I do have the wand which took me a while to figure out what it was but all of a sudden it came to me. Ha, ha. When you say clean the bottles not sanitize them do I put them in the dish washer without any jet dry,etc. and run them in very hot water? I do have two extra cases of beer bottles along with an extra bag of caps. Do I use the Star San to sterilize them then place them upside down to dry them on paper towels right before I bottle my beer? When I put my corn sugar in my large bucket and add my cream stout to it do I bottle right away or wait? When I bottle the beer and cap them you said to store them somewhere where it is at least 70 degrees right? I can place them on my dining room table for as long as they need and won’t be disturbed. Wow, although this is really fun and very interesting I didn't know how difficult it is to do it right. I couldn’t imagine doing this years ago without the help from this website or the internet. I guess I should have read my book in it entirety before jumping the gun.
Thanks again,
John
dhempy wrote:+ 1 for what the others have said.
I wouldn't "sanitize" the bottles until right before you bottle ... go ahead and get them clean but sanitizing is an early part of the bottling process. Be sure to have your corn sugar (or other "priming agent"), caps, and enough bottles (plus 10 extras just in case .. ask me how I know!) and equipment lined up before you start. Do you have any questions on what you need to bottle or the process?
One thing to consider if you don't already have one is a bottling wand as it helps get the head space correct and has a valve at the bottom that stop flow when you're changing bottles. It works well with a siphon or with a CO2 "push".
If you like the taste, then don't worry about the specifics just yet. Also, try to get the bottles into the 70 degree range for carbonating. I let mine sit for 3 weeks and then 3 days in the fridge. The 3 days in the fridge is to allow for as much CO2 absorption as possible ... CO2 absorption is inversely related to temperature ... 3 and 3 are overkill for sure but patients is a brewing necessity ... wait until you start brewing lagers! I'm not sure what the recommended times are any longer (I've done 3 and 3 for a long time) ... 2 weeks probably for fermenting and just cold for chilling. You can sample along the way if you choose 2 weeks, 3 weeks, etc. ... a stout will age well ... set a bottle or two away for 6 months and see if you can tell the difference.
1) When you say clean the bottles not sanitize them do I put them in the dish washer without any jet dry,etc. and run them in very hot water?
I've never done the dishwasher thing ... I don't trust that the water gets in there enough. Cleaning depends on what state the bottles are in. For me, I try to avoid the crusty moldy bottles and I rinse them very well immediately after they are empty. So in general, they are relatively clean before I start. Assuming that this isn't the case, then use whatever method available to get any junk out ... I've used hot water with OxyClean, brush, and one of those faucet pressure gizmos to get 'em clean (that is why I always rinse before I put bottles away). The they bottles are relatively clean, then a good rinse is all that is necessary.
2) Do I use the Star San to sterilize them then place them upside down to dry them on paper towels right before I bottle my beer?
That is the idea ... I typically use Iodophor and a bottle tree. You may find that upside down is like a string of dominoes ready to tip over. If you can borrow one, a bottle tree is the way to go. My tree has the sanitizer injector on top so it is really convenient.
3) When I put my corn sugar in my large bucket and add my cream stout to it do I bottle right away or wait?
No waiting necessary ... you'll just want to be sure it is well mixed. Boil the corn sugar in a small amount of water for a few minutes to kill any nastys and help absorption, then as you say, put it in your sanitized bottling bucket, rack your beer over the top of it, and bottle away.
4) When I bottle the beer and cap them you said to store them somewhere where it is at least 70 degrees right?
Yes, you will want to wake up the yeast so that it will process the corn sugar into a bit more alcohol and the desired CO2.
Don't forget to sanitize the caps before you put them on the bottle.
Thanks Dan, sounds like it's going to be a busy day for me today and tomorrow.
John
dhempy wrote:
tikitatt wrote:Thanks Dan,
1) When you say clean the bottles not sanitize them do I put them in the dish washer without any jet dry,etc. and run them in very hot water?
I've never done the dishwasher thing ... I don't trust that the water gets in there enough. Cleaning depends on what state the bottles are in. For me, I try to avoid the crusty moldy bottles and I rinse them very well immediately after they are empty. So in general, they are relatively clean before I start. Assuming that this isn't the case, then use whatever method available to get any junk out ... I've used hot water with OxyClean, brush, and one of those faucet pressure gizmos to get 'em clean (that is why I always rinse before I put bottles away). The they bottles are relatively clean, then a good rinse is all that is necessary.
2) Do I use the Star San to sterilize them then place them upside down to dry them on paper towels right before I bottle my beer?
That is the idea ... I typically use Iodophor and a bottle tree. You may find that upside down is like a string of dominoes ready to tip over. If you can borrow one, a bottle tree is the way to go. My tree has the sanitizer injector on top so it is really convenient.
3) When I put my corn sugar in my large bucket and add my cream stout to it do I bottle right away or wait?
No waiting necessary ... you'll just want to be sure it is well mixed. Boil the corn sugar in a small amount of water for a few minutes to kill any nastys and help absorption, then as you say, put it in your sanitized bottling bucket, rack your beer over the top of it, and bottle away.
4) When I bottle the beer and cap them you said to store them somewhere where it is at least 70 degrees right?
