That many questions i am frightening myself

[virtualgirl]

and do they just give you them? and are they not the screw on tops?

 

[corby_brewer]

yes they just give them to you. they dont have screw on tops. you will need to get a bottle capper and some caps. wilkinsons sell them for about £10 for the capper and about £2 for the bottle tops.

DS

 

[virtualgirl]

i feel so cheeky tho going into a pub and asking for their used bottles :cry:
i wouldnt even know what to say to them. or even how to ask.
I suppose if i am gonna ask for the bottles do they give you the crates too? :)

 

[Aleman]

They have to pay to have the glass taken away for recycling so they are usually more than happy to let you root around in the bottle bins.
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.
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Crates are a rarity I'm afraid . . . There is a seller on eBay IIRC

 

[virtualgirl]

and lastly how many bottles will i need roughyl

 

[Aleman]

5 Gallons is 40 pints . . . Magners (And Bulmers) bottles are 1 Pint each so 40 bottles.

23Litres is about 5 gallons . . . . 500ml bottles (Usual beer bottles) means 46

 

[Vossy1]

Divide the amount of beer you've made by the volume of a bottle, that will give you a rough idea :thumb:
It's also worth mentioning that not all beer bottles are suitable for bottle conditioning. Some are too thin and may explode.

 

[virtualgirl]

this is probably a silly question, you say some bottles are too thin and may explode. can i ask then why does the shop beer not expolde then? is it made differently

 

[tubby_shaw]

this is probably a silly question, you say some bottles are too thin and may explode. can i ask then why does the shop beer not explode then? is it made differently

Yes most commercial beer that does not say somewhere on the label "bottle conditioned" or "live ale" or similar, will have been artificially carbonated to a known pressure that does not exceed the safe working limit for he bottle :thumb:
Unfortunately in our amateur environment we cannot guarantee we will not exceed this pressure This unfortunately can lead to catastrophic failure of the bottle, i.e bottle bombs :shock:

 

[Moley]

i feel so cheeky tho going into a pub and asking for their used bottles :cry:
i wouldnt even know what to say to them. or even how to ask.

It helps if you're buying a pint at the same time, but my usual approach is along the lines of "I don't mind buying yours at weekends but in the week I brew my own, would you mind if I had a rummage through your bottle bin please?"

Otherwise, ask your friends to save bottles for you or ask your neighbours if they mind you going through their recycling tubs on collection day. They might expect the occasional full one in return.

A lot of people also use 2-litre screw-topped plastic bottles (or PETs).
I usually keep 1-litre tonic water or dry ginger bottles, and I always use a couple of 500ml Coke or Pepsi bottles because you can give them a squeeze and feel what pressure is building up inside.

I suppose if i am gonna ask for the bottles do they give you the crates too? :)

Do you get your milk delivered? If so, ask your milkman if he could spare an empty crate or two.

 

[virtualgirl]

took a reading last night seems to be working :) its now at 1.010 just how long do i t leave it in the bucket? and when will i know the fermentation has stopped. what should the reading drop down too roughly at the end? whats the target number

 

[corby_brewer]

hiya

i leave mine in the FV for 10 days or untill i get the same hydro reading for 3 days. then transfer to a bottling bucket and leave for 2 days and then bottle it. but that is for bitter, im not quite sure about larger.

DS

 

[Aleman]

1.010 is a pretty good finish point . . . if you used a kit to which you added sugar then you can expect it to perhaps drop to around 1.006-1.008 . . . as long as you have two readings the same over a couple of days apart you can consider it finished . . . . then leave it another couple of days to clean up after itself and either bottle or cask.

 

[virtualgirl]

its been at 1.010 now for a few days but only been in the bucket 6 days. it still cloudy. but when you put the lid on and seal it to see if the yeast has stopped its still swelling the lid. any ideas?

 

[tubby_shaw]

If you have had the same hydrometer reading for a few days it's stopped :thumb:
Six days is more than long enough for fermentation to finish :)
The lid id still swelling because the CO2 that was dissolved in the beer is slowly coming out of solution
Leave it in the fermenter for another couple of days to let some more of the yeast fall out of suspension (that's why it's still cloudy) and then get bottling :party:
It will still be slightly cloudy when you bottle but that yeast is needed to act on the priming sugar that you are going to add to give your beer some fizz :grin:
It will clear in the bottle, trust me :thumb: