Changes

There is no hard and fast rule for when to package based on final gravity because the gravity of the finished beer will depend on recipe, process, and microbes present among other factors. Generally, lower final gravities are safer because they constrain the extent to which the beer can continue to ferment and generate extra CO² in the package. But rather than looking for a specific number, pay more attention to the stability of the gravity. Jay from the Rare Barrel recommends waiting at the final gravity for 2-3 months in mixed fermentation beers to ensure that this gravity is the actual final gravity <ref name='Sour Hour episode 6'>[http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/the-sour-hour-episode-6/ The Sour Hour episode 6 Listener Q&A]</ref> (~38 minutes in). If the gravity is stable over a long time scale (weeks to months, depending again on factors such as the recipe, process, and microbes present), then the beer is probably done. If you are unsure then give the beer a bit longer and monitor final gravity. Keep in mind that sampling sour beer too often can lead to too much oxygen exposure, and care should be taken not not sample too much and purge with CO2; see [[Mixed_Fermentation#Aging|Mixed Fermentation]] for more information. Each gravity point (.001) of continued fermentation yields roughly 1/2 volume of CO2 (each degree Plato yields 2 volumes of CO2) <ref>[http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/Accurately_Calculating_Sugar_Additions_for_Carbonation#Remaining_or_Residual_Extract "Accurately Calculating Sugar Additions for Carbonation." Kai Troester. Braukaiser.com. Retrieved 08/07/2016.]</ref>. Sometimes beer samples will contain high amounts of carbonation due to gradual fermentation from ''Brettanomyces'' (in other cases when the beer has aged for a very long time, there may be much less residual carbonation than normal). Therefore, it is best practice to degas the sample by pouring it through a membrane filter such as a coffee filter in order to obtain an accurate gravity reading <ref>[http://methods.asbcnet.org/summaries/degassingmatrix.aspx "Recommended Beer Degassing Methods and Alternatives Matrix". ASBC Methods of Analysis. Retrieved 03/04/2020.]</ref>. With continual batches of beer using the same grist and strains of microbes, final gravity can become more easily predictable.

With continual batches of beer using the same grist and strains of microbes, a stable final gravity can become more easily predicted by the brewer and waiting for a stable final gravity may no longer be necessary once a known stable final gravity is achieved (note that a change in the strains being used or the grist could result in a different stable final gravity). For example, see the [[Brettanomyces and Saccharomyces Co-fermentation#Dosing_Clean_Beer_with_Brettanomyces_At_Bottling|Brettanomyces and Saccharomyces Co-fermentation]] page for techniques for inoculating ''Brettanomyces'' at bottling time into a clean beer that was fermented with just ''S. cerevisiae'', see the [[Brettanomyces and Saccharomyces Co-fermentation#Dosing_Clean_Beer_with_Brettanomyces_At_Bottling|Brettanomyces and Saccharomyces Co-fermentation]] page. For suggested equipment for reading gravity from small samples, see [[Packaging#Density_Meters|Density Meters]].

* See also [https://web.archive.org/web/20211023133240/https://www.therarebarrel.com/index.cfm?method=blog.blogDrilldown&blogEntryID=F8F5CB68-B1C7-9CB1-ACBD-546329AE621D&originalMarketingURL=blog/Terminal-Acidic-Shock-and-Sour-Ale-Bottle-Conditioning The Rare Barrel's acid shock treatment].* See also [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/4429403613754485 this MTF thread] for updates on acclimation methods and reported experiences.

# For 7 barrels/217 gallons of beer, dissolve the 12 pounds of cane sugar (0.88 ounces of sugar per 1 gallon of beer) in ~3.5 gallons of 108-110°F water. After the sugar dissolves, add 250 grams of yeast to the sugar water (1.15 grams of yeast and 0.885 oz of sucrose dissolved in 2 fl oz of water per gallon of beer, or 6.628 grams of sucrose per liter of beer). The amount of yeast is less important than the amount of sugar <ref name="Gus_Sylvester_Method"></ref>)<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1917477671613771/?comment_id=1917618818266323&reply_comment_id=1917621641599374&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R2%22%7D Bob Sylvester on rehydrating yeast and sugar together. Milk The Funk Facebook group. 12/13/2017.]</ref>. I do this first and let it bloom while I transfer the beer from the fermenter to my kettle. Takes about 20-30 minutes. By this time the yeast is about to crawl out of the bucket. ''Editor's note: many homebrewers have had success carbonating sour beer with only 1-2 grams of wine yeast for 5 gallons of beer.''

# Sanke keg conditioning uses the same exact process but back the sugar down to 8 pounds (0.59 ounces of sucrose per gallon of beer or 4.4186 grams of sucrose per liter of beer) and keep the yeast at 250 grams. Fill the keg to the shoulder where the side and the lid meet (too much headspace leads to too high of a carbonation level). One recommendation for getting the right headspace is to lift one side of the keg onto a 2x4 wood block and fill it while the keg is leaning at an angle (this method works best for half barrel kegs; smaller kegs might tip over) <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/2337168479644686/?comment_id=2337190276309173&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R3%22%7D Bob Sylvester and Allen Stone. Milk The Funk Facebook group thread about keg conditioning and fill level. 10/26/2018.]</ref>. ## Note: For a discussion on why or why not the dosage of priming sugar for kegs should be lower than for bottles, see [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/4607537139274464/?comment_id=4607551389273039&reply_comment_id=4607649122596599 this thread].

