Bottling

[Ezza]

I put bottles through dishwasher then use a bottle washer filled with Starsan then on bottle tree to drain then fill with stainless steel bottle filler,and find it quite enjoyable.

 

[Jim Brewster]

I use 2L pop bottles. Less bottles to clean and prime. I clean them in the bath with a dab of bleach and rinse and prime in the kitchen. Then bottle in the shed. Probably takes an hour all in.

Another for the 2 litre bottles. First few brews I had the full bottling and capping experience but was the worst part of making beer for me, but with 2 litre PETs it's an absolute breeze. Beer keeps fine over a couple of days once opened and the bulges at the bottom of the bottle are good for hanging on to the yeast sediment too.

 

[Nidger]

I've just bought a bench capper (arriving tomorrow) and I was wondering what to mount it too, hadn't thought of using an off cut (duh!!) so thanks for that!!

I haven't mounted mine.
Just put it on a teatowel on the kitchen top and line bottles in height as said.

 

[Nidger]

Another for the 2 litre bottles. First few brews I had the full bottling and capping experience but was the worst part of making beer for me, but with 2 litre PETs it's an absolute breeze. Beer keeps fine over a couple of days once opened and the bulges at the bottom of the bottle are good for hanging on to the yeast sediment too.

Haha. Yeah I've noticed that with the yeast although it still gets a little cloudy after first pour.
Don't know about a few days
I always finish one anyway

 

[Stu123]

I use 330 ml glass bottles and rinse out well after use, then a quick sanitise and rinse before filling and capping with a hand crimper. I batch prime. I reckon it takes me about an hour and a bit for 60 odd bottles. Its all part of the fun, have to do this twice a month as we get through about four bottles a night between us. I guess if we drank much more I would go for the keg solution.

 

[steve123]

One thing that would speed the process up is a quicker flow rate from the plastic fermenters. If there was a big tap on reckon this would speed the whole process up. Does anyone know if you can get bigger taps?

 

[yrhendystu]

I find that I can fill a 2L bottle with a syphon and tap in under a minute, it's about the right duration to allow me to get the next bottle ready, put the top on the previous one etc

 

[jeg3]

I want to look at conical fermenters in the future but they are quite expensive. Is it a stainless steel one you have? Do you batch prime under pressure? Do you use priming sugar or Co2?

i batch prime using table sugar. Stir it gently in so it's all mixed. I've got an Ss Brewtech Brewmaster bucket - yes it is expensive - I've found the beer is much clearer going into the bottle than syphoning from a bottling bucket.

I've haven't tried bottling under pressure but I don't think the right level of carbonation via CO2 is possible with the bucket because it can only seal a few PSI, I think a chronicle or unitank would be required for that.

 

[Victor Churchill]

Collected nearly 2 brews-worth of flip-top bottles over the years (happy memories of driving back from camping holidays in France with a crate of Fischers in the boot

I used to just syphon straight into the bottle from the FV (held the bottom of the tube in place with a couple of magnets salvaged from old computer disc drives, one attached to the tube and one on the outside of the barrel) - hectic, quick, messy.

Now it's rack into bottling barrel pre-loaded with priming solution, lift bottling barel, bottle with wand attached direct to tap. Torch on one side to help view the level as you go. I do find that the wand lows down the fow considerably, and it's quite sensitive to how firmly you depress the spring plunger at the bottom -- presss the bottle too hard agains the pin and it actually slows down. So a 21-litre-ish brew takes about 45-60 minutes to get done.

The bottles, I try to rinse straight after use, then in the dishwasher for a 70 degree cycle and flip them closed while still hot then store till bottling day.

 

[moto748]

Although it sounds awful considering the efforts some of you guys make, I have to say I've never bothered with a bottling wand, In fact, on the contrary, I simply siphon from demi-johns into a large 2 litre jug, and fill the bottles from that. I'm sure that means too much aeration or something, but I can't say it's ever caused me any problems. I used to bottle direct from the demi-john, but it was a bit messy with too much spillage.

 

[moto748]

I realise the above post may be sufficient grounds to have me branded and cast out into the wilderness....

 

[trummy]

I have always used a syphon tube straight into the bottles that I stand in a plastic bowl to try and contain spillage.
Lack of allowed brewing space and subsequent storage has forced me to economise on kit. I use PBs as FVs.

 

[AXW123]

I use swing top bottles. Wash after use and run through dishwasher. Put lids on and store in crates. On bottling day I run them all through the sanitise function of the dishwasher without powder and place in crate. Then bottle directly from the conical fermenter into bottles in the crate using a wand. Takes me less than an hour and even less if my son helps with closing lids. I don’t use Starsan. Haven’t had a problem to date.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

Probably a couple of hours.

Takes ages for me to bottle 20L. Though most of that time is spent waiting for bottles to soak in sterilizer, then applying bottle brush & rinsing

Use no rinse sanitiser. Contact time is 30 seconds.

 

[latchy]

I'm currently using PET 500ml bottles, consuming my 1st brew made in them as I type this (brewmaker premium pilsner) but am considering getting swing tops, I have found 85 for £30 including 3 crates! near me.

 

[latchy]

Missed out on them bottles so messaged the seller, but they had taken them to the tip !!!!!! What a waste

 

[Tommo 2]

It's such a faff! Surely the biggest efficiency change you could make is to use plastic screwcap PET bottles instead of glass and caps.

Personally I'm loathed to do this - it ruins the romance and I don't want all the plastic in my life.

Are bench cappers faster/easier to use? My plastic hand capper can take three or four presses before I'm happy that rhe cap is seated properly...

Best purchase I ever made was a bench capper makes bottling a breeze , don’t just buy a cheap and nasty , do some research on the internet and get a decent one you only have to buy once an bottling becomes so much less of a chore, think I paid around fifty quid about five years ago and works like a rolls Royce and I will never need another one

 

[Tommo 2]

Bench cappers are great, my bottles are different sizes so put them in order of the same size, did them adjusted the height of the capper and continued. I timed I could do about 5-6 a minute.

ive got a bottling wand but found it took slightly longer that having a small tap on the end of the tube. I will have to try it again as not spent much time using it.

The whole point in using a bottling wand is the fact using one reduces the amount of oxygen in your beer when bottling , using a tap on the end of a syphon surely lets a ton of air into your bottle causing oxidation, definitely not good for beer

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Rince with this device attached to outside tap, spray with Easyclean no rince, then rince again, sugar, fill and cap. 34 bottles of NZIPA today.

 

[trummy]

I read this thread and thought a bottling wand would be a good idea - got one and discarded it after two bottles filled (too slow) to revert to my usual method - use the syphon tube and just squeeze it hard to reduce flow when swapping from one bottle to another. Lose a bit of beer into the bowl the bottles are in (but I drink that at the end.) Had a play after, and found the wand may work better if the bottom of the FV is about 2ft6inch above the top of the bottles, always used to have the height differential about 12 inches.
Will try the wand next brew but will have to reposition my FV and bottles. So if using a wand make sure you have a good height differential.
One extra point, I have never had a problem with beer deteriorating using just the tube and nipping from bottle to bottle, oxygenation, is it really a problem (without being stupid?)