So after a long hiatus from brewing, I returned and made two batches with hops and grain that would otherwise soon expire. When I went to the shed to get my bottles I found that I had left the ends of a bag of grain on the crate which had attracted several mice who had mated making even more mice. All the bottles were covered in mouse waste and they are just not worth using. All my rubber seals had been munched too.
I held on a few weeks hoping to get the money together to get a keg system but the cheapest I can find is €300 which I wont be able to get this side of Christmas. I need a short term solution, in reality I need approx 100 500ml bottles to keep my 50 litres of beer from going bad.
I live 40mins outside of the city but I was thinking of driving in to the Bull & Castle to see if they have any but I doubt if I will be able to get 100 of them... Does anyone know any other places I could get some or any other suggestions as how I could salvage this beer? RIght now both batches are up in my spare room. One has been in the primary for 6 weeks, the other was 4 weeks in the primary but has been in a secondary for 3 weeks.
Thanks!
300 snots for a kegging system, whoa!
2 kegs 100
Tank gas 50 max
Reg 35
Gas line picnic tap and disconnects 50 max
Lots of stuff on here since you have been gone.
Just sterilise your bottles with oxi and hot water on the inside for 24 hour soak rinse and repeat, they will be fine.
I doubt your mice took a shit on the inside ;D
Get all into secondary, I hope they are covered from light?
You can buy rubber seals in Homebrew companies
I had various summer jobs as a student in the food prep industries, trust me I would have been delighted if I had just come across mouse crap only
I threw them out in a rage when I found out! Oh and there was poop in the bottles, right down at the bottom! I don't know how they did it - I think maybe the baby ones were in them :(
What about buying coopers oxbar bottles off one of the HB shops?
http://www.homebrewwest.ie/coopers-ox-bar-24-500ml-pet-bottles-better-than-glass-bottles-837-p.asp
For 60 euro you will have 120 brand new bottles ;D If you order don't forget to use your club discount ;D
Quote from: Mike on August 17, 2013, 01:24:36 PM
I live 40mins outside of the city but I was thinking of driving in to the Bull & Castle to see if they have any but I doubt if I will be able to get 100 of them
The B&C goes through at least 100 bottles a night. You would be getting a mixture of different beers but if you ring them up they should let you go through the glass bins and fill some boxes. Bring gloves.
You could also ask for one of the disposable eco kegs which the pubs toss out and pull out the PET bottle inside. I think they're 30L so two would do the trick. Ask the pub to degass it for you, and then take it apart more carefully than this guy does... http://youtu.be/hXJENG3gEN4
Thanks for the advice everyone. I see the guy on adverts is selling kegs again, if I got two kegs without the connections etc and just put the beer into them for a month or so until I get the regulator, tap, gas etc - would it be ok?
Quote from: Mike on August 18, 2013, 11:43:09 AM
Thanks for the advice everyone. I see the guy on adverts is selling kegs again, if I got two kegs without the connections etc and just put the beer into them for a month or so until I get the regulator, tap, gas etc - would it be ok?
I am only a beginner so i am open to correction. From where i see it this is not a good idea Mike,simply put when you transfer from your FV into the keg whatever layer of co2 that was protecting your beer during fermentation is lost during transfer. Without connections and co2 for your cornie keg you will have a layer of air sitting on top of your beer becuase you will not be able to purge it using a co2 tank. This will leave it open to oxidation and after a month you COULD end up dumping the lot because it has gone off. :(
You really need to get it bottled or kegged like yesterday, if this is not possible at the moment then i would suggest leaving it in the FV where it should still have some co2 protecting it and DO NOT open the fv to "check" on it until you are ready to either keg or bottle 8).
If you need to get it bottled in a hurry, all i can suggest is go down to your local supermarket, buy their own brand fizzy cola or other drink, the ones for less than a euro a bottle, or the cheap fizzy water even. Dump the fizzy drink or water and rinse out and fill with your beer as normal, remember to prime your bottles or batch first. ;D
Good advice Deadman