To Bottle Or Not To Bottle

[Siborg]

Hi

This is my first post here, but I'm not entirely new to brewing. I'm halfway through my third attempt, with the first attempt being a failure, and the second attempt being OK (Coopers recipe: Unreal Ale: Real Ale kit + Light Malt) if a little on the sweet side. All using a coopers home brew set.

I went down to LiquorCraft in Heidelberg (Vic) and bought a Cascade Pale Ale inspired kit which contained a pale ale tin, a bag of pale ale kit converter and a bag of soft hops pellets, which I didn't realise was in the bag until I poured it (bag and all) into the mixture.

So I had two or three sets of instructions, so I mixed and matched (some of them were a little contradictory)

I boiled the kit converter (sugar) in 2 litres of water and, after retrieving the bag from the mixture, simmered the hops pellets for a min as per the instructions. Ok, now here is where I got confused and I think I did the wrong thing. It said to optionally, strain the mixture to reduce the sediment but reduce the effect of the hops. Not having a strainer, I opted to throw the whole lot in and increase the effect of the hops.

So, with little to no action through the airlock (as usual), its been 6 days and I've taken 2 readings and gotten 1.015 first and this arvo got 1.012 which is where it said to stop (I'll take another reading later to make sure). The problem I have is that, you guessed it, I have slivers of hops everywhere, and the mix is quite cloudy. Have I f**ked up completely or should I have a go at straining/bottling. Or should I just throw the whole lot out and try again. By the way, I used the cleaner that they sell at the home brew shop and sanitised all equipment in the fermenter before I began, so I doubt, although I can't rule it out, that its become infected. Besides that, it smells and tastes fine and the SG reading says that it has fermented.

Sorry for the long post, but I want to get good at this and move to some more advanced brewing when I can master this basic stuff. Any thoughts much appreciated.

 

[RdeVjun]

Hi Si & welcome to the boards!

it smells and tastes fine and the SG reading says that it has fermented.

There's your answer, so just bottle it! Will be just fine, don't you dare even consider tossing that batch!

The hops debris is sometimes a mild PITA at bottling but that's about it. If you think it will be too much trouble, i.e. block the bottling gadget, then rack it to another bottling cube/ fermenter beforehand. I've bottled from primary with whole and pelletised hops in the fermenter, occasionally you get a bit giving you some gyp, just close the tap, and clear it, but on the whole no drama. Most should settle out, and the cloudiness should clear up after a week or two in the bottle.

What you've done is fine too, should nudge up the aroma spectrum nicely, basically that's a late hops addition and many kits are woefully deficient in it. You'll probably make more late additions when you realise how good the beer tastes!

Hope this helps, good luck! :icon_cheers:

Edit: Any extra time in the fermenter should be fine too, will only help clear it up and reduce the time needed to condition in bottles. If you're really worried about the clarity then drop some gelatine in too, 10g in a cup of water just off the boil or even search for hops tea + gelatine.

 

[glaab]

Hi Siborg,
welcome to the forum. I have thrown hops straight into the fermenter plenty of times, boiled or not and never had any problems. It should settle in the fermenter. Just battle it as normal. You're probably like me and prefer your beers bitter. Real ale is one of the most bitter Coopers kits, about 30IBU. The malt extract makes it seem sweeter, you might prefer it with be1 or be2, it'll seem much more bitter.
Cheers

 

[Melthar]

One thing that could be worth doing (if you're patient enough) is leave it another few days to a week in the fermenter to allow some of the hops to settle at the bottom. Other options along the same lines would be to use finings, or to chill the whole fermenter for a couple of days to help drop it out.

Throwing the hops into the fermenter is not going to ruin your beer, just need time for them to settle, and it's easier if it's in the fermenter, vs in the bottle.

 

[rendo]

Hi Siborg...
DONT DARE THROW IT....if it tastes nice now, it is only going to get better. U have a winner there, dont worry!

I almost always just chuck my hops in like that, and yes, I get hop floaters etc etc. There is nothing to worry about.

Its been 6 days? There will be no harm in leaving in another few days at all. It will help settle things down even further and help the beer kinda mellow a bit. I'd recommend that.

Then bottle it. Once it is in the bottle, even if there is hops floaters, after a week or so in the bottle all those floaties will be stuck on the bottom with the yeast sediment.

Jackpot!

