What's the best way you've found to bottle/keg your beer?

[Leard]

I've got 10 or so brews under my belt and I've never really had the smoothest bottling/kegging. I've always used siphons but usually find them to be **** and I'll either end up getting a load of trub into bottles or I'll end up wasting a few litres of beer, that's on top of the stress of getting the siphon started in the first place. My current method is to siphon into a bottling bucket from the primary FV which has a tap and a bottling wand attached. This is fine for the first 15L in a 20L batch, however getting that last bit out is always a nightmare.

I am now considering attaching a tap to the FV and using that to transfer straight into the bottling bucket from the primary FV. However I'm worried about the placement of the tap, too low and I'll see a load of trub transferred, too high and I'll waste a bunch of beer.

Interested in hearing what methods other people used to have the smoothest bottling days.

 

[Thatscold]

Auto Siphon and Corny kegs. Easy!

I have a tap on my fermenting buckets that I use for gravity samples, but I find it's a bit of a yeast trap so I don't use it for transferring the beer to kegs.

 

[gb0wers]

I've got 10 or so brews under my belt and I've never really had the smoothest bottling/kegging. I've always used siphons but usually find them to be s**t and I'll either end up getting a load of trub into bottles or I'll end up wasting a few litres of beer, that's on top of the stress of getting the siphon started in the first place. My current method is to siphon into a bottling bucket from the primary FV which has a tap and a bottling wand attached. This is fine for the first 15L in a 20L batch, however getting that last bit out is always a nightmare.

I am now considering attaching a tap to the FV and using that to transfer straight into the bottling bucket from the primary FV. However I'm worried about the placement of the tap, too low and I'll see a load of trub transferred, too high and I'll waste a bunch of beer.

Interested in hearing what methods other people used to have the smoothest bottling days.

One of my FV's has a tap and the other doesn't so I syphon out of that. I do tip the FV to get as much out as I can so pre-place a rubber glove under the edge so it doesn't slip. When tipping, I try to be as smooth as possible and time it so the tsunami of trub arrives at the tap / syphon just after the last of the beer...............................I'm trying to grow a third arm, too ;-)

 

[Leard]

Auto Siphon and Corny kegs. Easy!

I've had a lot of issues with auto siphons. The suction is usually crap and I end up pumping the beer rather than siphoning it.

 

[Buffers brewery]

I have a tap in the bottom (not the side) of my FV. The first 100 mls or so is full of trub and is discarded. The rest is gently run into a primed pressure barrel. The entry point for tap connection is above the trub level so not a lot gets sucked over towards the bottom of the FV. I then siphon from the PB 6 bottles-worth for the cellar, the rest stays in the PB.
This is a view into my FV after it’s been drained.

 

[Leard]

I have a tap in the bottom (not the side) of my FV. The first 100 mls or so is full of trub and is discarded. The rest is gently run into a primed pressure barrel. The entry point for tap connection is above the trub level so not a lot gets sucked over towards the bottom of the FV. I then siphon from the PB 6 bottles-worth for the cellar, the rest stays in the PB.
This is a view into my FV after it’s been drained.
View attachment 25748

I guess I could just use the tap on the FV but transfer into a bucket until I get clean beer through rather than trub, then start transferring into bottling bucket.

 

[ChilledGecko]

I took the pressurised FV route.
I push my beer under pressure directly from the FV to the keg, no mess, no fuss, no infection, no oxygen.
I just stick a short keg tap on the FV when I need to check gravity.
I feel it to be a low risk, easy job solution.

Pressurised FV was a key decider a few months back when I started back up again. Higher outlay but I consider it worth it.

 

[Buffers brewery]

As it happens I’ve just this morning transferred 5 gallons of Mandarina Bavaria to my pressure barrel. Here’s a shot of the inside of the FV at the end of the transfer.

 

[Banbeer]

I use a Little Bottler bottling wand for bottles (always run about half a pint first) and a siphon tube attached to the tap via a thicker bit of tube into my Cornies

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I use a Little Bottler bottling wand attached to the end of my siphon tube as i didn't want to drill my FV (see video)

 

[Leard]

I use a Little Bottler bottling wand for bottles (always run about half a pint first) and a siphon tube attached to the tap via a thicker bit of tube into my Cornies

And you are able to avoid most of the trub getting into your kegs this way?

 

[Alex.mc]

I use Big Mouth Bubblers for fermenters. They have a tap on the side near the bottom and it's usually always above the trub. If Trub looks like it's going to be a bit close I often swirl lightly and tip and prop the fermenter away from the tap when cold crashing. When cold crashed, I move the fermenter to a table top carefully, and attach a length of silicone hose to the tap to about floor level and stick it in the keg so it's on the bottom. Then I fill with as little aeration as possible, then gas up and purge a couple of times.
It works well for me and where I brew. Everyone's situation is different, but a bit of experimentation will help you find what's best for you.

 

[Banbeer]

And you are able to avoid most of the trub getting into your kegs this way?

Oh Yeeeeeeeeeees. I have the old style that hasn't got the sediment trap like the new ones and it works fine, just a balancing act of where to put the tap.

 

[phildo79]

And you are able to avoid most of the trub getting into your kegs this way?

I use this method but the odd time, my dip tube and posts got clogged up with hop debris. I now attach a fine mesh hop bag to the end of the tubing and let the beer flow. Not had a problem with blockages since. The hop bag can get pretty full, pretty fast if it's a beer that has been dry hopped. But it has done away with the need to transfer to a second FV.

 

[carljbray]

Hi Leard,
How do you get the syphon going at the start?
I use a simple bendy rubber syphon tube, with a straight rigid tube attached, with a clip for attaching it to the side of the FV, and a little cup at the end to stop yeast getting sucked up off the bottom.
There is a neat trick to get it going, to avoid any mouth contact/sucking, and always works for me;
fill the tube with water from the cold water tap, then holding one end closed, dip the other in the wort and then drain the water from the tube into a washing up bowl or bucket (positioned lower than the FV), which then pulls the wort through along with it.
This seems to work well, and doesn't waste much beer at all.

Avoiding bringing through the trub; - best way is to make it a 2 person job
one person managing the FV end of the syphon, tilting the fv carefully when necessary, and getting end of the syphon tube right near the bottom without disturbing the sediment
and another the bottle/barrel end, ensuring careful syphoning to minimise oxygenation

Not an expert, I've also done around 10 batches, but this seems to work, however I've never used a bottling bucket, as I don't see the point in disturbing the beer twice - but maybe someone can tell me the advantages of using one?

Cheers,
Carl