Help needed please !

[Thenp]

I’ve recently started brewing using a balliihoo beginner kit 5 gallon tub, but I didn’t research properly for my first batch I never got a pressure barrel or bottles but I’ve bought them now unfortunately my first brew is already bottled into plastic water bottles ! But I’ve ordered a evil dog double ipa for my next batch and I would really appreciate if someone could give me a run through on how and when to use my primary fermentation bucket transfer to pressure barrel then bottles, I’m also going to be purchasing carb tablets instead of using sugar I forgot to add it when I bottled my first batch ended up funneling it in late. Sorry for the long post am not sure on the etiquette with posting etc but I look forward to sharing your experiences and advice

 

[MyQul]

After your evil dog has finished fermenting you will package it in EITHER the bottles OR the pressure barrel not the PB followed by the bottles

 

[Banbeer]

bottled into plastic water bottles

Please confirm that these had fizzy water in them and not just water.

 

[Thenp]

After your evil dog has finished fermenting you will package it in EITHER the bottles OR the pressure barrel not the PB followed by the bottles

Thanks for the reply, may sound like a silly question but what would I use the pressure barrel for ? And would I need to add carb tablets to it if I planned on only drinking out of the pb ? The current batch I’ve got in bottles now has residue at the bottom of each bottle is this normal ? Thanks in advance for any replies

 

[Thenp]

Yeh it

Please confirm that these had fizzy water in them and not just water.

Yes it was fizzy water I googled before I knew about this forum and it said I could use any bottles than had been used for pressurised drinks prior

 

[Banbeer]

Yes it was fizzy water I googled before I knew about this forum and it said I could use any bottles than had been used for pressurised drinks prior

Phew!

 

[MyQul]

Thanks for the reply, may sound like a silly question but what would I use the pressure barrel for ? And would I need to add carb tablets to it if I planned on only drinking out of the pb ? The current batch I’ve got in bottles now has residue at the bottom of each bottle is this normal ? Thanks in advance for any replies

Tbh I've never used a PB as they can be notoriously temperamental so I dont know much about them. I use bottles. You dispense beer directly from it a bit like a keg of beer. Hopefully a forumite who uses PB's will be able to answer.
Having yeast (residue) at the bottom of your bottles is normal (and unavoidable). But it should only be about 1mm or so thick.

 

[Thenp]

Phew!

Haha I’ll leave any rockets exploding off to spaceX

 

[Thenp]

Tbh I've never used a PB as they can be notoriously temperamental so I dont know much about them. I use bottles. You dispense beer directly from it a bit like a keg of beer. Hopefully a forumite who uses PB's will be able to answer.
Having yeast (residue) at the bottom of your bottles is normal (and unavoidable). But it should only be about 1mm or so thick.

Yeh the residue is pretty nominal ! When the evil dog is finished in primary am thinking about leaving it an extra week or so or should I just bottle up and leave it with the extra time in the bottles, I struggle using the hydrometer so that’s why am thinking if I give the extra time in primary it’ll be the abv it’s meant to be roughly 7.1%

 

[MyQul]

Leaving it in the primary wont be a problem if you dont want to bottle as soon as possible. I've left beer in the FV for six weeks through sheer laziness and it didnt effect it at all

 

[Banbeer]

Tbh I've never used a PB as they can be notoriously temperamental so I dont know much about them. I use bottles. You dispense beer directly from it a bit like a keg of beer. Hopefully a forumite who uses PB's will be able to answer

You can put your brew from FV to PB and add whatever you want i.e. table sugar, dextrose, or carb drops. This will carb the brew after leaving the keg a couple of weeks at room temp and then a couple of weeks in a cooler place to condition, if you have a C02 bulb attatchment then only use this after you have poured the brew and there is no more pressure to force it out but don't let the oxygen glug up into the PB as this will oxygenate the brew.

 

[Thenp]

Leaving it in the primary wont be a problem if you dont want to bottle as soon as possible. I've left beer in the FV for six weeks through sheer laziness and it didnt effect it at all

That’s good to know ! Sorry with the constant question but one last one, I’ll syphon straight from primary to bottle and I’ll use the carb tablets do you recommend a certain brand for my evil dog there going into 500ml flip top bottles so I’m planning on putting one tablet per bottle ???

