Ever since I finished step three of my home brewing project, I have been excitedly checking the keg every day in order to see if the fermentation has finished. And, when I got home after work and looked at the beer yesterday, I could tell that it was done! There were a few dime-sized bubbles on the surface, and it was easy to tell that the yeast had settled because there was a layer of sediment at the bottom of the keg.
The final way I could tell that the brewing was complete was that the liquid was no longer hazy, but instead clear to look at. I was thrilled to realize that the fermentation was complete, because this meant that I could bottle and carbonate my beer! It also means that I’m right on track to have hand-brewed beer in the fridge for Super Bowl Sunday.
After following the instructions and carefully sanitizing the bottles, I added two-and-a-half teaspoons of white sugar to each one. After that, I filled each bottle from the keg, leaving about an inch and a half of room at the top for carbonation.
Then I had to screw on all of the caps, and carefully turn each bottle over so that the sugar could mix in. The directions made it clear that I must not shake the containers at this point, so I did this very deliberately.
Then I put the bottles right back in the closet where I had been keeping the keg so that they could carbonate and further ferment. According to the directions, this process takes between seven and 14 days. I can’t wait until I get to try my hand made beer next weekend! It’s sure to make the Super Bowl a more exciting event for all of us.
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