Home brewing question.

[IndyGunworks]

I have two beer kits arriving today and i want to start brewing one tonight, so i have time to figure this out. I have 16 1 liter plastic bottles from Mr.Beer they are reusable and garenteed not to burst. however these are 5 gallon kits. i have enough for 4 gallons maybe a tad more.

I have always kegged and force carbed in the past because i had a few homebrews that had a bunch of yeast sitting on the bottom of the bottle and it sort of turned me off.

1. What is the best way to avoid yeast settling on the bottom of the bottle?

2. I have a bunch of 1 quart mason jars that have the full lid. Can i use those? neither my wife nor i drink out of the bottle so everything will be poured into chilled glasses anyways.

3. I never paid any attention to how much liquid i loose when i start with 5 gallons because i always kegged. Will i loose enough to evaporation/ racking that i will not have to worry about the mason jars?

for what its worth the kits i ordered are coming with the priming tablets so i don't have to measure and mix. i have a cream ale, and a nut brown on the way. I want to avoid glass bottles if i can. I like the mr. beer reusable ones in concept.

 

[PapaScout]

First off I'm no expert and just getting started homebrewing. Are you using the 1 liter plastic bottles as fermentation vessels or strictly to bottle after?

 

[IndyGunworks]

strickly after.... I will use a primary fermenter (6 gallon bucket w/ gas check), after 2 weeks i will rack it off into a glass carboy leaving the bulk of the yeast cake behind. after two weeks in that i will get a siphon going and carefully control the flow going into the bottles with the tablet inside. I will also leave the yeast cake from the carboy behind although typically its only about a half inch thick at this point in my experience... i have not done a cream ale before though. It will sit in the bottles for about a month.

I am thinking i may just order some more of the mr. beer 1 liter bottles. although it would be nice if the mason jars would work... should only end up needing about 4 of them but I have a few hundred.

Mr Beer Deluxe Bottling System Free Shipping New | eBay

 

[IndyGunworks]

I take it back though, they are not solid lids... they have the insert.... I am not sure if they work to hold pressure in as well as they do holding pressure out. I don't want flat beer. I may just "waste" the remaining amount.

Never having bottled before i don't know what kind of yeast build up to expect on the bottom of the bottles. If its more than just a tiny amount, almost unnoticeable, my wife will probably snub her nose up at it and i wont brew anymore because her partaking in it is half the enjoyment i get out of it.

 

[littletommy]

I never move my fermentation carboy to siphon into my bottling bucket, and always leave a half inch or so of beer over the yeast cake. I still will sometimes get a little yeast settling in the bottles, but by not disturbing the fermenter I cut out a lot of that.

the last several 5 gallon batches I've done have produced 51 12 oz bottles per batch. I wouldn't use mason jars, either get some more pet bottles or invest in a capper and drink a few cases of pry off bottled beer.

 

[IndyGunworks]

I never move my fermentation carboy to siphon into my bottling bucket, and always leave a half inch or so of beer over the yeast cake. I still will sometimes get a little yeast settling in the bottles, but by not disturbing the fermenter I cut out a lot of that.

the last several 5 gallon batches I've done have produced 51 12 oz bottles per batch. I wouldn't use mason jars, either get some more pet bottles or invest in a capper and drink a few cases of pry off bottled beer.

I am not worried about the yeast from the carboy or fermenting bucket ending up in the bottles... I am worried about the yeast from the carbonation.... how much yeast does that normally produce that ends up on the bottom of the bottle?

 

[JettaKnight]

1. What is the best way to avoid yeast settling on the bottom of the bottle?

Keg and then bottle with a counter-pressure filler. The yeast have to be in the bottle to carbonate it - there's no getting around it. Just pour gently.

2. I have a bunch of 1 quart mason jars that have the full lid. Can i use those? neither my wife nor i drink out of the bottle so everything will be poured into chilled glasses anyways.

Those typically aren't meant for POSITIVE internal pressure, so I don't no how'd they seal.

3. I never paid any attention to how much liquid i loose when i start with 5 gallons because i always kegged. Will i loose enough to evaporation/ racking that i will not have to worry about the mason jars?

If you filled a five gallon keg, then expect the same. You could always scale back you bath size for 4 gallons of finished product (Use less malt extract). Of course, every system is different so the amount you lose "will depend."

for what its worth the kits i ordered are coming with the priming tablets so i don't have to measure and mix. i have a cream ale, and a nut brown on the way. I want to avoid glass bottles if i can. I like the mr. beer reusable ones in concept.

Are the priming tabs meant for bottles of that size? If they're meant for one tab per 12 oz bottle then you will have to scale that based on the bottle size.

You might want to consider augmenting with a handful of swing top bottles (e.g. Golsch) if you want to avoid capping.

And if you enter competitions, only plain brown 12 oz. bottles are accepted.

