How to Bottle Homebrewed Beer

Bottling your homebrewed beer will let you share it with friends and family.

Brewing your own beer can be a satisfying and rewarding hobby, and bottling your beer is one of the final steps in the brewing process. Once your beer is in bottles, you can share it with friends and family, showing them just how good you have gotten at creating your brew. Taking your time in the bottling process will ensure your beer tastes its best when you crack open a cold one on a warm summer day. Does this Spark an idea?

Print this article

Clean bottles
Bottling bucket
Bottle caps
Bottle capper
Sanitized spoon
Sugar

Instructions

- 1
  
  Determine if your beer is ready to be bottled. Beer should not be bottled before the fermentation is complete, as the beer may become over-carbonated and cause the bottle to explode, according to John Palmer of the website "How to Brew." Palmer suggests waiting two to three weeks for the fermentation process to finish before you begin bottling your brew.
- 2
  
  Clean and sanitize your bottles. Scrub the bottles thoroughly, getting rid of deposits that can house bacteria or mold spores. To sanitize the bottles, put them in the dishwasher, running them through the heat cycle.
- 3
  
  Make a priming solution by boiling 3/4 cups sugar in 2 cups of water and letting it cool. Pour the solution into the fermenter, where you have been making your beer, and gently stir the combination with a sanitized spoon.
- 4
  
  Fill the bottles by placing the fill tube of the bottling bucket into the bottom of the bottle. Fill slowly, stopping at about 3/4 inches from the top of the bottle. Keep the tube below the waterline to prevent air from mixing with the beer and causing excessive carbonation.
- 5
  
  Use the bottle capper to put sanitized caps on your bottle. You can either cap each bottle as you fill it or wait until a few are full to apply the caps. Inspect each bottle to make sure the cap is secure.
- 6
  
  Store your beer away from direct sunlight until you are ready to enjoy it.

How to Brew: Priming and Bottling

Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images

Comments

How Do I Fix Over-Carbonated Beer in Home Brewing?
With beer, a little carbonation goes a long way. While flat beer is undesirable, beer as carbonated as soda pop is equally...