* '''Green glass v Brown glass''' - Some bottle types, especially champagne style bottles, may be more available in green glass compared to brown glass. Green glass does a worse job shielding the beer from UV spectrum light, which can interact with hop compounds to produce 'skunky' or lightstruck flavors and aromas. Many classic Belgian mixed fermentation beers are found in green glass, and some producers in North America seek out green glass over brown glass for their beers <ref>[http://jesterkingbrewery.com/jester-king-in-green-bottles Jester King blog post about green bottles]</ref><ref>[http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/the-sour-hour-episode-15/ Jester King on the Sour Hour, pt 2]</ref> (~11 minutes in) (also, Bob Sylvester). See also [[Aging_and_Storage#Lightstruck|Lightstruck]].

Usually, only pasteurized sour beer is canned due to the danger of over-carbonating canned beer, however, some brewers have been experimenting with canning mixed fermentation beer and allowing the beer to naturally carbonate in the cans. It is recommended that brewers contact their can supplier to verify that the plastic liners for the cans are rated to handle the pH of sour beer (3-4 pH; kettle soured or otherwise) and to find out the lifespan of the cans. Cans have been found to preserve some hop compounds such as myrcene and caryophyllene better than bottles because bottle caps can strip some of these compounds <ref>[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jib.667 Kemp, O., Hofmann, S., Braumann, I., Jensen, S., Fenton, A., and Oladokun, O. (2021) Changes in key hop-derived compounds and their impact on perceived dry-hop flavour in beers after storage at cold and ambient temperature. J. Inst. Brew., https://doi.org/10.1002/jib.667.]</ref>.

* [http://www.shorecontainer.com/750mlamberchampagneflatbottom.aspx Shore Container, 750 mL 26 mm cap bottles.]* [https://www.txbrewing.com/equipment/bottling/bottles.html Texas Brewing: 500/330 mL Green Morning Bottles, 750 mL Green California Style Beer Bottle (crown or cork).]* [https://chicagobrewwerks.com/collections/racking-bottling/bottles-growlers Chicago Brew Werks: 500 mL cork and cage or crown with punt, and various Morning bottles and other Belgian bottle formats.]* Homebrewing.org [http://www.homebrewing.org/Belgian-Beer-Bottles-750-ml-Case-of-12_p_6456Homebrewing.html org; 750 mL cork and cage bottles] and [http://www.homebrewing.org/375ml-Belgian-Bottles-Cork-Finish-12-ct_p_6113.html 375 mL cork and cage bottles.]* [httphttps://www.milkthefunkmorebeer.com/w/index.php?title=Packaging&action=edit&section=17 MoreBeer Amber Champagne/Belgian Style bottles (also has non-punted versions).]* [https://morewinemaking.com MoreWine Champagne bottles.]* [http://mdhb.com/index.php?cPath=21_41_42&osCsid=c5e061b72a Maryland Homebrew: 750 mL Belgian bottles and Champagne Bottles (offers 3 liter magnums).]* [httphttps://www.curdsandwine.com/products/winemaking-supplies-hardware/375-ml-champagne-bottles-case-of-12 Curds and Wine (green champagne).]* [http://www.keystonehomebrew.com/shop/wine/bottling-racking/bottles/wine-bottles-500-ml-champagne-green-case-13.html Keystone Homebrew Supply (green bottles, multiple sizes750 mL).]* [https://www.midwestsupplies.com/homebrewing-equipment/bottling/bottles Midwest Supplies: 375/750 mL Belgian bottles.]* [http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/brewing-equipment/bottling/bottles Northern Brewer: 750 mL and 350 mL, cork and caged, and crown capped Belgian bottles.]* [https://www.baderbrewing.com/products/beer-bottles/3-liter-antique-green-flip-top-bottle Bader Beer and Wine Supply - 3 Liter Antique Green Flip-top bottle.]* [https://www.austinhomebrew.com Austin Homebrew Supply.]* [https://brewshop.no/butikk/tapping-av-ol/flasking-av-ol Brewshop, Norway: 750 mL and 375 mL Champagne bottles.]

* [https://www.pelliconi.com/site/en/crown-corks-29mm/ Pelliconi.]* [https://unitedbottles.com/product/29-mm-crown-cap-bc017 Unitied United Bottles.]

* [https://www.instagramlevitatefab.com/p/BwLmPK6AR9shop-/ 1 Levitate Fabrication 4 spout filler], see also [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1839233396104866/?comment_id=1840187429342796&reply_comment_id=1840292722665600&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D this MTF thread] on using this product with uncarbonated liquids.* [https://www.tcwequipment.com/products/mori-filler TCW Equipment Mori Filler; 4 or 6 spout.]* [http://www.microfillingsystems.com/ Micro Filling Systems bottler filler (counter pressure, but can be used without counter pressure).]* [https://www.kinnek.com/product/prospero-equipment-corp-gai-2004/ GAI 2004 at Kinnek.] See also [https://www.vigoltd.com/Catalogue/Fillers/4-head-stainless-steel-linear-syphon-filler Vigo Ltd.]. ===Bottling Tanks===* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/posts/7505316402829842 MTF thread on mixing/bottling tanks.]