First time Bottling Query

[dsufrin]

Hi Everyone

I have just completed my first home brew (Coopers Lager Starter Kit), today I am bottling it but I have a couple questions

1. Due to the tap position it stops working when there is 5l left in the FV, what is the best way to get the rest out? Today I tipped the FV and managed to get another 6 bottles out.

2. I stopped at 6 bottles because on the Bottom of the FV is a layer of white goo is this normal? If so what is it? The lager smells and taste OK so I am guessing the goo is meant to be there.

Thanks in advance

Dan

 

[MyQul]

1. Gently tip it. You can also put something underneath it to keep it in the tipped position if your using a flat bottomed FV ( I use a ramakin dish). If you have a coopers FV you wont be able to do this cuz of the stubby little feet though.
2. The white goo is trub (pronounced troob) which is a mixture of dead yeast cells, live yeast cells, hop debris, and protiens. If you happen to be using an extra special yeast you can harvest the live yeast from the trub or even just reuse some of the slurry/trub

 

[Fil]

The gentle tip forward wedging a thick book at the back is the answer when draining trough the tap. however there is a HUGE Gotcha involved here. At this stage of the brew O2 (oxygen) Is BAD very Bad, and if you allow any air to get sucked in and out of the tap you can ruin the beer through oxidation, so its crucial to tip before the tap opening approaches the beer level.

the beer is covered by a layer of co2 generated from the fermentation and this is the protection against the now Nasty O2, if you let bubbles/air in through the tap this protective layer of co2 is sucked out and leaves the remainder exposed to the air containing o2 ;(

so keep an eye on the level and tip before the danger point and your laughing..

..

Also one other gotcha with taps on the fermentor is while its a doddle to draw of a sample for a gravity test and taste, afterwards your leaving a sweet sticky residue in the tap spout which can attract wine/fungus fliies, a squeezy bottle of warm water is the tool for squirtung a rinse up into the spout to clean it and negate the risk it presents.

 

[dsufrin]

Thanks MyQul and Fil :rofl:

I'll keep the last 6 bottles separate as I did not tilt the FV early enough, I'll see what they turn out like.

 

[dsufrin]

The gentle tip forward wedging a thick book at the back is the answer when draining trough the tap. however there is a HUGE Gotcha involved here. At this stage of the brew O2 (oxygen) Is BAD very Bad, and if you allow any air to get sucked in and out of the tap you can ruin the beer through oxidation, so its crucial to tip before the tap opening approaches the beer level.

the beer is covered by a layer of co2 generated from the fermentation and this is the protection against the now Nasty O2, if you let bubbles/air in through the tap this protective layer of co2 is sucked out and leaves the remainder exposed to the air containing o2 ;(

so keep an eye on the level and tip before the danger point and your laughing..

..

Also one other gotcha with taps on the fermentor is while its a doddle to draw of a sample for a gravity test and taste, afterwards your leaving a sweet sticky residue in the tap spout which can attract wine/fungus fliies, a squeezy bottle of warm water is the tool for squirtung a rinse up into the spout to clean it and negate the risk it presents.

I have been cleaning it with a squirty bottle filled with no rinse sanitizer to clean the tap, and everything else for that matter I have gone a bit OCD on the sanitising as I read that is the most common reason for home brew failing

Dan

 

[clibit]

It will all be drinkable, the last few bottles will just have a think layer of sediment at the bottom. Pour carefully! And pour all the bottle in one go, or you wil drag the sediment up when you stand the bottle back up.