Rendo

PS.... dont shake your beer bottles before you open them

 

[Siborg]

Thanks for the advice guys. Thats good to hear. At least its not a whole batch wasted. I'll give it another couple of days. I'll have to set the wet towel up again, cause its warming up again down here.

Re the coopers Real Ale, (it was BE2, I think), yeah the malt did give it that sweeter taste. I was really worried cause my brother poured it in too fast while I was stirring and it solidified into this massive chunk of malt in the fermenter (probably should have mixed it with boiling first). But it all dissolved during fermentation and came out nicely. I have to say, I am quite proud of that batch and if it only improves with age (I started drinking it from just under 2 weeks in the bottle - been a month or so now), then all the better. Hopefully I can keep improving my method to make consistently good beer too.


p.s. whats a good comeback to the "why don't you just go to the bottle'O and grab a slab" taunts I get from my unenlightened brother?

 

[RdeVjun]

p.s. whats a good comeback to the "why don't you just go to the bottle'O and grab a slab" taunts I get from my unenlightened brother?

IMO the best retort would in fact be none at all. That way you can keep the good stuff you're about to bottle to yourself B) , while smart arsed sibling can just keep sucking down the slab o' swill! Tell him you tipped it!! :lol:

 

[Kleiny]

p.s. whats a good comeback to the "why don't you just go to the bottle'O and grab a slab" taunts I get from my unenlightened brother?

Pass him a homebrew and tell him to shut the F$&k UP! (hes your brother he will still love you)

 

[Siborg]

Just ordered a coopers pale ale on tap at a pub in the city. While I've been having a bit of this lately, I never took note of how cloudy it is. Mine looks a lot like it, except for the flakes of hops which I'm not too concerned about now, thanks to you guys... Beer rules. And to think... 6 years ago I would have passed on a beer for a Jim beam and coke: what was I thinking!

 

[Gavo]

p.s. whats a good comeback to the "why don't you just go to the bottle'O and grab a slab" taunts I get from my unenlightened brother?

And while you're telling him to shut up don't forget to remind him of the price diff, satisfaction of making your own, better beer, etc...

Sounds like you have kicked off to a good start. The hops will settle in the fermenter, and if they don't, don't worry.

Gavo.

 

[Siborg]

Its been 6 days? There will be no harm in leaving in another few days at all. It will help settle things down even further and help the beer kinda mellow a bit. I'd recommend that.

Then bottle it. Once it is in the bottle, even if there is hops floaters, after a week or so in the bottle all those floaties will be stuck on the bottom with the yeast sediment.

How long should I leave it for... maximum? I wanna just bottle it now.

 

[manticle]

Sorry for the long post, but I want to get good at this and move to some more advanced brewing when I can master this basic stuff. Any thoughts much appreciated.

How long should I leave it for... maximum? I wanna just bottle it now.

I know you want to just bottle it now but waiting a bit will only help the brew. Maturation occurs after primary ferment and a certain amount of yeast cake helps that process along. If you leave it 3-5 days after hitting stable gravity it will be a good thing. You could happily leave it longer. If you have a fridge and you can stick it in there to drop the temp to 2 degrees for that time again (3-5 days) it will be even better.

You can bottle once it's finished fermenting no problem (as long as you know it really has) but extra time makes better beer.

 

[Siborg]

I know you want to just bottle it now but waiting a bit will only help the brew. Maturation occurs after primary ferment and a certain amount of yeast cake helps that process along. If you leave it 3-5 days after hitting stable gravity it will be a good thing. You could happily leave it longer. If you have a fridge and you can stick it in there to drop the temp to 2 degrees for that time again (3-5 days) it will be even better.

You can bottle once it's finished fermenting no problem (as long as you know it really has) but extra time makes better beer.

Yeah, cheers. Unfortunately, I don't have a fridge at the moment. I have got one that doesn't work coming my way to keep my fermenter in during primary so I can shelter it from the heat. At the moment I'm using an old wooden cupboard, which doesn't like the dampness.

Would it be worth trying to repair this fridge, maybe? If I can do it cheap enough, I might have a crack at it. I think the motor has burnt out and I know the seal is crap.

On a side note: I'm checking out some of this forum's users' kegging setups and I'm inspired. I want to step up from the occasional brew, to more serious. I'm thinking I'll start off with another fermenter so I can have more than I brew on at a time, then have a look at a basic kegging setup.

