Bottling

[Charles1968]

Speedy Gonzales! How do you control the flow - with the FV tap?

[aamcle]

1/2" tubing? Will that go through a bottle top?


Aamcle

[Jim]

The O2 will enter at the top because the whole volume is whirlpooling, like a starter on a stir plate. It doesn't need to splash to aerate. Probably not much O2 gets in though, but it makes sense to avoid agitating if at all possible as any O2 will shorten the beer's shelf life.

The amount of oxygen absorbed will be negligible in such a short time, and since there will still be active yeast in the secondary it will get mopped up anyway. I really don't think it's a worry as long as you're reasonably careful and don't splash it about all over the place.

[Rick_UK]

Speedy Gonzales! How do you control the flow - with the FV tap?

The process has evolved with the dawn of Starsan! Yes I just use the FV tap start slow and gradually speed it up I do get some occasional foaming but its never caused an issue in the finished beer.

Yes the tube fits into the bottles fine though it's occasionally a tight fit.

I think Jim is right with the oxygenation thing - unless you introduce a lot it gets used up by the yeast for the priming fermentation process. I've never had a bottle or kegged beer taste stale even after 6+ months of storing.

Rick

[Charles1968]

The amount of oxygen absorbed will be negligible in such a short time, and since there will still be active yeast in the secondary it will get mopped up anyway. I really don't think it's a worry as long as you're reasonably careful and don't splash it about all over the place.

I'm not sure about that. Any time you rack beer you're removing the CO2 blanket and increasing exposure to oxygen unless you purge with CO2. If you don't bottle with oxygen-scavenging crown caps, you then give the beer more oxygen in the head space, and bottle conditioning at room temp speeds up oxidation rate about threefold relative to lagering. I'm super careful about oxygen at bottling time but even so my hop flavour fades noticeably after 3-4 months.

[Jonnyconga]

The amount of oxygen absorbed will be negligible in such a short time, and since there will still be active yeast in the secondary it will get mopped up anyway. I really don't think it's a worry as long as you're reasonably careful and don't splash it about all over the place.

I'm not sure about that. Any time you rack beer you're removing the CO2 blanket and increasing exposure to oxygen unless you purge with CO2. If you don't bottle with oxygen-scavenging crown caps, you then give the beer more oxygen in the head space, and bottle conditioning at room temp speeds up oxidation rate about threefold relative to lagering. I'm super careful about oxygen at bottling time but even so my hop flavour fades noticeably after 3-4 months.

I don't think oxygen has anything to do with loss of hop aroma ASAIK. Oxygen leads to oxidation which leads that cardboard sort of taste you get in old bottles of homebrew you made long before you knew not to splash it about. I'm with Jim - I don't think absorption will be much if transferring to a bottling bucket.
Hop aroma just fades with time oxygen or not.
+1 for starsan / iodophor (good thing with iodophor is you can mix it based on colour rather than having to measure it out as with starsan - 1ml syringe comes in handy rubber banded to the bottle.)

[Charles1968]

Isn't the main reason for storing hops in airtight vacuum packs to protect them from oxygen, which reduces both aroma and bitterness by oxidation? I don't see why the same processes wouldn't occur in beer too.

I agree there probably isn't much extra oxygen added by racking, but it seems sensible to me to avoid adding any extra oxygen if it's easy to do so.

Each to their own though. Everyone has their own preferred techniques and I can see the appeal of not fiddling with teaspoons.

[Killick Greenie]

Santa lashed me up to a Blichman Beer Gun and I used it last weekend for the first time. I followed all the steps aready mentioned on here regarding conditioning etc. I used the No Rinse sanitiser from Malt Miller and it worked a treat although the foam had me worried for a bit.
Having bottled using syphons and other pipes and tubes I found the beer gun a doddle to use, its not cheap but I have seen on YouTube that some folks have figured out how to make one. You will need Cornies and gas. Cornies you'll get off the tinternet and gas comes with supping beer I got my original cornies off Norm and two new ones from Malt Miller, well worth the money and about a tenner more expensive than buying secondhand on fleabay at current prices.

I guess its whatever works for you, I know a lot of experienced brewers on here get top notch results with really simple kit.

[Capped]

I guess its whatever works for you, I know a lot of experienced brewers on here get top notch results with really simple kit.

I'm one of those types. My slipshod cack-handedness is something to behold. Really don't know how I've gotten away with it for all these years.

[andyisavinit]

Batch priming - I just put brewing sugar directly in the bottling bucket then siphon on top. It dissolves very easily, then i just give it a stir. Extremely easy and quick.

[Jules T]

Don't dry 'em , no need, and you run the risk of letting bugs back in. If you haven't discovered Starsan yet then do a forum search and read up on it, I wash my bottles after use, use a spray bottle to squirt 3 sprays of Starsan solution in, then put on a plastic bottle cap and put them away in storage until I bottle the next batch. When it comes to bottling time I flip off the plastic cap, drain, then 1 more spray of Starsan, no rinsing needed, then for ales I put in about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and fill it up, I don't make lagers but I believe people use about 1 teaspoon of sugar for the extra fizziness of lagers.
The joy of not having to wash and sterlise 40 bottles is fantastic.

Exactly the way I do it and it works a treat every time