air gap in bottles

[dragonmaster42]

Wasn't sure where to put this, but I was wondering how much of an air gap do folks usually leave in the top of the bottles when they bottle wine and beer?

 

[NorthernWinos]

I use a bottling wand...
It goes into the bottle right down to the bottom, fills the bottle from the bottom up.
When the bottle is full, you pull out the wand and you have exactly the right amount of head space from the volume of the plastic wand.

The plastic bottling wand hooks onto your siphon hose and are very inexpensive. They come in gravity style or some are spring loaded.

The airspace left in the bottle is called ullage....I think that's how you spell it.

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[Rocky_Top]

NW do you have a 3/8" wand ? My 1/2" wand would not work that way. I have heard that you should have 3/4" from the bottom of the cork.

 

[Bert]

I have been told anywhere from 1/2" to an 1"....I try to stay somewhere between those numbers......

 

[dragonmaster42]

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to buy some more equipment... I just hate that.

 

[scubaman2151]

Really though the bottling wand is a life saver.I cant imagine bottling without it, no way no how.


Scubaman2151

 

[NorthernWinos]

My wand is a smaller one...I get between ¾-1" head space....
It's exactly the same every time.
I should measure it.

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[pelican]

I have the bottling wand too, and use it - and its great -- the only problem I have with it is starting the fiphon to get the wine flowing and THEN attaching the wand.

When I am particularly lazy (which is more often than I would like to admit, oops I guess I just admitted how often that is

), I have bottled with just a hose clamp on the siphon hose, and when the wine in the bottle reaches "there" (which is not exactly the same every time, hence recommend the bottling wand really), I clamp the hose and move on to the next bottle. It does mean I have to go back and do minor top ups to make head space come out even in the bottles and sometimes have to tip a bit out, which is always too much, and then top it back up again - pretty futzy work.

So, yup, recommend the wand - but if you haven't got one, you still can bottle without it, just not as professionally...

 

[rrussell]

If you use an auto syphon, you can attach the wand first, put it in the first bottle and depress the spring and pump your auto syphon to start the wine flowing. Very easy that way.

 

[Wade E]

The way rrussel describes requires 2 people or a carboy with no sediment in there. Or you can get a clamp to keep the autosiphon off the bottom.

 

[NorthernWinos]

We use a bottling/primary bucket with a spigot...No need to start a siphon...Just hook up the hose with wand attached and open the spigot...

When emptying the primary to a carboy...just attach the hose and turn it on...Leave the sediment behind.

Everyone should have these inexpensive 'toys'...makes bottling so much easier...

 

[uavwmn]

I fill them straight from the spigot. I have between a 1/2" to 1" space from the cork.

 

[AlFulchino]

i fill the bottles to near top.....if the cork wont fit in, i drink the excess and then cork.....beware of the bottles you receive from me !!!! Edited by: Al Fulchino