This is my first batch my beer has been fermenting for 10 days 3 in the primary and the rest in the carboy, I think I did too much transfers, but it's all a newly aquired skill, my next question is when do I add the sugar and do I bottle it that day or do I have to wait for a time period how does it work thanks
sugar and bottling
- Thread starter cwag001
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mgortel
Well-Known Member
OK.....first lesson...and I think you are onto it....is leave your beer in primary much longer.....3 days it probably just started getting going fermenting....
Anyway, I personally leave my beer in primary 3 weeks min......I USUALLY don't do a secondary...it is not needed in most cases. (there are cases where I do secondary.....but that is another story)
With that said...onto your question.
Once your beer is done fermenting.....you will boil a cup of water with your priming sugar added to it....15 mins.
Then you will toss that into your SANITIZED bottling bucket (remember to sanitize everything!)......and then you will rack your beer into the bottling bucket on top your sugar/water mixture......do not let it splash....make sure transfer tube is long enough that it coils around bottom of bucket so you get a nice gentle flow into bucket.
Once beer is transfered you will need to stir LIGHTLY......very lightly....do not agitate and splash it....you are just trying to mix sugar evenly with beer......if you agitate and splash it around you will add oxygen to beer which you do not want to do at this point.....very bad.
Then...you simply fill your bottles immediately and cap them.....place in warm area to bottle condition ....70F - 74F.....give it 3 weeks to condition.
When you fill bottles......you will put bottle up on bottling tube until it touches bottom of tube...fill bottle until it just overflows than pull away....this will leave the correct airspace in top of bottle.
BTW.....what happens for carbonation is the yeasties eat the priming sugar and produce CO2...that carbonates beer......and it stays in the beer...in solution because the bottle is capped and pressure is builds up.
Anyway, I personally leave my beer in primary 3 weeks min......I USUALLY don't do a secondary...it is not needed in most cases. (there are cases where I do secondary.....but that is another story)
With that said...onto your question.
Once your beer is done fermenting.....you will boil a cup of water with your priming sugar added to it....15 mins.
Then you will toss that into your SANITIZED bottling bucket (remember to sanitize everything!)......and then you will rack your beer into the bottling bucket on top your sugar/water mixture......do not let it splash....make sure transfer tube is long enough that it coils around bottom of bucket so you get a nice gentle flow into bucket.
Once beer is transfered you will need to stir LIGHTLY......very lightly....do not agitate and splash it....you are just trying to mix sugar evenly with beer......if you agitate and splash it around you will add oxygen to beer which you do not want to do at this point.....very bad.
Then...you simply fill your bottles immediately and cap them.....place in warm area to bottle condition ....70F - 74F.....give it 3 weeks to condition.
When you fill bottles......you will put bottle up on bottling tube until it touches bottom of tube...fill bottle until it just overflows than pull away....this will leave the correct airspace in top of bottle.
BTW.....what happens for carbonation is the yeasties eat the priming sugar and produce CO2...that carbonates beer......and it stays in the beer...in solution because the bottle is capped and pressure is builds up.
beerman0001
Well-Known Member
You boil the sugar and water. Put it in the bottling bucket rack on top of it gently stir then bottle. Do not wait.
mgortel
Well-Known Member
You should be ok......just be careful to sanitize everything...and dont splash it or stir to hard, etc.....
Homebrews are transferred from primary to secondary to bottling bucket all the time with no issues.....just follow good sanitation procedures and transfer the beer gently like I recommended.....
Only the surface of the beer will contact the air as the bottling bucket is filling .....that is ok.....you will be fine.....just dont want you to dump it or have the transfer hose above bucket and pouring into it.....just a heads up since you are new....it will be fine.
Homebrews are transferred from primary to secondary to bottling bucket all the time with no issues.....just follow good sanitation procedures and transfer the beer gently like I recommended.....
Only the surface of the beer will contact the air as the bottling bucket is filling .....that is ok.....you will be fine.....just dont want you to dump it or have the transfer hose above bucket and pouring into it.....just a heads up since you are new....it will be fine.
cwag001 said:
No , but you transferred too early. It is not good practice to remove the beer from the yeast until you have reached FG. Active fermentation can start as early as 4-6 hrs or 72 hours and may then last 2-3 days depending on fermentation conditions. Then that slows and the clean up phase begins in which the yeast metabolize their own fermentation waste(off flavors). Most folks suggest a minimum of 10-14 days in primary.
Because you transferred early you may have left yeast behind which may result in a higher FG than expected, less attenuation, slightly sweeter and fuller tasting beer, or it may not.
As for oxidation, if you practice the method mentioned previously and do not treat your beer rough you'll be fine
Do you have a hydrometer yet so you can be sure fermentation is complete? Using the calendar for your end all be all can be dangerous, especially as a new brewer. Its only natural to want to get done with a batch as soon as possible. Waiting till fermentation is fully complete, as well as giving it time for the yeast to clean up and then to clarify is important to your final product. Once in the bottle, it's equally important to give it time to condition properly (the more complex the beer, the longer this will take 1wk -1yr).
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