Newbie bottling question

[woomfy]

On my second brew, now ready to bottle.
I've bought a second container (brewing bucket), which I'd planned to decant the brew into.
My idea being, I'd be able to leave the sludgy leftovers in the first brewing bucket and be able to mix my bottling sugar to the whole batch in the second bucket.
It has just struck me that I don't think I should be aireating the brew at this time, is this correct, or doesn't it matter.
If, as I suspect it does matter, I was thinking of just angling the tap on the upper bucket so the brew runs down the side of the second one.
Or would I be better syphoning from one to the other.

thanks in advance,
Davie

 

[AdeDunn]

Put the end of the pipe from the syphon/tap (buy a length of pipe that fits onto the tap) right into the bottom of the bottling bucket, this will minimise splashing and once the end of the pipe is covered no more splashing. You might want to get yourself a bottling wand too, it makes getting beer into the bottles a LOT easier, even using a syphon. :thumb:

I myself ferment in buckets with taps, and then use a length of pipe on this tap to transfer to bottling bucket (or sometimes to a second FV if I want it to settle out more). It makes bottling time much easier. Problem is, you tend to leave more beer behind than you would with a syphon with a racking cane fitted, so I often get the last useful bit out using one of my racking canes. I don't do this when transferring to the bottling bucket though, only when filling the bottles, as I found it always slips and stirs up the trub (even using a bucket clip). Sometimes it's better to waste a little to save a lot.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi Davie,
You are correct - avoid aeration of the beer.
Add your priming sugar to the bottom of the bottling bucket as a solution: sugar mixed with boiled water and allowed to cool.
If your FV has a tap, add a syphon tube to the tap and keep it at the bottom of the bottling bucket when making the transfer.

 

[woomfy]

Thanks Guys, as I suspected. :cheers1:

 

[Dutto]

I use this to syphon the brew into a Bottling Bucket ...



Before I bought the small filter on the end, I used a sanitised hop bag over the end, held in place with a small plastic tie-wrap.

In the Bottling Bucket, I add the Brewing Sugar (usually at +/-3g per litre) dissolved in about 250ml of boiling water and any Hop Tea that I think the brew needs (again using about 250ml of boiling water) and give it a gentle stir before bottling. In my experience, in 23 litres of beer, the tiny change in temperature due to the addition of the hot priming sugar and Hop Tea makes absolutely no difference to the final brew.

Enjoy! Only four weeks to go and you can start to think about drinking it!

 

[dad_of_jon]

I agree with all the above, dont aereate you beer. I use a bb with an auto syphon,





I know how to siphon but this doesn't stop me watching these videos now and again

 

[AdeDunn]

Before I bought the small filter on the end, I used a sanitised hop bag over the end, held in place with a small plastic tie-wrap.

In the Bottling Bucket, I add the Brewing Sugar (usually at +/-3g per litre) dissolved in about 250ml of boiling water and any Hop Tea that I think the brew needs (again using about 250ml of boiling water) and give it a gentle stir before bottling. In my experience, in 23 litres of beer, the tiny change in temperature due to the addition of the hot priming sugar and Hop Tea makes absolutely no difference to the final brew.

Enjoy! Only four weeks to go and you can start to think about drinking it!

Ditto (carefully avoids word play), in fact I reckon leaving the sugar solution to cool may even slightly increase the chance of infection occurring (this is entirely my own opinion however, not proven or fact or anything). Once the beer is in the bottling bucket, I slap in an airlock and leave it for 40 minutes or so as I've found it seems to mix better doing this than bottling straight away. A gentle stir is probably just as good though (sometimes do that too, depending on how distracted I am at the time... lol).

I have to be honest though, I'm thinking about drinking it when planning the brew in software... lol

 

[MagnusTS]

I know how to siphon but this doesn't stop me watching these videos now and again

I like that video too.

 

[Terry_R]

I'm a newbie too and bottled a 5gallon batch at the weekend. I siphoned from carboy to bottling bucket. I used a brilliant and very simple syphon hose clip, which clips on the rim of the bucket and holds the hose exactly where I want it and avoids any splashing. This left me free to concentrate 100% on the auto-syphon end and avoid picking up any sludge from the carboy. I got a nice clean brew in the bucket and hopefully minimal oxygen.

 

[woomfy]

Ok so , bottling went relatively well. A distraction was the Hops I'd added to the FV 3 days previously, which I'd understood would sink from the surface and settle on the bottom. They hadn't and instead had formed a sort of crust on the surface. Since I was using the tap, with hose to keep aeration down, I figured I'd be good to go. Unfortunately I did pick up a little sediment and Hops in the process. With no way to filter available, went ahead and bottled.
What's the worst that can go wrong? Cloudy beer? Wont kill?
Lesson was to get a wee filter thingy and syphon for next time.

Whats this "ready in 4 weeks" Dutto, it'll be done in 4 weeks.

 

[Braufather]

why don't you bottle straight from the fermenter?

 

[dad_of_jon]

i use a paint strainer bag and put my hops in that weighed down with marbles

 

[woomfy]

why don't you bottle straight from the fermenter?

