Problems with when to bottle beer

[johnjohnmulley]

I've been trying to do home-brew beer for a while now, basically copying my mate around the corner. Using the same setup, same beer ingredients, same methods, mine don't turn out right.

My main problem is I leave it fermenting for too long. The reason being, I want to wait until the specific gravity gets down low enough before I bottle them so they dont explode. My mate usually waits until its about 1010-1012 before he bottles. That takes him about 1 week usually a bit more. Mine has been now 2 weeks and is still 1014. 1 week ago it was 1015. So it hasn't changed much. But the kit says to wait until 1006 (i think thats just to be safe so the bottles dont explode) and my mate says wait until 1010-1012. The temperature is about a steady 23-24 degrees. I'm making a "canadian blonde" coopers brand. Ideal temp is 23-27 it says on the packet.

After doing some reading, and talking to the home-brew shop owners about beer, it seems everyone has a different opinion on it

These are the different opinions i've heard


To tell if your beer is ready for the next step, take a look at the airlock. If it’s producing less than one bubble every minute, it’s time to bottle this booze. You can make sure by looking at the yeast. If it’s settled at the bottom, and your beer is clear, and not all hazy and cloudy, then go ahead and start bottling.
Wait until 1006
Just bottle it after 5 days no matter what
wait until below 1012
Wait 2 weeks
Wait until the Specific Gravity doesn't change from day to day, then it is safe to bottle.


I like the idea of using a gravity reader, because a lot comes into play when seeing if the beer is ready, temperature etc, and just by waiting 1wk, or 2 wks or whatever, doesn't mean it will be ready.



Anyone share their hints on when to bottle the beer? Do you check the gravity? Do you just wait 1 wk? Do you wait until the SG doesn't change from day to day?

[timelord]

Firstly have you checked your hydrometers calibration? To do this put it in clean water---temp I cant remember but may say on the hydrometer usually about 20 degrees c, and see if it reads 0.
Once the daily readings dont fall any further its safe to bottle in my experience. You cant do any harm by leaving it longer to be sure its completed fermentation--I dont bottle but keg my beer and quite often leave it in the fermenter for 3 weeks but usually only 2 to settle and therefore a clearer finished product.

[johnjohnmulley]

Thanks timelord :)

I have checked the hydrometer and it was spot on 0, last time i checked :)

I alwasy thought leaving the beer too long it can go off. Well thats what websites say.

Anyone to confirm if it will be ok to bottle, because the S.G has stayed fairly constant. and WHY isn't it going down any further when the instructions say 1006, thats much lower than mine at 1014.

[bpj1968]

You didn't mention what you used as the extra sugar. THis has a big impact on the end SG. Dextrose ferments out completely resulting in a lower SG. Malt doesn't and results in a higher SG. If you used a Brew Booster or simialr than the result will be a high SG. Some also contacn Corn Syrup, which hardly ferments, giving more body/mouthfeel and you guessed it a higher SG.

Pure water at 20° is the standard, although the variation in temp is hardly wothrth worrying about




These are the different opinions i've heard


To tell if your beer is ready for the next step, take a look at the airlock. If it’s producing less than one bubble every minute, it’s time to bottle this booze. Okay if you don't have a slight leak out of the lid
You can make sure by looking at the yeast. If it’s settled at the bottom, and your beer is clear, and not all hazy and cloudy, then go ahead and start bottling. Heklps to see if you wll have a clear beer
Wait until 1006 See Comment above about SG
Just bottle it after 5 days no matter what Bit too early in my opinion
wait until below 1012 See Comment above about SG
Wait 2 weeks May be getting a bit long (unless it's lager and can take longer)
Wait until the Specific Gravity doesn't change from day to day, then it is safe to bottle.Recomended method for beginners.



I would recomend, as a beginner SG stable for 2 days it's okay to bottle. If it sits for an extra day or 2 is okay and will help it to clear. If you leave it too long it can go off and undrinkable as other bugs then move into residence in your nice beer.

I don't use the hydrometer much, just a combination of time / airlock activity / clarity.

True lager yeasts take longer and work at a lower temp. (Not many kits come with lager yeast)
Cooper's lager is NOT a lager yeast.
Copper's European Lager IS. There is a "P" after the batch number on teh yerast satchel for Pilsener and the instructions indicate a lower temp.

For other brands the lower temp is teh indicator of a lager yeast.

