Add sugar to the bottles? Also did I follow instructions

[tog]

Hi. I bought some canned Bock German lager. According to the can, no boiling was necessary, just hot water into the fermenter and then malt and sugar. Then the 21 or so litres of water it took to make up 23 total volume. Yeast.

So this is what I did and it bubbled good for about 4 days and now on day 6 the can says at 4-7 days to begin bottling

question, do I add sugar to each bottle to make it fizz? If so how much sugar to each?

did I screw up the process already, is 6 days too early to taste test? Thanks.

 

[Epimetheus]

what do the kit instructions suggest?

 

[MarathonMurse]

Patience. Kit instructions are notorious for poor direction. Give it another week, maybe even two. You may also want to batch prime, where instead of adding sugar to each bottle (which is hard to do accurately and with clean technique), you move your brew to a bottling container where you add enough sugar solution for the whole batch.

Grab a bottling bucket, and go here.

 

[Kirkwooder]

What temp. did you ferment at? Do you have a hydrometer, and if so have you taken any readings?


You likely have followed the kit instructions, and have made beer. However, it's not likely to be an award winning brew! Next time, throw out the kit instructions and ask on here what you should do. The kit instructions are horrible. They leave out a lot of good information.

As for bottling, it is likely that you are not yet ready. If it has only been 6 days, I would let it set for at least another 12-14. Let the yeast have the extra time to finish it's job and clean up any of the off flavors that it can. Your beer is most likely at final gravity, but will benefit from the extra time in the fermentation vessel.

Then when it is good and ready, rack (siphon) your beer off the yeast cake into your bottling bucket containing your priming sugar that has been mixed into some boiling water and cooled. Be sure to sanitize everything that will come in contact with your beer.

In the mean time, do a little reading. There is a free version of "How to Brew" by John Palmer. Google it, and read all you can!

Hope this helps!

 

[unionrdr]

Bottling @ 4-7 days is way too soon. Wait until it gets down to a stable FG. Then give it another 3-7 days to clean up any by-products of fermentation & settle out clear or slightly misty. Boil 2C of water for a couple minutes in a small saucepan (mine['s stainless steel). Stir in the priming sugar (1oz per gallon is a good average),or use this calculator to weigh priming sugar to style; http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html
Stir the sugar into the boiled water off the heat till the solution clears. Cover & cool while you get the bottling bucket ready,along with a racking tube that'll go down & half way around the bottom of the bottling bucket. Begin racking beer into the bottling bucket,then slowly pour the priming solution into the swirling,rising surface of the beer. This is known as bulk priming. When done racking,sanitize your long spoon or paddle to give it a few gentle stirs. You don't want any aeration at this point. Then bottle away!