Couple of questions...

[customsandexcess]

Hi,

I have recently finished my first brew (Woodfordes Werry), and a mighty fine experience it has turned out to be! :
I have a couple of questions for you experts out there though.....

1: My barrel tap has a slight leak on it, If i decide to bottle my brew, do i need to prime the bottles? :?

2: I have got hold of some Videne solution for sterilising, do i need to fill my FV to sterilise with this, or can i make up say 5 Litres and swill it about?, also can i put some in a household sprayer to use for general use, and if so would it 'keep' :hmm:

many thanks in advance

Gid.

 

[Parva]

Hi,
1: My barrel tap has a slight leak on it, If i decide to bottle my brew, do i need to prime the bottles? :?

If you want beer with some carbonation in, yes. :) Half a teaspoon per bottle is the general ideal although you could also disolve 80g of sugar in a little boiling water and mix this with the beer prior to bottling instead, others will advise better on that strategy.

2: I have got hold of some Videne solution for sterilising, do i need to fill my FV to sterilise with this, or can i make up say 5 Litres and swill it about?, also can i put some in a household sprayer to use for general use, and if so would it 'keep' :hmm:

Videne solution is a contact sanitiser so there's no need to make gallons of solution up. I usually make 2 litres up and make sure that this comes into with all surfaces and allow the vessel to drain (I don't rinse) and then (in the case of an FV) fill with wort or with a cornie fill with beer. :) I use the ratio 1.25ml per litre as a no rinse sanitiser. Regarding the spray bottle yes, as long as the solution remains coloured then it's effective and it should remain so for several weeks from the stuff I've read. :)

Note however that Videne is only good for sanitising something that's pretty clean in the first place! Don't expect to be able to use it in something that previously had mould spores and expect it to be a miracle fix. I speak from experience as I just assumed that the scratches on the inside of my FV would be dealt with by the stuff, until I had a couple of bad brews. I tend to bleach plastic now, flush with water and then give it the Videne treatment prior to being filled with wort (or beer).

I'll leave those more knowledgeable to fill in the gaps but that's my basic understanding. :)