[Fireguard]

Another thing to take into account is the initial start temperature and the Ambiant temp in the room where your brewing. If your starting at a lower temp this could be effecting your yeast and causing it to ferment out slower and not completely, the same think applies for the ambiant temp, if your room is cooler the yeast may also be cooller and therfore not working at its full potention.

I've also found not just different types of sugars (IE Dextrose etc) but even different brands of normal white sugar can leed to different results, and thats without looking at Brewblends and other enhancers.

But for a standard brew 2 weeks before botteling is probably getting a little long. I usually brew for about a 5 days, SG has usually almost completely levelled out by now, add Finnings and 2 days later bottle. this gives it plently of time to ferment and for the sedament to fall to the bottom.

[timelord]

Thanks timelord :)

I have checked the hydrometer and it was spot on 0, last time i checked :)

I alwasy thought leaving the beer too long it can go off. Well thats what websites say.

Anyone to confirm if it will be ok to bottle, because the S.G has stayed fairly constant. and WHY isn't it going down any further when the instructions say 1006, thats much lower than mine at 1014.
I,ve been brewing for approx. 10 years and have never had a brew go off by leaving it in the fermenter longer than reccomended-- I used to keg after approx 1 week but found that cloudy beer was not to my liking aesthetically nor to people that I offered my beer to--there was no difference in flavor or quality of the brew but it just didnt look good! I started filtering with a half micron filter cartridge used for water which improved the clarity no end but was time consuming and messy so I gave up on that. I had a brew in process at one time and and went on a holiday for 2 weeks and forgot about the brew till I came home and thought that will be buggered by now but decided to keg it after a sniff test which revealed nothing untoward-- to my surprise it was near crystal clear as it drained into the keg and 5 days later after chilling and carbonating sampled the brew and was excellent taste wise and visually-- have never looked back 510+ brews later I still employ this method.
Clean and sterilized equipment as usual in all forms of brewing is mandatory, as mentioned I keg my beer not bottle as I got sick of washing bottles--instead of washing 26 bottles per brew I wash 1 keg instead and dink the beer after 5 days instead of waiting for secondary fermentation in the bottles
Give it a go.
Al.:2tsup:

[johnjohnmulley]

Thanks guys

I bottled today. No yucky white film on the top which is a good sign.

Final SG was 1014 which has been pretty much steady for nearly 1 wk now. I was just waitin for it to go to the specified 1006 which was never goign to happen.
Room temp would be between maybe 15-28 I'm guessing, haven't looked at weather, but the temp of the brew has been about steady fluctuating between 21-24.

The sugar I used was bought from k-mart as part of the Coopers brew enhancer 2 or 1 i forget which one. So i guess its a mix of a few sugars etc...

I tasted the beer and it tasted kinda like the way beer should take but its still got a while to go.

I'll let you guys know if they explode... ;)

Thanks for the help

[johnjohnmulley]

Timelord,
just saw your reply after I posted.

I had one brew go bad, i've only made 4 so far including this one. I left it for about 3 weeks because I was waiting for the SG to go down, and i knew it was bad but didn't know what else to do. It had a white film ontop of the brew which i read about and apparently means the brew has spoiled. It didn't taste that good either. But now I'm thinking that I left the fermenter open too long before I added the yeast, it was probably 20 mins or 30 mins while I was waiting for the brew to cool to add the yeast, but maybe in that much time it got contaminated????

Anyway, yes washing bottles is pretty annoying but I'll stick with it until i got the money and space to setup a keg system, i want to but dont we want everything :D

One question I ask, have you ever heard of bottles exploding? I have, but maybe because they took no consideration at all? I mean, is it an easy thing to avoid, or do you have to be REALLY REALLY careful to make them not explode..

Oh, and another quesiton, do you sterilize AND clean, or just sterilize (is there a difference)? And when you sterilize, do you wash it out with water again? Or leave the sterilizer in there. One brew shop i went to said when you wash it out with water it contaminates it again, because water can contaminate? But my sterilizer says "wash out with cold water afterwards".

[Horsecroft88]

A few notes from my experience of home brewing over the years. When I first started brewing back in the 'mid '70s I did the old way with boiling up hops, roasting the malted grain etc. So thankfully today we have the kits. I have used quite a broad range over the years but mostly these days stick to the Munton range, but that is out of personal preference for the styles of beer they offer.

