Bottling the Pumpkin Ale

The time has come to bottle the Pumpkin Ale we brewed back in September. A home brew kit or home brew store will have unlabeled bottles, caps and a capper for this part of the process. You can also save old beer bottles and wash them thoroughly before re-bottling them.

Before you bottle, you must first add dextrose, which is a sugar, to your beer. The yeast will eat the sugar and give off the bi-product carbon dioxide, and thus carbonizing your beer. Science! So until you add the sugar, there is no carbonation. (Dextrose can also be purchased at any home brew store.)

First, boil the dextrose with a small amount of water for 5-10 minutes and then add it to the bottling bucket. Next, make sure your bottles are clean (a rinse through the dishwasher will do) and then siphon the finished beer from the bottling bucket into the bottles and cap.

(had to steal these pictures because we forgot to photograph our process: photos . Pardon the man-hands)

In about a week you will have ready-to-drink, carbonated beer. You can store the bottles at room temperature or in the refridgerator, but make sure to keep the bottles out of direct sunlight. In total, we made about five gallons of Pumpkin Ale for around $35.00. Just in time for Halloween!