How to make real ale : Bottle conditioned beer

After leaving the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in the fermentation bin for 6 days it was ready to be transferred to the secondary fermentation phase. In this video, I show you how I transfer the beer into a pressure barrel and then from there into bottles for bottle conditioning (fermenting in the bottle).

In the past I transferred all the beer into a pressure barrel and after 3 weeks got my beer. However, typically I had plenty left after a while which I would bottle up. However, this beer became very flat and more like home brew ! Bottle conditioning gives you the advantage of saving your beer in bottle and also producing a nice carbonated beer.

Happy Brewing

Clive

Twitter @CliveBGS

[Langstonrocks]

This is great!
I just made the same beer, but did a lot of the bottling steps differently. Interesting to see other approaches :D

[christophertelford]

If you overfill the bottles with beer and don't leave at least a couple of centimetres of air gap in the top then they might explode during the secondary fermentation stage if the yeast generates too much CO2.

[RobertSeviour]

I have exactly the same equipment as you Clive and the same ambition to create a brew along the lines of Sierra Nevada. Currently though, I have gone in the direction of Bitter and Twisted by dry hopping with citra hops. I see that others have noted that you are taking a risk if you don't leave a couple of centimetres head space when you fill. The way that I have been achieving a uniform h/s is to fill to the brim then insert the wooden handle of a fondue fork. This causes a few ccs to overflow and leaves a precise head space in every bottle. There is no wastage, since I catch the overflow in a tray and when bottling is finished I drink it, yeeha!

[AnarchyinthebrewK]

treat yourself to a little bottler dude it will fit directly on2 your barrel tap, for under a tenner it makes bottle filling so much more pleasurable..nice vids.

[Abeyptfc]

good follow up video Clive mate, u really need a botter though, of a fermenter with a tap to make bottling easier man. hope it turns out well. cheers.

[FUreplygirl]

I stopped watching when he said he sucked on the tube.

[damianmchale]

How did your beer turn out, have you tasted it yet?