First up I have to say I have never had a brew go badusing a kit, nor had any bottles explode. I mostly use Grolsch bottles (500ml green with the swing top porcelan and rubber bung) rather than standard stubbies and/or long necks though I still use some of these with crown seals. I even recently tried a bottling using a used wine bottle with a used Stelvian cap and it worked !! Was a little surprised by that.

As to sterilising and washing bottles, as well as the fermenter and equipment I always use boiling water, to wash and rinse out the bottles. It does get a little hot on the hands. I never use any sterilising agents, eg. sodium metabisulphate these days, since when I first started brewing as a teenager back in the 70's I did then have a few nasty flavoured beers, which I attributed to residual sterilising agent. For a while I was 'baking' my bottles in the oven as a way of sterilising them but eventually decided this wasnt worth it.

As to sugar, well in the brew I only use malt (either dark or light or a combination) and as for sugar for topping up the bottle when bottling I use a 1/2 or less for a 500ml bottle or stubby and 1 teaspoon for longnecks. I use either white or brown sugar depending on what is in the kitchen. I have on a few occasions added some honey to the brew at the start to enhance flavour but nothing else. Oh and obviously the yeast !

As to the temperature thing, well the kits say that the ideal brewing temperature is around 23 degrees celsius, I have a thermal thermoter on the side of my barrel and go by that. I follow the instructions on the kit and use both boiling water plus cold water straight from the tap and keep on topping up to the mark on the side of the barrel. If necessary I add a little extra warm to hot water if it is going too cool while topping up the barrel. I do try to be as quick as possible to get the lid on with the bubbler in it to avoid the risk of something nasty getting into my brew and ruining it

As a rule I wrap my barrel with an old doona, especially if brewing not in Summer as this can be a problem in Hobart. I allow it to ferment for a week and then another week to settle. I bottle thereafter and allow as a minimum 4-6 weeks before opening a bottle. I still have some beer in the cupboard from 2 years ago it is still drinking fine. Must finish that off soon and get into some of my more recent brews. Cheers and goodluck. :2tsup: Dave

[Yeldarb]

Firstly, perhaps you need to spend some more time watching your friend and ask him.

Secondly have a look here http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

Thirdly I would suggest you visit one of the many very helpful homebrew forums. I am now making what I would consider to be very drinkable beer (significantly better than a basic kit) with not much more effort and $$ than is required for a basic kit brew. You really need to investigate this stuff and read it yourself...and be interested enough to learn :)

It's probably next to impossible for anyone here to work out what has gone wrong.

I have done quite a few kit brews over the years...but would still consider myself to be a novice...although I think I have a pretty strong grasp of what is required for kit beer (I am looking very much at getting into "All Grain" brewing but that is another story for another forum )

Brewing beer is not rocket surgery :D,,,the main things are cleaning, sanitizing, and temperature control. If you get these things right you are 90% there (ie, beer that is drinkable, not a fermenter full of useless infected wort).

Cleaning is not hard...get one of the many cleaners (Big W have all you need to start...good homebrew shop would be better) and clean everything thoroughly. I use a soft scrubbing brush.

Sanitizing is not hard (if the water from your tap is chlorinated...Big W has the stuff for sanitizing)...but I have found in the past that dilute bleach kills everything, then all you have to do is rinse with tap water (seems a little wrong, but the chlorine in tap water seems to ensure there are no bugs). I have now moved on to a "no rinse" sanitizer which is a little expensive but a little goes a long, long way and takes one other worry out of the process.

Temperature is probably the hardest to get right, and can have a significant effect. Plenty say you should not brew above 20°...from my recent experience they are right :)

Next thing, lots of people say chuck the yeast that comes with the kit and by some good yeast...this is only worth doing if you can keep your temp below 20. The reason for this, is people say that the yeast that comes with the kit is good for making beer at pretty much any temperature, where the other yeast is good for making good beer. :wink:

Finally...you need to think of it as a hobby...not just a way of getting cheap beer...but a hobby that saves you money and gives you good beer cheap :wink:

[Spanner69]

in a nut shell what you did was fine.

If the bubles have basically stopped and the beer smells and tastes fine then bottle the sucker.

As I am sure you are aware it will need some tome to mature in the bottle before it is ready to drink.

