One-man bottling line

Tuesday night saw a massive bottling venture in the kitchen. Both the "Obama Inauguration Holiday Ale" and the "Get In Mah Belly! Scotch Ale" were transferred from their respective secondary fermenters into their new 12-oz bottled homes.

Usually, the 1-2-3 Rule is in effect, where the beer sits in primary fermentation for 1 week, then transferred to secondary fermentation for 2 weeks, then carbonated in bottles for 3 weeks. Lately, ample carbonation has resulted after only a week or so in bottles. I find this out only because I cannot wait and try to open a bottle much sooner than the 3 week time frame. Once I get an audible bottlecap crack spray, and a healthy head on the pour, into the garage fridge they go! The Scotch Ale only had a 1-and-1 week's time in primary and secondary, only because it appeared to settle out and clear quite a bit with only a week in secondary, plus bottling is truly a pain in the ass, so I opted to forgo the 2nd week in secondary and just bottle it all in one fell swoop.

This time, for the Inauguration Ale, the plan is to not open any bottles until Inauguration Day in DC. This may truly try my patience and my resolve. The owner of the homebrew shop in Falls Church, VA where the ingredients were procured mentioned that when fresh this beer is "hot" and can stand to sit to acclimate the alcohol burn. If only for this reason from a trusted professional, the Inauguration Ale may indeed withstand a lack of Gordonian interference until January 20th. Give me strength.

So after Tuesday, 2 cases of each beer now sit in the Carbonation and Aging Center, i.e. the spare bedroom. Inventory reduction of the beer fridge's contents is right on schedule to allow their introduction to the garage in due time.