And remember, sanitation is key.

 

[JettaKnight]

I am not worried about the yeast from the carboy or fermenting bucket ending up in the bottles... I am worried about the yeast from the carbonation.... how much yeast does that normally produce that ends up on the bottom of the bottle?

Depends on the flocculation rate of the yeast. Normally, there will be a few millimeters.

Just make Hefeweizen and the the yeast in the bottles will be appropriate and welcomed!

 

[IndyGunworks]

Keg and then bottle with a counter-pressure filler. The yeast have to be in the bottle to carbonate it - there's no getting around it. Just pour gently.

I no longer have the kegorator

Those typically aren't meant for POSITIVE internal pressure, so I don't no how'd they seal.

I think i might try ONE


If you filled a five gallon keg, then expect the same. You could always scale back you bath size for 4 gallons of finished product (Use less malt extract). Of course, every system is different so the amount you lose "will depend."

As i said above, i never paid any attention so i have no clue how much was left after starting with 5 gallons

Are the priming tabs meant for bottles of that size? If they're meant for one tab per 12 oz bottle then you will have to scale that based on the bottle size.

they said they were goof for a range of sizes. With my size i will be using two drops per liter

You might want to consider augmenting with a handful of swing top bottles (e.g. Golsch) if you want to avoid capping.

Maybe if this bottling thing works... still worried about the yeast on the bottom of the bottle

And if you enter competitions, only plain brown 12 oz. bottles are accepted.

aint nobody got time for that

And remember, sanitation is key.

StarSan!!!

See RED

 

[JettaKnight]

"Good for a wide range" - hmmm. Well, I guess you just get less carbonation with bigger bottles. Eh - it's a bit of a crap shoot given the yeast, headspace, etc.

What's so bad about yeast sediment? Many commercial bottles I buy have some sediment - you just refrain from pouring out that last half inch or so. Is it a hazing issue that you have a problem with? Just don't like the taste of yeast? Without a force carbonation setup there's nothing you can do to avoid it.


PS - Isn't your signature a bit dated?

 

[EvilKidsMeal]

In my experience racking to a designated bottling bucket is pretty effective. I have one with a spigot on it, and the spigot sits off of the bottom of the bucket a little bit. If you rack from fermenter into the bucket you can control how much of the cake you let in, and then the gap over the bottom to the spigot allows you to leave behind any that may have snuck in.

All in all it's impossible to avoid yeast because you need it for carbonation. The yeast cake is only the dead yeast. Active yeast is in the beer you just can't really see it. This is what ends up in your bottle after carbonation.

Excess yeast can be controlled, yeast in general cannot. Besides, beer yeast is a good source of vitamins.

I NEVER drink my homebrew out of the bottle, so just leave behind what little yeast is in the bottom when you pour it. Simple solution really.

 

[Hexlobular]

I have two beer kits arriving today and i want to start brewing one tonight, so i have time to figure this out. I have 16 1 liter plastic bottles from Mr.Beer they are reusable and garenteed not to burst. however these are 5 gallon kits. i have enough for 4 gallons maybe a tad more.

I have always kegged and force carbed in the past because i had a few homebrews that had a bunch of yeast sitting on the bottom of the bottle and it sort of turned me off.

1. What is the best way to avoid yeast settling on the bottom of the bottle?

2. I have a bunch of 1 quart mason jars that have the full lid. Can i use those? neither my wife nor i drink out of the bottle so everything will be poured into chilled glasses anyways.

3. I never paid any attention to how much liquid i loose when i start with 5 gallons because i always kegged. Will i loose enough to evaporation/ racking that i will not have to worry about the mason jars?

for what its worth the kits i ordered are coming with the priming tablets so i don't have to measure and mix. i have a cream ale, and a nut brown on the way. I want to avoid glass bottles if i can. I like the mr. beer reusable ones in concept.

Yeast will always settle, it just depends on how cleanly you rack to the secondary. If you slosh your bottles about a week in, it can help them along a little, but you'll still have settling. You can bottle with the jars, as long as they're sanitized well and seal properly. If they're clear, make darn sure you keep them in a dark place. If you plan to dry-hop, you'll be lucky to get 48 12-oz bottles worth from a 5-gal batch. Sometimes I only get 46 if I leaf-hop. Figure out how many ozs of bottles/jars you have and do the math that way. BTW, what kits did you get? I'm a big IPA fan myself.

 

[Hexlobular]

In my experience racking to a designated bottling bucket is pretty effective. I have one with a spigot on it, and the spigot sits off of the bottom of the bucket a little bit. If you rack from fermenter into the bucket you can control how much of the cake you let in, and then the gap over the bottom to the spigot allows you to leave behind any that may have snuck in.

All in all it's impossible to avoid yeast because you need it for carbonation. The yeast cake is only the dead yeast. Active yeast is in the beer you just can't really see it. This is what ends up in your bottle after carbonation.

