First bottling session - quick question

[vilbs]

Hi there. I have a batch of St.Peters Golden Ale that has been in the fermenter a couple of weeks. Have newly purchased bottles (and steriliser stuff) ready to go . My question is - is there anything wrong with the following process:

1. Syphon all beer from fermenting bin into a barrel (leaving sediment in bin)
2. Add sugar to barrel
3. Give it a stir - not caring because there is no sediment to mixup
4. Turn barrel tap and gradually fill each bottle then cap?

Also am I being a complete numbnut in not using a hydrometer? :nono:

Many thanks in advance!

 

[BigYin]

all sounds good - sterilise everything - try and not let the beer foam up too much - either in stirring in the sugar, or pouring into the bottles - don't forget to sterilise the bottle caps too.

Don't worry about the hydrometer, it's entirely optional, although it is nice to know what strength the beer came out at - but hardly essential!

 

[LeedsBrewer]

If possible get yourself a bottling stick or a little bottler as they will make the whole process a lot easier and you'll get a lot less splashing of the beer.

The hydrometer is not essential but is a good piece of equipment to have. It only costs around £3 and will let you know when fermentation is complete. Without it you won't know the %ABV of your brew or if you have a stuck fermentation which could cause bottle bombs.

 

[PD]

your 4 point list is ok... but I suggest you swop points 1 and 2 around.
then you won't have to stir and risk oxidising your brew.

 

[vilbs]

Perfect! Thanks guys. I will let you know how I get on :drink:

 

[joe1002]

Welcome to the forum by the way :

 

[vilbs]

Boy was that messy - don't think the wife is going to appreciate her new sticky kitchen floor! Anyway I have no more bottles left and a fair amount left in the barrel. Is it ok now just to leave it in the barrel for a week and then drink as normal or does it need to be thrown away for some reason?

Also one thing I did notice was there was a fair amount of lumps in the beer I was bottling. Is that OK or a sign that things haven't gone well.

Thanks!

 

[LeedsBrewer]

Here is my process:
Initial fermentation for 7 days in FV1
Transfer to FV2 and place in a cold location for 3 or 4 days. (the transfer moves the beer off of the trub and the few days in the cold makes the yeast settle out on the bottom of your fv)
I then boil up my priming sugar in water and add it to my (now empty and cleaned) FV1.
Siphon beer into FV1 - (this mixes the priming sugar into it) Ensure there is minimal splashing as this will cause oxidation.
Then bottle beer using bottling stick.
Keep beer in warm location to carbonate for 2 weeks (3 in the colder months)
Transfer beer to colder location to condition for minimum of 2 weeks.
Drink responsibly. :)

I would go to your local supermarket and buy some 500ml bottles of pop. Empty them out or drink them and then fill them up with beer. Any you leave in the barrel will go flat and stale quickly I think.

 

[pittsy]

now you know why http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/lit ... -p-61.html is worth every penny , you need 2 fv , 1st for brewing in and 2nd with little bottler on it for batch priming .All i do is boil up some water and sugar , cool in then chuck in 2nd fv and transfer beer onto it (no splashing) then bottle with little bottler and i place a tray etc under where i'm doing it , no mess at all . Also some star san ( once say fv is clean by just washing it well , spray with star san ready to use ) no more long sterilizing process and to make life even easier get a bottle try with washer on top . Although costs start to climb with all the gadgets , if i start with washing up clean bottles from my boxes etc and use the 2 fv's, bottle tree with star san, and little bottler it takes around 40 mins , i bet you spent around 2 hrs ?

 

[LeedsBrewer]

took me about 3 and a half hours for my first bottling session! Got a bottle rinser and it's now down to about an hour. :thumb: