the brewers best friend who as never let me down once

Hi, please look at the contents of finings as these are nasty. I think finings were originally used to clear beer in barrels that hadn't travelled well, breweries would call to the pub add finings to help clear. Hence pubs advertising fine ales.
If you keep a constant temperature with the wort when it's fermented leave it to cool.
If you bottle with your sugar then give it constant warmth for 2 days to start the carbonation process and keep it dark (no UV) then cool for a further 12 days undisturbed your beer will be crystal clear.

 

[Old Fart At Play]

Hi, please look at the contents of finings as these are nasty.

Irish moss is seaweed

 

[user 45849]

Irish moss is seaweed

Irish moss would be ideal but packet finings contain a whole lot of nasty that I wouldn't want in my beer.

Substances used as finings include egg whites, blood, milk, isinglass, and Irish moss. These are still used by some producers, but more modern substances have also been introduced and are more widely used, including bentonite, gelatin, casein, carrageenan, alginate, diatomaceous earth, pectinase, pectolyase, PVPP, kieselsol (colloidal silica), copper sulfate, dried albumen (egg whites), hydrated yeast, and activated carbon.

 

[sifty]

Time is the best clearing agent if you're not too impatient. Just pulled an older brew out of the garage that'd been sitting a few months, and poured crystal clear till the end. It was a tad murky earlier.

Now I use whirlfloc, cold crashing and gelatin. No worries about what's in em, and they're clear in a month or so...

 

[sifty]

Evidence. I'm watched rugby now (super rugby semis) and this is a Belgian I just pulled out of the garage. No gelatin in this one ...