Excess yeast can be controlled, yeast in general cannot. Besides, beer yeast is a good source of vitamins.

I NEVER drink my homebrew out of the bottle, so just leave behind what little yeast is in the bottom when you pour it. Simple solution really.

I agree. And always enjoy homebrew out of the bottle rather than straight from. It's also a good way to see what kind of head your beer is making.

 

[jforrest]

Before I pop open the cap I like to lightly turn the bottle until I get all the yeast from the bottom mixed into the beer.

As for using mason jars, bad idea. We tried this for about half the beer we made for our trip to the Keys. Most of them ended up creasing slightly right by the seal because of all the pressure inside. Beer had a great tast but very little carbonation. Even the ones that looked fine still didn't have the carbonation the bottled beer did.

 

[Leadeye]

Going to have to try making beer someday, have made wine for years and it sounds like it's easier than beer.

 

[IndyGunworks]

"Good for a wide range" - hmmm. Well, I guess you just get less carbonation with bigger bottles. Eh - it's a bit of a crap shoot given the yeast, headspace, etc.

What's so bad about yeast sediment? Many commercial bottles I buy have some sediment - you just refrain from pouring out that last half inch or so. Is it a hazing issue that you have a problem with? Just don't like the taste of yeast? Without a force carbonation setup there's nothing you can do to avoid it.


PS - Isn't your signature a bit dated?

the directions say up to 18 oz use one, up to 33 oz use two. anything more they recommend corn priming sugar. its not a taste thing, i have only drank one bottle of homebrew and it tasted like crap, but it wasn't from the yeast, but seeing that yeast on the bottom grossed the wife out enough she wouldn't even try it. when i kegged she had to inspect it before she would drink it to make sure there were not floaties.

and no my signature is not outdated... I am still celebrating. I have been pushing for a gunsmithing forum since about the time you joined, so it will probably stay there another year or so.

Going to have to try making beer someday, have made wine for years and it sounds like it's easier than beer.

your wine is delicious. I have 6 failed attempts at wine now. Unless you want to make a trip up here and teach me i give up on it. At one point the brewery downtown HAND MADE a yeast starter for me and it still didn't take. I have no clue what i am doing wrong.

mason jars are out.

I don't have a bottling bucket, but i plan on starting a siphon and just going from bottle to bottle.

 

[JettaKnight]

the directions say up to 18 oz use one, up to 33 oz use two. anything more they recommend corn priming sugar. its not a taste thing, i have only drank one bottle of homebrew and it tasted like crap, but it wasn't from the yeast, but seeing that yeast on the bottom grossed the wife out enough she wouldn't even try it. when i kegged she had to inspect it before she would drink it to make sure there were not floaties.

Ahhhhhh, now it makes sense.

I'm in the opposite camp - I have to hide beer from my wife. Nasty, funky, sour beer - that's her siren.


Now back to the yeast. There's really no way around it. Perhaps it would help to introduce her to the fact that there are commercial examples with a fair amount of sediment in each bottle. If you pour slow, you should be able to get a clean pour into a glass that's "inspection ready".

 

[IndyGunworks]

The pour is my plan.... i just looked at the yeast i am using and its low to medium flocculation. Using 1 liter bottles will also help because i can get two glasses of beer out of it and still leave the yeast on the bottom... i am a slow pour kind of guy as well... I do think if this yeast is too much i might look at the carbonation tablets... I can kill the yeast at the very end and then force carb it with those tablets. should be the trick. time will tell.

Normally it takes a few days for things to get going, but i used liquid yeast this time and holy crap... i put it in the fermentor last night and its already bubbling out of the lock. that was FAST.

that makes me wonder if i really even need to use a secondary fermentor since it will only be brewing for two weeks??

also, my potential alcohol was less than 5%, and i found that strange. SG at 1.050 i sort of expected it to be 1.070 or so. so this will probably not be a very potent beer. maybe the priming suger will ad the last 1.5% that i am used to in hombrew.

 

[IndyGunworks]

I am now a believer in buying the higher quality/price liquid yeast. normally i am 48 hours in before i see activity like this at roughly 16 hours in.

[video=youtube;zbQ0CA3g5xI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbQ0CA3g5xI[/video]

 

[JettaKnight]

Did you make a yeast starter? What yeast was it?

that makes me wonder if i really even need to use a secondary fermentor since it will only be brewing for two weeks??

What's the style?

also, my potential alcohol was less than 5%, and i found that strange. SG at 1.050 i sort of expected it to be 1.070 or so. so this will probably not be a very potent beer. maybe the priming sugar will ad the last 1.5% that i am used to in homebrew.

You'll get very little alcohol from the small amount of priming sugar.

Missing your target by 20 points is a big deal! I had assumed this was a an extract kit...