Bottling a Batch

After 6 days the batch I brewed last week was getting ready to bottle as fermentation had slowed to the point that bubbles were burbling in the airlock only every 30 seconds or so. Fermentation was very active two days after brewing, with bubbles being released every two seconds at most. By four days after brewing the bubbles were coming about every 10 seconds. A more scientific way to determine the status of a batch would be to use a hydrometer, but I would rather leave the bucket sealed and reduce the chance of contamination. Besides, brewing is just a hobby around here. Drinking, however, is done at a professional level.

Previously I had sanitized the bottles the same day as I used them, but I decided to sanitize them a day early so I could make sure they dried fully. While the first two batches of beer have tasted very good, there was minimal carbonation in each bottle. I speculated that perhaps the small amount of water and sanitizer left in each bottle might be having a negative effect on the yeast. A possibility, but the culprit could also be bottles poorly sealed by an ineffective capper. As I wasn't about to invest in another capper on the chance I might get a bit more fizz, I decided to experiment with the bottling process instead. If the results are not positive I will go back to doing everything on the same night.

Cleaning and sanitizing bottles is easily the least pleasant aspect of the brewing process. The first thing to do was fetch the bottling bucket and its stand from the basement. I added three gallons of hot tap water to the bucket, followed by six tablespoons of sanitizer. I used the autosiphon to stir the sanitizer until it dissolved. During previous bottling sessions I found that pouring water on top of sanitizer sitting in a dry bucket didn't work very well as the sanitizer hardened into large chunks that were hard to dissolve.

Once the sanitizer had dissolved I lifted the bucket onto its stand and filled it with three more gallons of hot water. This stand is pure serendipity as the previous resident left it in the basement. It is very handy as the sink isn't quite deep enough to allow a bottle to be maneuvered upright under the spigot when the bucket sits directly on the counter. Bottling over the edge of the counter made quite a mess on the floor, and I didn't do more than the first round of sanitizing before abandoning that setup.

Fortunately, all but six of the forty-eight bottles I marshaled for this batch were on their second use, meaning they had already been stripped of their labels. While the sanitizer was sitting I submersed the bottles in sets of twelve in some slightly soapy water for a few minutes, then washed their necks with a soapy brush, and finally rinsed them. The labels on the six new bottles came off after a few minutes of soaking, and those bottles received an all-over scrub to remove the glue. These too were rinsed inside and out.

After the sanitizer sat in the bucket for an hour it was time to fill to fill the bottles. Using the spout, I filled each one to the top, and lined them up. The very last one I filled about half full and used it to top up any of its companions that weren't quite full, and then I filled it to the brim as well. I let these sit overnight, and emptied the bottling bucket of sanitizer. A couple of times during the next day I poured out any water that was still in the bottles into the sink, and for a final shake I took one bottle in each hand and shook them violently at the floor. Fortunately I was not my normal clumsy self, and managed not to break a single one.

The next day I mixed another tablespoon of sanitizer with a gallon of hot water in the bottling bucket. This time I also included the scrub brush that I use only with the sanitizer, and the autosiphon. The latter tool does its job nicely, making transferring the beer from the brewing bucket to the bottling bucket a nearly hands-free operation. However, I haven't been able to pull the flexible tubing off the upper end of the autosiphon since I forced it on. The inside of this tubing-siphon combination is probably a good place for nasty, beer-spoiling critters to live. Thus I took care to force a lot of sanitizer-laden water through the autosiphon, which can be done by moving the outlet tube up and down. Hopefully this action and thorough cleaning after use will keep the nasties away.

While the latest batch of sanitizer was working I switched to the night's other adventure: making lasagna. I also took some time to relax and have a homebrew - advice I take frequently. Once my meal was safely in the oven I switched back to the bottling. I set some water to boil on the stove in a small pan. I poured the sanitizer out of the bottled bucket and rinsed it with clean water, and then forced some clean water through the autosiphon. I then added three-quarters of a cup of corn sugar to the pan and let it boil for a few minutes.

While this was going I lugged the fermenting bucket of beer downstairs, taking care not to shake it too much. Prying off the lid revealed a rather more crusty stew than I had seen before. To be honest, I hadn't checked the bubbles during the day, so perhaps there was a bit more fermentation to be done. But I had come far already, so there was no stopping. I poured the boiled sugar water into the bottling bucket and let it cool for a few minutes. Then it was time to transfer the beer. I put the autosiphon into the fermenting bucket, taking care not to stir up the trub, and primed it. And then the beer flowed, and flowed some more. This was not a speedy process, so I had time to set the bottle caps to boil. The caps can also be soaked in sanitizer, but I haven't tried that. After a few minutes at a sterilizing temperature I drained the caps in a colander.

Once the level in the fermenting bucket was getting fairly low I tilted it gently to get more beer. I watched both the level in the bucket and the beer flowing through the tubing, and once I saw chunky stuff going through the tube I pulled the end of the autosiphon out of the beer, which was nearly gone. I then pulled the nether end out of the bottling bucket and put it all in the fermenting bucket. I lifted the bottling bucket onto the stand again, and started bottling.

Despite all my efforts to dry the bottles, a small amount of water remained in most, though probably much less than on previous batches. Bottling was fairly straightforward, though I took care to angle the bottle under the spigot so the beer didn't foam excessively in the bottle. I filled each to a few inches from the top. The yield was 47 bottles, though the last few had a bit of sediment in them as I tilted the bottling bucket to get the last bit out. I marked these last bottles so I wouldn't be surprised later.

Now it was time to cap the bottles. Because the chance of bottles slipping on the hard counter top seemed high, from the outset I have capped bottles while the were sitting on a battered cutting board. I haven't had any mishaps yet. I set the colander of caps in the sink and went to town. I took care not to touch the inside of the caps, and the few that slipped in my hands I just tossed aside to be used another day. The capping process went by surprising fast.

Now the freshly bottled beer had to condition, which in my case was their second stage of fermentation, at the same temperature at the same temperature as the primary fermentation. So I lugged the eight six-packs upstairs to the shoe/beer closet and positioned them with the remainders of batches one and two. I also moved the batch three bottles from 12-pack boxes to six-pack ... thingies because six-packs fit better in my fridge. After standing and admiring the beer for several minutes I went back downstairs to clean up, and to engage in my other great passion: stuffing my face with food.