Comments

1. mike says:

   December 28, 2011 at 10:18 pm

   home brewing beer; bottling questions?
   i have the Premium Mr. Beer home brewing kit. my beer has been fermenting for one week now, and it says in the instructions to ferment for 1-2 weeks. well, i tried i tiny bit today by drawing some out from the tap. it’s cloudy, but tastes like slightly carbonated beer and isn’t sweet, which i find odd because the bottling process is what gives it carbonation.

   so, i actually have 2 questions: is my beer ready to bottle? and also, it says to use granulated white sugar, but i’ve heard about using corn syrup, dextrose sugar, and other types of sugars. Also, there’s the method of putting the sugar in the bottle and adding the beer, and then the method of using a priming bucket.

   so basically: Is my beer ready? which way should i bottle it? and what type of sugar should i use?
2. Question! says:

   January 21, 2012 at 8:08 pm

   What type of bottles should be used when bottling home brewed beer?
   I wanted to buy a kit for my dad’s birthday but i saw that it comes with plastic bottles with plastic screw on caps. I was wondering if those were like completely unholy in the world of home-brewing. I think you can also use sanitized reused screw on glass bottles but I’m not sure. Please help and give your opinion on which bottles are best. Thanks!
3. bruddah_chrispy says:

   February 13, 2012 at 11:36 pm

   There are a couple of ways to determine if your beer is ready for bottling:
   - Has the airlock stopped all activity? I don’t know anything about the Mr. Beer kits, but most fermenters have an airlock to allow CO2 to escape and prevent air from getting in. During the early part of fermentation this will be bubbling away like mad and will quickly slow down. Just let it continue until there is no activity at all. And then wait a couple of days.
   - Have you reached final gravity? If you have a hydrometer and are taking gravity readings you should reach a point where you are at or near your target gravity and readings from day to day show no change. I don’t necessarily advise doing this if you are new to brewing because every time you take a reading you are exposing the beer to potential contamination.
   - Has enough time passed? Assuming you started with reasonably healthy yeast there is no problem allowing the beer to sit in the fermenter for a while. Let it sit for an extra week just to be sure. The reason most folks perform a secondary fermentation dates back to the days when we were using old dry yeast which experienced an early die off and exposed the beer to otolisis. With modern liquid yeasts, especially if a starter is used, there is little danger of that. Many people are now moving away from a secondary fermentation unless they are adding fruits or are dry-hopping.

   As to bottling it, using a bottling bucket is much easier. Boil the appropriate amount of bottling sugar in a pint of water to sanitize it, cool it to the temperature of your fermenter, and add it to the bottling bucket when you rack the beer. The appropriate amount of bottling sugar depends on the style of beer you are making. Your recipe (or a web search) will tell you the suggested volume of CO2 for the style of beer. There are web-based calculators that will tell you the amount of sugar you’ll need for the volume and temperature of beer to hit that volume of CO2.

   In addition to Charlie Papazian’s excellent book, I’d recommend John Palmer’s “How to Brew”.

   Also, the Brew Strong podcast recently did a segment on making excellent beer from kits, look for it on the Brewing Network and give it a listen.

   Have Fun!
4. Alstar says:

   March 2, 2012 at 7:33 am

   I brew beer at a local U Brew. I use green plastic half or one quart bottles that I purchased there.New plastic caps are supplied for every visit. These bottles can be reused dozens of times without replacing them. Some people use the brown glass bottles with the old fashion lids that are permanently attached. Either one of these type of bottles work very well. I prefer the plastic ones because they are cheaper to replace them if you accidently break .the glass ones. The glass ones are harder to find and are more expensive.I haven’t see or heard of the screw on caps for glass bottles. Here’s a few other tips. Rinse them out after use to prevent mold forming at the bottom of the bottle. Homebrew kits make cloudy beer. The beer from a U Brew is filtered clear and carbonated.The key to any good beer is to keep the bottles well sanitized before refilling, keep the beer cold for longer shelf life and keep them out of the light.Cheers!
5. Stephen P says:

   March 8, 2012 at 3:43 pm

   The best thing to do is to look in the phone book for supply stores. Then ask them if their is any beer making clubs in the area, or ask them for info. I make my own beer and wine and joining a club is a awesome way to learn. I personally havent kegged my brew I just use bottles. I do wish to use kegs. Good luck my friend.
6. Boomer Wisdom says:

   March 14, 2012 at 6:41 am

   I generally brewed ales, but found that lagers were also capable of being emptied within a week. (Nothing to do with beer-brewing, plenty to do with self-discipline!)

   Seriously, I would pull bottles on a weekly basis and see how they had matured. Surprisingly, I found that lagers hit a certain point, and pretty much stayed the same. Some of the ales often were better if I let them age longer (months, these would be IPAs). I would simply suggest you sample occasionally and declare them ready when you like the blended tones on your tongue. And save out a six pack of lagers for a couple months to learn from. Heavy malt and heavy hopping allows and needs longer aging times.

   Your beer is best understood by your own educated tongue. Good luck, have fun, and don’t forget to invite me over to sample your next batch!

   (PS: Original Pilsners have a clear color, but plenty of alcohol and can be aged longer. American and Aussie “pilsners,” made with less less malt and hops and way-too-much water, will not age as long.)
7. crazy_canadian99 says:

   March 14, 2012 at 8:08 pm

   I am home brewing beer and was wondering how long I should let the beer age after bottling?
   The beer is a pilsner
8. Robin Darkmere says:

   March 14, 2012 at 8:09 pm

   How is home brewed beer bottle conditioned?
   I am about to begin home brewing and I wopuld like to bottle condition the beer I brew. How is it done? Anyone on here know?
9. The Geezer says:

   March 15, 2012 at 9:10 am

   dont forget when you bottle it ..remember to put 1/2 teaspoon of suger in bottles to ferment them further….and make sure it has finished fermenting in the barrel…
10. dazeoff says:

    March 15, 2012 at 3:11 pm

    Where can I find the best info on home beer brewing using kegging not bottling?
    I have purchased a complete kit to brew and keg beer. I can’t seem to find real good info on how to do it. I expect the kit will include some form of instructions (it should be here Tuesday) but I’d like to read up on it today. I figured there has to be a god website someone knows about with complete information on this subject!!

    Thanks for any help you can offer!!