Expert: Dave Nyce - 8/23/2004

Question
Still had a question. When washing, do you soak all the bottles at once or dunk them one at a time into the sanatizing solution?
-Dave

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Followup To
Question -
Hi,
Thank you so much for your help before. Everything seems fine, fermentation started and now it appears to have ended. I have been so busy that I haven't even had a chance to think, rather then worry about the beer. So its time to bottle and I have some questions. I just picked up some bottles from a bar near by. Mostly Heineken and Amstel bottles. First, should I have any problems using green bottles? Are brown bottles much  better? Also the bottles are dirty with beer still left on the bottom and are still labeled. What is the best way to go about cleaning/sanitizing them? Should I run them in the dish washer, then soak them in sanitizer to remove the labels & sanitize them? Should I do this in a different order, or do I not have to run them in the dishwasher at all? Please let me know. Last question, right now my beer is still in my plastic primary fermenter. I don't have a bottling bucket. The only other container I have is a glass carboy. Can I prime my beer in the glass carboy I have, that is siphon my beer into the carboy and bottle from there? If not, would it be better to siphon the beer into the carboy, clean the primary fermenter and then prime in the primary fermenter? Please let me know. Thanks so much!


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Followup To
Question -
Hi. I am a new to home brewing. I have only brewed once before and that was a while ago. Today is day one of my brewing and I am not sure if everything is going as planned. First, I forgot about cooling the mash. I knew I shouldn't pitch the yeast until the mash was around 70 degrees, but I didn't remember to cool the beer quickly, so I let it sit covered with an airlock for about 2 hours before I remembered and then stuck the fermenter in my refrigerator hoping to cool it quicker. Is this serious? I read some information about slow cooling adding funky flavors. Second question, I tried to take a hydrometer reading and the hydrometer just would hit the bottom of the tube, it didn't float at all. Shouldn't the hydrometer float in the mash you are testing? I wasn't sure if I was testing with enough mash. Any ideas? Third, finally after the beer was much cooler, I took it out of the refrigerator, rehydrated the yeast and pitched it into the fermenter.  I put the airlock and was expecting to see bubbles immediately. It's been about a half an hour and I haven't seen any yet. I remember the last time I brewed that there was activity really quickly, but that time I brewed in glass and this time I am brewing in plastic and can't see anything. I wasn't sure if I should open up the fermenter to see what was going on, so I didn't do anything. Would it have been bad to open the fermenter? That brings me to my last question. I am brewing 5 gallons in a 7.5 gallon plastic fermenter. I was told that this extra space is needed to compensate for the foam and crud that develops during fermentation. Do I need to rack into something smaller, a 5 gallon carboy so the liquid fits tighter into the container without any space for air or if I wanted, can I leave it in this oversized container until bottling? Actually one more question, should you stur the brew after you add the yeast to the fermenter, or should you just add the rehydrated yeast from the bowl and just cover the fermenter, no stirring? I think that's it. I would greatly appreciate your help. My beer is in your hands.

Answer -
It is best to cool the wort quickly, but you can't change what you have already done. It is probably ok. You may not be able to tell the difference.

The hydrometer should float if it has the proper calibration. (The hydrometer may not float if the wort is still warm.) It only needs enough wort equal to its overall length. If it is the right hydrometer calibration (compare its range to the desired reading in your recipe), it should float. If not, then you may not have enough malt.

It may take about 8 hours before you see the bubbling.

Do not open the fermenter to look. That will not tell you anything. Just make sure that the airlock is tight and has a sterilizing liquid in it.

5 gallons in a 7.5 gallon container is ok. As soon as the bubbling begins, the head space will be filled with carbon dioxide, not air.

Don't stir the wort when pitching the yeast. It would only be another chance for contamination.

Hope this helps!

Dave
Answer -
Most beer bottles are the twist-off type. Don't use them. You must use the type called long-neck. They can take a cap from a capper. You may be able to get them from a bar or a place that has returnables. I use brown bottles, and they will allow the beer to last longer because they block more light. Green bottles are ok if you will drink the beer within 3 months (It's best when young anyway).

The dishwasher does not sufficiently clean inside the bottle, but is is a good first step. I use a dishwasher first because it makes the bottles less grungy (you don't know who had their lips or whatever on there) and also takes off the labels. The labels should be taken off before the serious washing.

I use a sterilizing solution and a bottle brush. You can use a sterilizing solution purchased from the beer making supply store, or you can use a clorox and water solution. Make sure that all of the inside wall of the bottle is wetted by the solution, and use a bottle brush to get off any crud. Then rinse in clean water.

For that size batch, I transfer to a glass carboy so that the wort is not sitting on the sediment. I put 3/4 cup of corn sugar into the carboy and stir it, then bottle from the carboy using a siphon hose with a valve clamp to open and close the flow. Then use a capper and caps that you have placed in boiling water. Don't boil the caps too hard or the seals may soften.

Hope this helps!

Dave

Answer
It doesn't matter, but I put about an ounce or two into each bottle and swish it around and use the bottle brush. Then after they're all done, I swish each one as I empty the sterilizing solution and then rinse.

This is if I get the bottles used from somewhere else. After I first use the bottles, then I take care of them better. After the beer is consumed, I always rinse the bottle and turn it upside down in one of my cases. Then I just rinse each one, visually inspect, and run in the dishwasher before using again.

Hope this helps!

Dave