Tips on Bottling

By Jay Lefkowitz

As those of us who bottle our own beer know, the dreaded bottling day rolls around sooner than we know. I have not been doing this for too long, but I feel I have paid my bottling dues. And after a few adjustments, I find I actually look forward to bottling and can usually bottle a five gallon batch in less than ninety minutes. Here are some tips to help you along and rid yourself of the bottling blues!

1) Be organized! Count out your bottles the day before so they are at hand when you are ready to start. Lay out all of your gear in a clean area on the counter: racking cane, hose philler, caps, corn sugar, sanitizer, bottle capper and measuring cup.

2) Try using larger bottles and flip tops. They will save you a good amount of time (I will do 12-18 12 oz. bottles and the rest 16-22 oz.) I see 12 oz. bottles as giveaways or contest beers, so you really don't need 48 of them.

3) Use Phil's philler. This invaluable gadget attaches to your bottling hose and is spring loaded so when you push down on it in the bottom of the bottle the beer flows. When you stop pushing down (when the bottle is full) the beer stops flowing.

4) Boil your sugar in a pint of water. I have heard stories of boil overs when using wort, and I don't like to open my fermenter until I rack the beer. Less steps equals less chance of contamination.

5) Sanitize caps in iodine sanitizer. I have found that the less things you have to boil and time, the better. I actually saw this in a microbrewery back east. They had their caps in a shallow tray soaking in iodophor.

6) When filling bottles, try using the inside of your dishwasher door. This little step really helps. You don't have to bend to the floor and any spills are contained in the dishwasher. Just close it and the mess is gone. If you have any trouble with the height, just move your fermenter or get a longer piece of siphon hose.

7) Have your empty cases or six pack holders right next to the area you are capping in. My bottles go from being capped right into the case.

8) Invest in a bottling tree. Not only do your bottles air dry quicker, you inject the sanitizer straight up into the bottle so you know you are covered. With a little practice you can sanitize a full batch of bottles in minutes. It just flows.

I hope you can gain a few ideas from this. My first and foremost recommendation is: RELAX, DON'T WORRY. HAVE A HOMEBREW!

For any questions you may have about brewing, feel free to call one of the SNAFU members listed below.

Steve Mac Millan 435-5816 Bob Barnes 242-3301

Jay Lefkowitz 242-8715 Joe Sutton 243-7668

Ralph Goodman 642-9215