Bottling

Ok, ok... I know I'm skipping ahead and reneging on my promise of a brewing process run-down but we bottled our first attempt at an IPA yesterday and it seemed like I should write something about it! We bottled our first draft (hah- a beer pun!) of a Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA clone. The distinguishing characteristic of this beer is a 90-minute (duh) long boil with continuous hop additions, leading to a high gravity (I'll get to this eventually in the brewing process post; for now read: high alcohol) and incredibly hoppy beer.

Oops! Look at all that head space...

The one (BIG) mistake we made in brewing this batch was so elementary I didn't think it could ever happen. Instead of using the 6.5-gallon carboy (see equipment post #1 for explanation) as the primary fermenter, we used one of our 5-gallon carboys. Why is this a mistake, you ask? Well, because we wound up with less beer, for one! You have to leave some room at the top (head space) of the primary fermenter for the fermentation process to take place. If you use a 6.5-gallon carboy, that means you wind up with about 5 gallons of usable beer. As we used a smaller carboy, we wound up with only 3.5 gallons of usable beer. Additionally, using the 6.5-gallon carboy for the secondary fermenter (our other 5-gallon was already filled with a Scottish strong ale), there was a ton of head space. While added head space is ok for the primary fermenter (still not ideal), more oxygen present in the secondary fermenter can lead to oxidation of the beer, producing off flavors. We tasted a little bit from the siphon when we'd filled as many bottles as we could and it tasted pretty good so I don't think our mishap affected the final product but we will see in a few weeks!

On to the main event: bottling

Bottles and IPA, Ready to Go

Bottling beer began for us as an ordeal, requiring nearly two hours of set up (sanitizing anything that contacts the beer, mostly), over an hour to bottle, and at least a half hour for clean up. We have since whittled that down to about two and a half hours of work in total. We used dunk each bottle in sanitizing solution (we use a product called OneStep) and then place them, upside-down, on paper towels on the counter. After we accidentally broke 7 bottles by knocking over a single bottle, we decided there must be an easier way. Now we simply run the bottles through the dishwasher on the pots and pans setting with a heated dry with no detergent.

Right before we put it on the counter, we add 4.5 oz. of corn sugar, dextrose, disolved in 1 cup of water to the beer. As the yeast has already consumed all of the sugars present in the beer, converting them to alcohol and carbon dioxide, this additional sugar jump-starts the yeast again, providing enough carbon dioxide to carbonate the beer. Because we are relying on the yeast carbonate, the beer must sit in the bottle for about 2 weeks before it is drinkable. This process is called bottle conditioning.

Bottling is an easy process to show and explain, so I'll be brief and there will be lots of pictures. If you have any further questions, leave a comment and I'll answer!

To the right, my dad starts the siphon by pumping the inner tube. The end of the siphon is about two inches under the surface of the beer to avoid sucking up any solids still floating on the top (like yeast rafties, hop particles, etc). The other end of the tube is in a bottle.

The bottling tip allows beer to flow through only when the valve at the end is depressed in the bottom of a bottle. I'm pictured to the right filling up bottles. Bottles are filled all the way up and removing the bottling tip leaves just enough head space for proper carbonation. Such a brilliant invention, the bottling tip.

As you fill bottles, you place a cap on the top lightly. This allows the yeast, which is already pumping out carbon dioxide to push out any oxygen in the bottle, replacing it with heavier carbon dioxide. When you are done filling bottles, the first ones you filled will have done this already and are ready to be capped.

At right: I prepare to cap this bottle. Below: I pull down the handles of the capper, crimping the edges of the crown cap onto the bottle rim.

Once the cap is on, you are done! Put it in a box to prevent light  damage and oxidation and wait for a couple weeks.

Below, my dad is cleaning the carboy with the L-shaped brush mentioned in the equipment guide.

It's so hard to be patient...

And that's all there is to it! Thanks for reading, I know this one was kind of long, and join us next time when (seriously, I promise this time) I'll explain the basic brewing process.