Yes, you will want to wake up the yeast so that it will process the corn sugar into a bit more alcohol and the desired CO2.
Don't forget to sanitize the caps before you put them on the bottle.
Kegging is a wonderful thing. It seems the longer one brews the more equipment one wants or maybe that's needs. Until you get a bottle tree your dish washer rack should do a good job of holding the sanitized bottles.
I'm not sure why, but high finishing gravity seems to be a common issue with novice brewers... I know I dealt with it for quite a while. It would be rare to finish anything below 1.020 in my first half a dozen batches. I'm not even sure what I did process-wise that changed it, but I've been fine since.
In a cream stout, though, finishing a little sweet isn't a bad thing. Especially with a 38 IBU recipe -- the sweetness will help.
I was able to borrow a bottle tree from my cousin but good to know I can use my dish washer into a tree as well. I think the washer would make it easier to dry in.
jward wrote:Kegging is a wonderful thing. It seems the longer one brews the more equipment one wants or maybe that's needs. Until you get a bottle tree your dish washer rack should do a good job of holding the sanitized bottles.
bwarbiany wrote:I'm not sure why, but high finishing gravity seems to be a common issue with novice brewers... I know I dealt with it for quite a while. It would be rare to finish anything below 1.020 in my first half a dozen batches. I'm not even sure what I did process-wise that changed it, but I've been fine since.
I had this problem at first too. I think it's partly due to extract, which I think is generally less fermentable than the wort I produce. I also think that yeast maintenance may be part of the problem. For whatever reason this seems to be something that doesn't get enough attention. I know it took me quite a while to start pitching proper quantities of yeast, maintaining good fermentation temperatures, getting enough oxygen and nutrients into the wort, etc.
You know I don't think it's going to be fun messing up my beer until I get it all down.
bwarbiany wrote:I'm not sure why, but high finishing gravity seems to be a common issue with novice brewers... I know I dealt with it for quite a while. It would be rare to finish anything below 1.020 in my first half a dozen batches. I'm not even sure what I did process-wise that changed it, but I've been fine since.
In a cream stout, though, finishing a little sweet isn't a bad thing. Especially with a 38 IBU recipe -- the sweetness will help.
One of the many things where I went wrong is keeping the lid on while mashing. I didn't loose any water boiling down which may have caused the alcohol to be so low. Am I right about this?
brahn wrote:
bwarbiany wrote:I'm not sure why, but high finishing gravity seems to be a common issue with novice brewers... I know I dealt with it for quite a while. It would be rare to finish anything below 1.020 in my first half a dozen batches. I'm not even sure what I did process-wise that changed it, but I've been fine since.
I had this problem at first too. I think it's partly due to extract, which I think is generally less fermentable than the wort I produce. I also think that yeast maintenance may be part of the problem. For whatever reason this seems to be something that doesn't get enough attention. I know it took me quite a while to start pitching proper quantities of yeast, maintaining good fermentation temperatures, getting enough oxygen and nutrients into the wort, etc.
tikitatt wrote:One of the many things where I went wrong is keeping the lid on while mashing. I didn't loose any water boiling down which may have caused the alcohol to be so low. Am I right about this?
Mashing or Boiling? You probably didn't "Mash" with an extract kit ... so let's assume it was boiling. If you actually retained water versus boil off your starting gravity would have been LOWER because boiling fluid off concentrates the sugars in the fluid left behind ... the wort. I don't think this affects fermentability as much as other things .. like the fermentable content of the extract and yeast pitching (I agree with all of Brent's points ...). Just another thought .. if you had left the lid on while steeping the grains ... I don't think that would matter either way.
I was so consumed in brewing my beer I forgot to keep a log. I joined BeerSmith and will use that for my next batch this weekend. I'm making Eric's Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and forgot what he calls it. This time I will write everything down so I won't have as many issues when I mess up. I'll know exactly what I did wrong. Ha, ha
dhempy wrote:
tikitatt wrote:One of the many things where I went wrong is keeping the lid on while mashing. I didn't loose any water boiling down which may have caused the alcohol to be so low. Am I right about this?
Mashing or Boiling? You probably didn't "Mash" with an extract kit ... so let's assume it was boiling. If you actually retained water versus boil off your starting gravity would have been LOWER because boiling fluid off concentrates the sugars in the fluid left behind ... the wort. I don't think this affects fermentability as much as other things .. like the fermentable content of the extract and yeast pitching (I agree with all of Brent's points ...). Just another thought .. if you had left the lid on while steeping the grains ... I don't think that would matter either way.
I want to pay dues and drink your beer. Haven't seen that option. Maybe I haven't cruised the site enough. Well, Eric at Addison is,apparently the man to see, so ill just head down there today after work
tikitatt wrote:I was so consumed in brewing my beer I forgot to keep a log. I joined BeerSmith and will use that for my next batch this weekend. I'm making Eric's Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and forgot what he calls it.
For the record it is called High Sierra Pale Ale and you can thank bwarbiany for the recipe. I have given this out many times and every talks about how good it is. That and brewmasterbrad's Angel's red and Dr.Dually's Belgian Triprel. Thanks guys, you are making many a brewer happy.
An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk with his fools. - Hemingway