 

[Screwtop]

Try if you can to give it a week after fermentation finishes (same Hydro reading three days in a row). This gives time for the yeast to clean up after itself and for suspended matter to drop out, no need for temp control after fermentetion has ceased. However keeping it cold for a couple of days really clears the beer and guards against infections. If you have a fridge to put it in for the last 3 days it would be great.

Cheers,

Screwy

 

[RdeVjun]

Hey Si, you can start using that fridge just as it is! Dead fridges plus regular changes of frozen bottles of water will make a significant improvement to your beers. Twice- daily changes at the height of summer, less- so at other times and generally none in winter, in fact sometimes a hot water bottle is needed. Stability rather than a particular temperature is important, the closer to 20C though, or slightly less if you can manage, then the better. If you can fix the fridge then that's cool too, hook up a Tempmate or similar controller and it is just happy days!

Oh, that's fine for ales I should add, doing lagers like this at 10-12C will be a real challenge in summer (ales are easily manageable at 18-20C though). I have both ale and lager fridges running at the moment, but I have an old surplus datalogger for a controller, it has capacity for eight fridges but I'm only using a pair for now, that's almost enough! I have yet another fridge in the wings...

An extra fermenter or three will make life so easy, the big green shed has excellent 25L water drums for less than twenty clams. Grab a tap, toss the lid, but before doing so, salvage the ring seal and use that to hold some cling film in place- no pesky air lock! If you're lucky, you might just squeeze four of them in the fridge like that too.

I second Screwy's sentiments, so get lazy and leave it in there for a while longer if you possibly can, then crash chill for the last few days. More fermenters will help in achieving this while helping to lift production to an acceptable level too. Sounds like you're getting the hang of it! :icon_cheers:

 

[Siborg]

Checked my brew this arvo... Still getting the same reading (1.012). But it tastes and smells oh so much nicer since when I first posted this thread. I'm thinking I may give it till tomorrow arvo and bottle it. That will be just over a week in the fermenter. I'll probably go out and get another fermenter and kit this week (when I get paid) and chuck another brew or two on. My only problem is bottles. Where's the cheapest place you can get them from. I'll have to look into kegging, but I'll need a working fridge and some taps (I have high standards after seeing some of the setups on here).

RdeVjun, you're talking about bunnings, yeah? Sounds like a cheaper way to gain a few extra fermenters. My air lock hasn't done anything... ever. I've never seen it bubble and I've made sure my fermenter is air tight ie. it moves the liquid in the air lock if i squeeze the tub. Got any more info on what you suggested?

 

[zebba]

My only problem is bottles. Where's the cheapest place you can get them from. I'll have to look into kegging, but I'll need a working fridge and some taps (I have high standards after seeing some of the setups on here).

Add your location into the profile. The generosity of AHB'ers never ceases to amaze me. You just need to let them know where you are

 

[Siborg]

Add your location into the profile. The generosity of AHB'ers never ceases to amaze me. You just need to let them know where you are

Done and done

 

[rendo]

Hi Siborg,

As HARD as it is ..(we all know the anguish and eagerness to bottle it, so u can drink your creation) just wait. I'd say bottle it on friday earliest or just leave it for the weekend. You wont regret it. Use the force or something??

Checked my brew this arvo... Still getting the same reading (1.012). But it tastes and smells oh so much nicer since when I first posted this thread. I'm thinking I may give it till tomorrow arvo and bottle it. That will be just over a week in the fermenter. I'll probably go out and get another fermenter and kit this week (when I get paid) and chuck another brew or two on. My only problem is bottles. Where's the cheapest place you can get them from. I'll have to look into kegging, but I'll need a working fridge and some taps (I have high standards after seeing some of the setups on here).

RdeVjun, you're talking about bunnings, yeah? Sounds like a cheaper way to gain a few extra fermenters. My air lock hasn't done anything... ever. I've never seen it bubble and I've made sure my fermenter is air tight ie. it moves the liquid in the air lock if i squeeze the tub. Got any more info on what you suggested?

 

[manticle]

@Siborg: You can buy coopers PET bottles from K-mart. I can't remember how much but they're re-usable and specifically made for beer.

I use Coopers glass longnecks but you either need to buy them full and empty them yourself or find a donor. I started with the first method - I know have a regular supplier.

You could invite 5 mates around for a barbie and get them to bring 5 coopers longnecks each. You buy 5 aqnd supply the meat etc. You'll have empties in no time.