Beer Caps And Cappers

Bottling beer can be an adventure. As a homebrewer, you have to know certain skills and techniques in order to bottle beer properly. One of the things that you need to know before bottling is the specific gravity of your homebrew. The specific gravity reading should be the same for two or three days, otherwise, this is an indication that the beer is still fermenting and bottling it may lead to over-carbonation or exploding bottles (commonly referred to as bottle bombs).

Once the specific gravity has been achieved, you can fill your prepared bottles with beer. So how many bottles do you need for a 5-gallon batch of beer? It depends on the volume of the bottles that you are going to use. If you are going to use 12 ounces of bottles, you need 54 pieces while you only need 30 pieces if you are going to use 22 ounces of bottles (these are approx. quantities)

When filling up the bottle, make sure that you fill up to 1" from the top. Lift the bottle filler to stop the flow of beer. Top with a bottle cap (use a bottle capper if using pry-off caps) and make sure that it is tight. Let the bottles sit for at least two weeks at room temperature to allow them to carbonate. After a few weeks, place them inside the fridge to chill before consumption. (more info below)