 

[terrym]

That’s good to know ! Sorry with the constant question but one last one, I’ll syphon straight from primary to bottle and I’ll use the carb tablets do you recommend a certain brand for my evil dog there going into 500ml flip top bottles so I’m planning on putting one tablet per bottle ???

Carb drops are a waste of money. Use table sugar, and either weigh it out if you are batch priming or use a teaspoon and a measuring funnel. Prime at the rate of one teaspoon per litre for most beers, a bit more if you are priming lagers or AIPAs.
And this might be of help
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/

 

[MyQul]

No worries about the questions. There wouldn't be a forum without people asking questions.

carb tabs are another thing I dont and have never used because they're expensive. They're basically just sugar so you can just use table sugar (I use brewers sugar/dexrose as it's finer). You could just put some sugar into each bottle. This is another thing I dont do. I do something called batch priming, whereby I put the priming sugar directly into the primary FV give it a gentle stir and then bottle. I find it easier and less time consuming to do this rather than priming each individual bottle

 

[Thenp]

Carb drops are a waste of money. Use table sugar, and either weigh it out if you are batch priming or use a teaspoon and a measuring funnel. Prime at the rate of one teaspoon per litre for most beers, a bit more if you are priming lagers or AIPAs.
And this might be of help
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/

That link is brilliant thank you

 

[Banbeer]

carb tabs are another thing I dont and have never used because they're expensive. They're basically just sugar

They're expensive for what they are and Glucose, they will need more weight than Sucrose or Dextrose per keg but one drop per 500mg for lager and half a drop for stouts etc.

 

[Thenp]

No worries about the questions. There wouldn't be a forum without people asking questions.

carb tabs are another thing I dont and have never used because they're expensive. They're basically just sugar so you can just use table sugar (I use brewers sugar/dexrose as it's finer). You could just put some sugar into each bottle. This is another thing I dont do. I do something called batch priming, whereby I put the priming sugar directly into the primary FV give it a gentle stir and then bottle. I find it easier and less time consuming to do this rather than priming each individual bottle

I used normal sugar that you put into tea for my first batch hopefully that’s ok ? The method you use where you put the priming sugar directly into primary FV do you bottle straight away after adding the sugar ? Just had my email to confirm the evil dog has been dispatched, am enjoying the home brewing more than I thought I would, thank you everyone who has replied and give me advice etc

 

[MyQul]

I used normal sugar that you put into tea for my first batch hopefully that’s ok ? The method you use where you put the priming sugar directly into primary FV do you bottle straight away after adding the sugar ? Just had my email to confirm the evil dog has been dispatched, am enjoying the home brewing more than I thought I would, thank you everyone who has replied and give me advice etc

The sugar you put in your tea (table/white sugar) is fine. You can prime with almost any type of sugar if you want.
Yes I bottle straight from the primary FV straight away. If you use table sugar you need to dissolve it in a little boiling water as the crystals are bigger than the sugar I use (brewing sugar). Brewing sugar is finer and I can just mix a bit of cold tap water in to it before pouring it into the primary FV

 

[terrym]

I used normal sugar that you put into tea for my first batch hopefully that’s ok ? The method you use where you put the priming sugar directly into primary FV do you bottle straight away after adding the sugar ? Just had my email to confirm the evil dog has been dispatched, am enjoying the home brewing more than I thought I would, thank you everyone who has replied and give me advice etc

Table sugar is cheap, predictable and easy to get hold of so continue to use it. But save a bag that only you use for brewing so that you don't get any unwanted nasties getting in the bag. There's all sorts of ways to prime your bottled beer including batch priming in a bottling bucket, adding sugar syrup to the FV and gently stirring, syringing syrup into bottles, and a teaspoon and funnel. In the end you decide what suits you best. PBs are easier, I (used to) just weigh the sugar and dump it in, and sooner or later it dissolves and gets used up by the yeast.
And before you commission your PB I suggest you read this
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/guide-to-a-standard-home-brew-pressure-barrel.67042/I wish you well with your PB. My final PB out of four has developed cracks and I can't trust it. The other three failed ages ago. I won't be replacing them.

 

[Wynne]

With clear bottles (or any bottles other than brown), protect them from light which can cause a chemical reaction giving a “skunky” off-flavour in the bear. For priming, I use table sugar, add water and heat it in a microwave to make a syrup then stir that into the fermenter. Enjoy your beer!