Bottling Tips and Pics
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,068
    Here is an overview of how I bottle. If anyone has another way or something that makes their bottling day go easier please post it here I'll continue to edit this first post to include as many good tips as we come up with (buy some kegs is not a valid tip).


    HBF Bottling Tips
    -Give your beer plenty of time to carb properly. Three weeks at 70 degrees is a rule of thumb I use as a MINIMUM. Bigger beers may take longer.




    The following is a brief overview of how I bottle.
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,068
    On the left is a double chocolate stout, the right is the Wicked Angel IIPA from Brewkit Quarterly here on HBF and in the middle is an oatmeal stout (yum). Normally I keg but the IIPA I wanted to send around to some of HBF and the double chocolate stout is bigger than I want to have on tap, more of a long age grab a bottle now and then kind of beer.
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    2560 x 1440 - 586K
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,068
    Here is a close up of the valve and dip tube assembly. The dip tube is a cut down racking cane plus the appropriate sized drilled bung, #2 I think. Yes the countertops were redone in 1957.
    IMAG0517.jpg
    2560 x 1440 - 584K
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,068
    I bottle over the open dishwasher door. This way the mess is contained and the bottles are right there on the door handy. After a clean load is unloaded I spray the bottom rack with sanitizer and put the freshly sanitized bottles on the rack to drip. I only sanitize twenty bottles or so at a time so that I can fill and cap them while they are still wet. With the bottling wand attached to the spout with a trimmed piece of racking tubing leaves plenty of room to slide a bottle under the wand.
    IMAG0518.jpg
    1440 x 2560 - 596K
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,068
    Now that I've made sure everything is sanitized and in working order I'll rack the black gold. I don't bother cooling off the priming solution. I just pour it down the side of the bucket right when I start racking. That little bit of hot sugar water won't raise the temp on five gallons much at all. And the swirling action from racking mixes everything together very well.
    IMAG0522.jpg
    1440 x 2560 - 629K
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,068
    With the dip tube this is how much is left. No need to tip the bucket or such nonsense.
    IMAG0525.jpg
    2560 x 1440 - 413K
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,068
    And there it is. 97 bottles of beer on the table. Tomorrow when the caps are dry I'll mark them and put them in a dark corner.
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    2560 x 1440 - 616K
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,068
    Here is why I do a quick check and wet run with sanitizer before I rack the beer. Every other time I have bottled the wand fit tightly enough that I didn't need a clamp of any type. This time I kept falling out so I zip tied it.
    IMAG0521.jpg
    1440 x 2560 - 540K
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,068
    Hehehe, you guys probably know more about me than you should by looking at the background in the pictures....
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • ThymThym
    Posts: 122,708
    Great write up!
    The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,068
    Thanks. I hate bottling. Especially since I have 10 damn kegs. Well, nine now, the one has been haranged by the wife's root beer... But I like having bottles around. Once I get the taps built I'll probably just bottle form there, but in the mean time....
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    Your counter tops were put in the year I was born ......


    I have thought about doing a similar method .... but I am too lazy to put a valve on my bottling bucket ......

    Nice write up ... and pics. Well done
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
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