A few noob questions before bottling...

[sessylU]

Hello all,

first post here! Sorry if these questions have been answered elsewhere. I've had a look through the FAQ and couldn't find answers.

I have a Better Brew IPA bubbling away in its FV at the minute and I'm trying to work out what the next part of the process looks like for me.

I am thinking that I would rather bottle the beer than barrel it, as my understanding is that barrelling means that it is more likely to spoil the lot if it gurgles (as happened with a previous brew).

A friend with a little more experience seems to think that after fermenting in the FV, the beer must be transferred to the barrel to ferment again (?) and then get bottled. Reading around the internet, I'm under the impression that we should just go straight from the FV to bottles. Am I right?

Also: the beer is being kept at a fairly steady 22 or so degrees. Once bottled (or barrelled), I understand that it's better being left somewhere cooler for clearing. Is cooler the same thing as cold? I have an outside area that doesn't see any sunlight that would probably be cooler than anywhere else in my home and where the temperature will probably get down to single figures overnight. Is this desirable?

Also also: dry hopping: I like a good, hoppy beer (think: St Austell's Proper Job) so I'm contemplating dry-hopping. Should I wait until fermentation has ceased before I do this (therefore leaving the beer in the FV for an extra few days whilst the hops are in there)?

Thanks!

 

[dad_of_jon]

Hello all,

first post here! Sorry if these questions have been answered elsewhere. I've had a look through the FAQ and couldn't find answers.

I have a Better Brew IPA bubbling away in its FV at the minute and I'm trying to work out what the next part of the process looks like for me.

I am thinking that I would rather bottle the beer than barrel it, as my understanding is that barrelling means that it is more likely to spoil the lot if it gurgles (as happened with a previous brew).

A friend with a little more experience seems to think that after fermenting in the FV, the beer must be transferred to the barrel to ferment again (?) and then get bottled. Reading around the internet, I'm under the impression that we should just go straight from the FV to bottles. Am I right?

Also: the beer is being kept at a fairly steady 22 or so degrees. Once bottled (or barrelled), I understand that it's better being left somewhere cooler for clearing. Is cooler the same thing as cold? I have an outside area that doesn't see any sunlight that would probably be cooler than anywhere else in my home and where the temperature will probably get down to single figures overnight. Is this desirable?

Also also: dry hopping: I like a good, hoppy beer (think: St Austell's Proper Job) so I'm contemplating dry-hopping. Should I wait until fermentation has ceased before I do this (therefore leaving the beer in the FV for an extra few days whilst the hops are in there)?

Thanks!

if bottling after the main fermentation has stopped either:

a) transfer to a bottling bucket which already has a cooler priming sugar and boiled water solution at the bottom and rack onto it. then straight into the bottle.

or

b) put a few g's of priming sugar into each bottle and fill directly from bottling bucket.

after you've primed the beer it needs to be in the warm to carb up 7-14 days usually, then send it somewhere cooler/cold.

re hops bung them in the FV after main ferment has finished and about 5 days before packaging your beer.

 

[sessylU]

Thanks. It sounds like a) is the way I want to go. Just to be certain, it doesn't need to spend any time in this second vessel? It's just to get the priming sugars through the beer whilst leaving the yeasty sediment behind?

20 degrees celsius is considered warm?

 

[dad_of_jon]

Thanks. It sounds like a) is the way I want to go. Just to be certain, it doesn't need to spend any time in this second vessel? It's just to get the priming sugars through the beer whilst leaving the yeasty sediment behind?

20 degrees celsius is considered warm?

nope the 2nd vessel is just to get the sugar mixed in evenly plus you're leaving more sediment behind. re: temp around the same temp that fermented the beer in the first place but no more that about 25. plus use at least 1 plastic bottle that had fizzy water or pop in it and once that goes rock hard you know its carbonated. :thumb:

 

[sessylU]

plus use at least 1 plastic bottle that had fizzy water or pop in it and once that goes rock hard you know its carbonated. :thumb:

Clever, clever.

Thanks!

Our plan is to let these sit in the bottles until New Years Eve.

Might have a bash at another in the mean time though, to see me through.

 

[johnnyboy1965]

I think a dedicated "bottling bucket" and a "little bottler" is a really useful bit of kit if your bottling your beer.
The best £20.00 youll spend.

 

[sessylU]

I have a plastic barrel with a tap on it that I'm planning on racking in to. I was planning on trying to get some hose or similar (scuba diving shop?) and maybe a few jubilee clips and making something like a little bottler myself.

 

[Clint]

..the little bottler had a valve at the end that allows the beer you flow when you press down on it. This what makes it so easy to use. You can get one for a fiver from Wilko.

Cheers

Clint

 

[dad_of_jon]

..the little bottler had a valve at the end that allows the beer you flow when you press down on it. This what makes it so easy to use. You can get one for a fiver from Wilko.

Cheers

Clint

+1 for little bottler.

it's approved by the white house! -jump to 2.36 on the link below

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dygQrX8FI3Q[/ame]

 

[sessylU]

Shall dry hop this weekend. Fermentation seems to have stopped. Slightly concerned that the beer looks a darker colour than it did a few days ago (looking through the side of the FV, shining a torch at it). It actually looks to be a lighter colour at the bottom than the top. Shadow being cast by the krausen?

 

[dad_of_jon]

Shall dry hop this weekend. Fermentation seems to have stopped. Slightly concerned that the beer looks a darker colour than it did a few days ago (looking through the side of the FV, shining a torch at it). It actually looks to be a lighter colour at the bottom than the top. Shadow being cast by the krausen?

if your fermenter is tapered at the bottom you're shining a light through less liquid so it should look lighter at the bottom rather than the top as long as the liquid is not pure water :grin: