lots of residue when bottling

[Brewshed]

Everyone has their own preferred system that they find works well for them and this is mine.


I bottle all my beers and do not have much sediment, just what is produced during carbonation really. I use the old practice of 'dropping' the beer which just means transferring it from the fermenter into another container when the fermentation is dying down but before it has stopped (usually after about 3 days). It then sits in the new container under an air lock for about a week (I use an old polypin standing upright with the airlock in a bung in the tap hole). Most of the suspended material settles out in the first 24 hours and by the time of bottling it is pretty clear. I bottle straight from the polypin and put a priming and fining solution into the bottles using a syringe. One advantage of doing the transfer before fermentation has finished is that it will still generate CO2 after transfer and this should help protect against some of the risks from oxygenenation.

 

[m_kc]

It definitely exists but if you bottle carefully with a bottling wand you can avoid most of the common issues fairly easily.

My preferred routine is to use a door-stop to raise the tap side of the fermenter and give the beer a day or two to settle toward the end of fermentation (cold crash not required, although is beneficial if you have the ability).
Before bottling I add my solution of priming sugar and gently stir it in before leaving for 30 mins to settle again. (N.B. Now is a great time to sanitise bottles).
The first bottle might have some extra sediment as the tap clears but from 2nd bottle onwards you should be able to have pretty clear beer.

If you have time after the bottles have conditioned and carbonated pop them in the fridge for a few days for the sediment to pack down - this will make it much easier to pour without rousing the residual sediment again.


All that said I'm using kegs generally and bottling from the keg is way easier and no sediment either. Win win.

Thanks, I'm bottling in the summer as I rely on keeping the kegs cool in the garage over the winter - think I will give a bottling bucket a go with a tap and some kind of short wand! I syphon into a pot, then poor into bottles using a jug. Only because I do 1 gallon batches - but a terrible technique I know. I did try an inline flow control straight from the fermenter into the bottle but this generated allot of bubbles.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

I think your tap is too low. If you buy another fermenter, make sure the tap is higher, regardless of whether or not you use it as a bottling bucket. Personally, I wouldn't use a bottling bucket as any time anything touches beer, there's the risk of infection, though batch priming certainly makes it an attractive option.

The bottling wand is a fantastic invention and personally, I would never go back to a syphon. If you do end up usinf a bottling bucket, unless you're goint to constantly have a brew on the go, I'd use your existing fermenter to bottle from and buy a length of hose to fit the tap and drop the beer with gravity.

Less to clean, less to sanitise, few points of contact where infection could creep in. Oh, and don't forget to take the bottling wand apart and give it a thorough clean after each use. I didn't the first few times and when I thought to, it was quite grubby!

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

I dont believe oxidation exists, except in the mind of pseudo scientist home brewers. Its something else to write about and pretend is a gross problem and get all excited about. Ive brewed for 40 years and never had a problem with a brew that sounds off in some strange abstract way. To be honest if some plank on here mentions it again I'll point them in the direction of Gunge - he will sort you out - you know who you are, get over it.

Why do brewers use oxygen scavenging crown caps? Who says you haven't had a problem in 40 years and can you back it up with scientific proof?

 

[labrewski]

Plus one for the bottling wand couldn't bottle without it
If u do get one remove bottom piece and add another o ring helps with flow greatly

 

[Alan_Reginato]

I think your tap is too low. If you buy another fermenter, make sure the tap is higher, regardless of whether or not you use it as a bottling bucket. Personally, I wouldn't use a bottling bucket as any time anything touches beer, there's the risk of infection, though batch priming certainly makes it an attractive option.

The bottling wand is a fantastic invention and personally, I would never go back to a syphon. If you do end up usinf a bottling bucket, unless you're goint to constantly have a brew on the go, I'd use your existing fermenter to bottle from and buy a length of hose to fit the tap and drop the beer with gravity.

Less to clean, less to sanitise, few points of contact where infection could creep in. Oh, and don't forget to take the bottling wand apart and give it a thorough clean after each use. I didn't the first few times and when I thought to, it was quite grubby!

Yes, that's what I always talk about. Efficiency and safety. Less to clean and less chance of infection. Keep it simple, at least in the beginning. And then go to more complex things. One step at a time. This way you will know how variables modify the process.

 

[MmmBeer]

This thread is a great example of why I enjoy using this forum; 15 homebrewers, 16 opinions.

And now I'm going to add the seventeenth.

• First chill the beer to 5°C (41°F) or below for at least 24 hours before bottling.
• I have never used a secondary (bottling bucket), but mainly out laziness rather than fear of oxidation.
• For hoppy beers you can tilt the fermenter back slightly, to raise the tap above the level of the trub.
• From your photo, the tube heater is at a steep angle, presumably due to space constraints. Manufacturers warn never to use them vertically, as it poses a fire risk, consider replacing the glass shelf with something that allows air flow and put the heater below it. I initially used wooden slats, but have now built a steel 'table frame' out of box section ( I taught myself to mig weld during lockdown).