BeerBorg

I bottled my Irish Red Ale today. It was a Northern Brewer all grain kit. I haven't brewed a 5 gallon batch in a while. What a pain in the ###!

I know it's part of the hobby but when I do a fiver I start thinking about kegging. I just don't want to brew 5 gallons. I prefer to do 2.5.
I guess I'll keep using bottles for that size.

Sounds like fun to me! This is why I started kegging, bottling is enjoyable, until u do 5'rs.

Here here... Never did anything but 5vers. Kegging was welcomed...

I also find bottling 5 a challenge. 2.5 is a breeze. But I've worked on my process. I've used an LBK as a "bottling bucket" for 5g. Then I do it by halves with a break in the middle. Whenever I bottle I make sure that I'm seated while filling, but I stand to cap. I do it a sixpack at a time, prime 6, fill 6, cap 6. That way I don't lose track or get stiff. It still takes a good while. I also fill over the open dishwasher door, and with a sanitized bowl on it to catch drips or rest the bottle wand.

I feel your pain. I stepped up to 4 gallons on my last batch. Seemed like it took forever to bottle.

I've only ever bottled 5G once. Then I bought a keg for my 5G batches

It just felt too much like work to bottle that much.

I also hate bottling 5 gallon batches. I do have a system. I have my bottles already oven sterilized and in a couple of totes. I have my wand on the end of a vinyl hose. I fill all the bottles in one shot then cap them all. It is just so much easier to go from the fermenter to a keg and be done with it.

I have a 5 gal keg and a lot of bottles. I normally do 2.5 gallon batches and bottle those no problem, but there always comes a time when I do a 5 gal batch and my keg is full so I have to bottle the 5 gallons. Makes me really want to buy another 5 gallon keg! Too bad I am a poor college student and don't want to spend the money, plus my fridge wouldn't fit two kegs. I have to bottle 5 gallons with someone else or I almost can't tolerate it (kudos to those who bottle 5 by themselves!). I bottled my last five gallon batch on my own and had no fun

No doubt kegging is faster and easier, although I've yet to pull the trigger on that item.

But I honestly don't mind bottling, even five-gallon batches. Once I get my process rolling, it's pretty smooth sailing, and I'm sitting the entire time I'm filling and capping.

The thing I really hate about this hobby, both on bottling day and brew day, is all the washing that has to be done.

I made 2 changes to the bottling procedure that sped things up a lot. 1) got a larger bottling wand from the lhbs this also required a larger spigot. same sized threaded end but larger out flow. 2) got swmbo to help. wait, I'm not crazy...well that ain't how I'm crazy. I had 2 plans in mind here a) it did speed things up a lot. b) she'll get tired of it and not hassle me about wanting to start kegging. both succeeded admirably as I have just been told I can start accruing the equipment I need to keg.

I didn't use to care for bottling day either, but now I have a good system and it doesn't take me too long for a 5 gal batch. I have a new secret weapon in the works that I'm building, I'll post pic when done.

berryman wrote:I didn't use to care for bottling day either, but now I have a good system and it doesn't take me too long for a 5 gal batch. I have a new secret weapon in the works that I'm building, I'll post pic when done.

Such a tease...

gwcr wrote:

berryman wrote:I didn't use to care for bottling day either, but now I have a good system and it doesn't take me too long for a 5 gal batch. I have a new secret weapon in the works that I'm building, I'll post pic when done.

Such a tease...

Here's a hint and it's almost finished.
http://huizingh.net/capper/index.html

Cool cap'r. Now if ya could find a way for that thing to fill then cap!

berryman wrote:I didn't use to care for bottling day either, but now I have a good system and it doesn't take me too long for a 5 gal batch. I have a new secret weapon in the works that I'm building, I'll post pic when done.

If you understand head pressure, static pressure, pipe friction and flow rates I'll let you help me build a bottle washer.