Experience, or lack of, I guess. I wanted to reduce the risk of disturbing the yeast sediment at the bottom of the FV.

With regard to the floating Hops, the instruction said to sprinkle on top, that they would sink to the bottom.

One lives and learns....................and thanks to you chaps the learning is easy.

Davie

 

[Dutto]

.........

One lives and learns...................

I agree, and sincerely hope that one of the first thing you learn is that beer generally improves with age! Of course, if you keep drinking it "young" you will never find that out!

I suggest that you use the 2+2+2 system. Two weeks fermenting + Two weeks carbonating + Two weeks conditioning - and only then do you even consider "drinking" as opposed to "tasting" the brew.

If you've brewed something really nice it really is worth waiting for it to improve to perfection.

 

[Drunkula]

Unfortunately I did pick up a little sediment and Hops in the process. With no way to filter available, went ahead and bottled.
What's the worst that can go wrong?

Sediment doesn't matter much - especially if you're bottle conditioning as you'll be producing more yeast anyway. But hops in the bottle for me always - and I do mean always - means the bottles become gushers. I'm a right grimy merchant but hops in the bottle really doesn't pay off. Genuinely get them super fridged if you're gonna drink em, pour em and then let them warm up after the pour if they're not a cold drinking beer.

 

[foxbat]

I don't understand the use of these oxidation buckets. I'm drinking my hoppy (Citra, Amarillo) American wheat at the moment that was cold crashed for a week before bottling direct from the fermenter via tap and stick. The yeast (WLP007 - highly flocculent) has left the tiniest sticky smear on the bottom of the bottle which means I can pour the whole volume without getting yeast in the glass. What exactly does a bucket buy me except oxidation and the consequential reduced hop flavour upon which a beer like mine absolutely depends?

 

[Wouter]

When you rack over before bottling you can add the sugar to this secondary vessle. Thus you have more control over the exact amount of sugar you add to the bottles, the amount is in each bottle exactly the same. I find that especially with large amounts of dry hopping with whole cones it can be tricky to predict the amount of beer. I like the rack over, see how much beer i´ve got and than add the right amount of sugar in solution.

It also really depends on how you do things. When you cold the living daylight out of a beer with whole hop cones, I can imagine that bottling straight from the fermenter can be difficult.

Also, the oxidation is minimal if you rack it over gently. Always leave the tubing on the bottom of the vessel, splashing is the enemy.

But yeah! If the method you are currently using allows you transfer the beer as clear as with racking over, and you have the ability to precisely add sugar to the bottle it self; I can see no reason!

 

[snielsen81]

I'm on the fence now about bottling straight from fermenter or not. First ever bottling day coming up in a week. I have this fermenter from Homebrewtique and they suggest bottling straight from it with a bottling wand;
View media item 577
It looks like the tap has a little sediment trap mechanism. Should I be getting another bucket just in case?

 

[AdeDunn]

My biggest reason for using a bottling bucket? I have a tremor thanks to a disability (from birth). I rack to second vessel too, to give me the lowest amount of trub when I come to move to bottling bucket. Can't say I've noticed any problems with oxidation, but then I don't really make "hoppy" styles like AIPAs or NEIPAs. If I try to do it from primary, and the trub is deep or loose, I guarantee it gets disturbed and ruins my beer.

I tried Primary - Bottling Bucket - Bottle: I got a lot of sediment in my bottles and cloudier beer.
So I tried Primary - Second Vessel - Bottling Bucket - Bottle: A LOT less sediment in my bottles, and crystal clear beer going into the bottles.

But yeah, if you can bottle from primary, getting crystal clear beer into the bottles, and minimal sediment that stays put in the bottle, then more power to you! You're reducing the risk of oxidation for sure (not 100% though, unless you are transferring under pressure, CO2 purging etc etc...). Some of us can't though, so we do things differently. :thumb1: You're also probably losing less beer to transfer losses.

 

[foxbat]

When you rack over before bottling you can add the sugar to this secondary vessle. Thus you have more control over the exact amount of sugar you add to the bottles, the amount is in each bottle exactly the same. I find that especially with large amounts of dry hopping with whole cones it can be tricky to predict the amount of beer. I like the rack over, see how much beer i´ve got and than add the right amount of sugar in solution.

I know the precise volume of liquid in the fermenter (by calculation using the liquid height at the start of fermentation, before any dry hopping) and add exactly the correct amount of priming sugar for that volume as a dissolved batch and gently stir. Because the beer is fridge-cold this can be done hours before to allow full mixing because zero fermentation is going to happen at that temperature. The trub doesn't get stirred up because it's packed down like jelly on the bottom - I could lift up whole pie-like segments of it when cleaning the fermenter.

I guess my point is that for each stage in the brewing process I need to know why that stage is there and can I do without it in order to simplify and reduce risk. I think that for the mainstream homebrewer who can cold crash and who uses a good British flocculent ale yeast the bottling bucket can be kicked into history along with the secondary fermenter.