[Brewmeisters]

Our first bottling is coming up next Friday.
Aside for clean/sanitize the bottles, what do we need to pay particular attention to?

[flars]

Avoid oxidizing the beer.
Use a scale to weigh the correct amount of priming sugar for the carbonation level you expect.
Ensure the priming sugar solution is evenly mixed throughout the beer before bottling.

How this is done depends upon your method/equipment for getting the beer from the fermentor to the bottle.  Some details on this will get you some very helpful tips.

[mainebrewer]

Another generic tip: after the beer is bottled, put it somewhere warm (around 70 degrees) and dark. Don't put it on the concrete floor of your 70 degree basement, though. Wait at least 2 weeks for carbonation.

[Brewmeisters]

Auto syphon to the Ale Pail, I'm assuming not to let it splash into the bottling bucket.

[flars]

Having the end of the siphon tube flat on the bottom of the bottling bucket and in a curl around the edge will keep the beer moving as you siphon.  This will help distribute the priming sugar solution.  I gently pour the priming solution in after one-third of the beer has been racked.  The end of the siphon tube will be under the spigot lock nut to help hold it down.

One 2.29 gram Domino Dot will give you about 2.4 volumes of CO2.

[Brewmeisters]

I'll have to look, a bag of priming sugar was included in the kit.
I don't know if they say how much sugar to use when we bottle.

[mainebrewer]

I'll have to look, a bag of priming sugar was included in the kit.
I don't know if they say how much sugar to use when we bottle.

Usually, you will use 4-5 oz of sugar for priming. The bag of sugar that is included with the kit is supposed to be the right amount for that beer.

[flars]

I'll have to look, a bag of priming sugar was included in the kit.
I don't know if they say how much sugar to use when we bottle.

Use a carbonation calculator like this one.
https://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/
All kits will contain about 5 ounces of corn sugar to use for priming.  You decide the carbonation level for what you have brewed.  A stout you may want very low carbonation.  A Hefeweizen would be carbonated at a much higher level.  The calculator shows the typical level of carbonation for the style of beer but the level of carbonation is your choice.

[bhuff85]

I will add that if you are cold crashing and are using a priming calc, base the amount of priming sugar to add on the highest temp at fermentation and NOT at bottling.

For the longest time, my beers were coming in under carbed. I was running calcs like the calculators say (temp at bottling); however, I did a lot of reading and found a lot of people mentioned highest ferment temp.

Started doing that and ever since then, my beers have been carbonated to style. No bottle bombs or other issues. Just fantastically carbonated each and every time. It was a good feeling after going through 4 or 5 batches that turned out so underwhelming due to the carb level.

[James K]

Avoid oxidizing the beer.
Use a scale to weigh the correct amount of priming sugar for the carbonation level you expect.
Ensure the priming sugar solution is evenly mixed throughout the beer before bottling.

How this is done depends upon your method/equipment for getting the beer from the fermentor to the bottle.  Some details on this will get you some very helpful tips.

Having the end of the siphon tube flat on the bottom of the bottling bucket and in a curl around the edge will keep the beer moving as you siphon.  This will help distribute the priming sugar solution.  I gently pour the priming solution in after one-third of the beer has been racked.  The end of the siphon tube will be under the spigot lock nut to help hold it down.

One 2.29 gram Domino Dot will give you about 2.4 volumes of CO2.

I would say your biggest challenges are oxidation and getting an even amount of priming sugar into bottles. I use a bottling bucket and auto siphon as was mentioned above. My problem is having some bottles over carbonated and under carbonated bottles.  I have added my priming sugar with 1/3 of the beer in the bottle bucket also as mentioned above.  Some people have recommended I stir my bottle bucket after filling 5 or so bottles to make sure the sugar doesn’t settle to the bottom. I’m wary of this because of oxidation.

I also recommend swing-tops and not bottle capping, personal preference.