After two weeks in the fermenter, it was time to bottle the Irish Red Ale. My checklist is below.

Bottling Workflow

  1. Wash the following with standard detergent:

    • Bottling bucket
    • Siphon tube
    • Filling tube
    • Bottlecaps
    • Spigot
    • Paddle
    • Thermometer
    • 500ml bottles (31)

  2. Wash the following using VWP:

    • Filling tube
    • Siphon tube
    • Bottlecaps
    • Spigot
    • Paddle
    • Trial jar (tall pint glass in this case)
    • Hydrometer
    • Thermometer
    • Bottling bucket
    • 500ml bottles (31)

  3. Assemble bottling bucket

  4. Attach tubing to fermenter spigot

  5. Have waste bucket to hand to catch waste from tap

  6. Brewer’s Friend brewing calculator states that 19L of beer at 20 degrees requires 105.5g of Table Sugar to bring dissolved CO2 to 2.25 volumes. Measure 105g of Table Sugar and boil in 400ml of water to create simple syrup.

  7. Add simple syrup to bottling bucket and allow to cool

  8. Remove airlock from fermenter

  9. Draw off beer sample for hydrometer reading into sanitised trial jar

  10. Measure temperature of sample (16 degrees C)

  11. Take hydrometer reading (1.012)

  12. Add sample to bottling bucket to avoid waste

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  1. Add remainder of beer from fermenter via siphon - avoid agitation
  2. Seal bottling bucket and attach filling stick to spigot
  3. Rinse all bottles with water to remove VWP
  4. For each bottle:
    1. Fill to top using filling stick
    2. Cap using capper
    3. Label cap
    4. Place in crate
  5. Store crates for priming for two weeks
  6. Clean up

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A refreshing drink after a hard morning’s work. Tastes really good even before bottle-priming! It ought to be ready by December, so just in time for any Christmas parties.