A word of advice - dont let the bottles get any sunlight on them or they will go POP! I had my beers stored in a crate by the garage wall and the seasonal change in the position of the sun changed and we had a hotish day with sun ont he bottles and they went off like grenades. Scary stuff.

[johnjohnmulley]

Thanks Horse Yeld and Spanner

Yes it's a hobby, one of my many and I'm busy with other stuff that isn't hobbies. Unlike my mate who basically has one or two hobbies and other stuff. I'm bout to go see him but whenever I ask him he doesn't really know either. I'm just into making cheap beer good at the moment, well good = drinkable, but later on I will see where beer takes me, maybe try out some new stuff or maybe be happy with these cheap kits.

Beer is at the back of the garage, enclosed, out of sun :)

And I'll look into more cleaning stuff,

The sugar droplets I use from the home-brew shop are just 2x tallie and 1xstubbie. Easy, dont measure, but I dont know what sugar it is? Just white sugar I guess? I forget what the packet says.

I'll probably open the beer in 3 weeks or so.. well open 1 and taste it, if its good enough I'll be happy for now. can only learn from mistakes i guess.

[Yeldarb]

Those carbonation drops are good and easy...

Another thing, I now regularly leave my beer in the fermenter for 2 weeks and have not found any issues.

[johnygoodwood]

hi all can someone help me
i have just bottled a beer kit in 2 ltr bottles as i have done in the past with no probs this time tho i made a stand put a 40 watt bulb under it as it is cold in ireland so it bubbled away for 5 days sg was 1008 put suger in bottles 1 large tea spoon but its flat no gas shall i chuck it or could you tell me what to do
many thanks john

[Yeldarb]

At a guess I'd say you didn't put enough sugar in (based on what I do), and I'm not sure how long they have been in the bottle...but I wouldn't chuck em yet...give em a few weeks at least...try and keep them warm to help get the yeast going.

[bpj1968]

hi all can someone help me
i have just bottled a beer kit in 2 ltr bottles as i have done in the past with no probs this time tho i made a stand put a 40 watt bulb under it as it is cold in ireland so it bubbled away for 5 days sg was 1008 put suger in bottles 1 large tea spoon but its flat no gas shall i chuck it or could you tell me what to do
many thanks john
If that is amount you normally put in and it gases up okay, then your bottles are probably too cold, as fermenting that little bit of sugar creates the gas. How long have they been in the bottles? Put them somewhere warm for a few days

[Foo]

Hi john,
Something else you can do is crack open the bottle and pour out a bit and add some more sugar,and allow to stand for a further week.The amount of sugar should be half of what you normally use,but try bpj has suggested first.:)

[johnygoodwood]

many thank for your help all of you thing is i use 2 litre coke bottles worked well in the past i put 2 tsp in fill them to an inch of the top then squise the bottle till all the air is out tighten up cap a week or so later its ready and very gassy bottle is hard this time i only put one spoon in as i sometimes it a bit sweet
but did what foo said and its ok thankyou all
the one good thing about using a 2 litre coke bottle is when you open it you have to decant 4 pints and you cant waste it :)

[bpj1968]

The 2 tsp you put in is to create the gas, it adds a little alcohol, and very little if any "sweetness" Reducing this amount to 1 tsp, means half the gas, to put bubbles in the beer and fill the space at the top.

If your brew is a bit too sweet, it will be from your start mix.
What do you use? I will assume a can of brew, and a kilo of fermentables.(sugars)

Using malt as fermentables will give a sweeter brew.
Sugar/ Glucose and Dextrose less so.

I like a 50/50 mix of malt/dextrose

Either use less malt, or try a different can of brew, or add extra hops to balance it out.

[robbo266317]

I also use Grolsch bottles and run them through the dishwasher to clean and sterilise them.
Simple and no sulphur dioxide to play havoc with the lungs.

[johnygoodwood]

hello again
thanks for all your help when some one tells you something it takes a while to sink in and with 2 litres of home brew in you it takes a bit longer
but my question is foo said the suger on the second ferment dosent make it sweeter but my question is if the first ferment is done and you can leave it for a week or so in your 5 gallon tub in my mind theres no yeast left so how dous the suger you put in the bottles ferment sorry to ask this but i am getting intrested in brewing i found this site by chance and its great thanks john

[robbo266317]

The yeast is still there dormant even though most has settled to the bottom.
When you feed it you get a little more alcohol and also the required CO2.