Bottling Buckets tied up - solution?

I'm bottling ten gallons of pale ale tonight, but it's fermenting in both of my tapped buckets, since the lids of my other 25L buckets don't seal. Those other 25L buckets are typically used for grain storage, including holding grainbills and draining my BIAB grain bag since I don't have a hoist.

One of those buckets, which I have washed twice since its last use draining a BIAB bag, is empty right now (actually in a hot tap water soak - I have no oxygen sanitizer so it's just straight water). My current plan is to clean it again, sanitize, then carefully rack from the fermenter to this bucket, clean and sanitize the fermenter, then use said fermenter as a bottling bucket.

Is that too much transfer for the beer?

Is there significant risk in using a bucket that has been used to store grain as a temporary holding tank?

Would I be better off racking to my recently-etched kettle instead? I haven't used it since etching so I'm worried there might be some nasties there.

Would it be better to bottle the first batch straight out of the former grain bucket with an auto siphon instead of racking it back to its original fermenter for bottling?

Taking it a step further, what about putting priming sugar directly in the bottles and bottling directly from the fermenter's tap? I could measure the sugar to the nearest gram in that case, but no closer, and it seems like it would be a pain.

Sorry,

At this point in the process I would wager there isn't much risk of infection. Of all those options I think that the grain bucket should be your bottling bucket. Just put beer and sugar in it, give it a mix and fill bottles. There is a higher amount of alcohol than sugar in your beer, so infection is less of a concern. Certainly clean and sanitize it.

This is assuming the bucket isn't *really* scratched and ugly inside. If it's a normal smooth bucket then don't fret.

edit: Don't add sugar directly to bottles. This could result in uneven carbonation. If you must, purchase some carbonation drops from your LHBS and add one to each bottle.

wtfDean said:

At this point in the process I would wager there isn't much risk of infection. Of all those options I think that the grain bucket should be your bottling bucket. Just put beer and sugar in it, give it a mix and fill bottles. There is a higher amount of alcohol than sugar in your beer, so infection is less of a concern. Certainly clean and sanitize it.

This is assuming the bucket isn't *really* scratched and ugly inside. If it's a normal smooth bucket then don't fret.

edit: Don't add sugar directly to bottles. This could result in uneven carbonation. If you must, purchase some carbonation drops from your LHBS and add one to each bottle.

Click to expand...

Thanks,

The bucket's not flawless on the inside, but it's only a few months old and not notably scratched. Am I right to understand that you are suggesting siphon bottling, then? Come to think of it, for lack of a dip tube in either of my tapped buckets, siphon bottling might make it easier to get the last few ounces bottled.

And yes, directly adding sugar to the bottles was not a preferred option, but rather a worst-case scenario in case no other options were viable. Glad that's not going to be an issue.

Sorry to get back to you late. Yes, I suggest siphon bottling, but that's the only way I do it. My LHBS is pretty negative about tapped buckets so I don't have any. If you can come up with a racking cane, that makes the process pretty flawless. I have never tried bottling with an open ended hose. If you don't have a clamp to cut off the flow it could get messy.

wtfDean said:

... My LHBS is pretty negative about tapped buckets so I don't have any...

Click to expand...

I assume by tapped bucket you mean a bucket with a spigot?

What would be a negative on a tapped bucket? Keeping the spigot clean and sanitized?

wtfDean said:

Sorry to get back to you late. Yes, I suggest siphon bottling, but that's the only way I do it. My LHBS is pretty negative about tapped buckets so I don't have any. If you can come up with a racking cane, that makes the process pretty flawless. I have never tried bottling with an open ended hose. If you don't have a clamp to cut off the flow it could get messy.

Click to expand...

I did as you suggested last night. I haven't tried bottling without a bottling wand and don't want to. The only thing I wish I had done differently is vinator-sanitizing my bottles with my left hand as my right hand worked the bottling wand - probably could have saved 20 minutes that way. As it was, I pre-sanitized a few bottles short on each 5G+ batch and caught up that way and it was a good decision.

jbb3 said:

I assume by tapped bucket you mean a bucket with a spigot?

What would be a negative on a tapped bucket? Keeping the spigot clean and sanitized?

Click to expand...

Their beef is the sanitation issue, yes. But they're a bunch of grouchy old codgers who have probably been siphon bottling since nineteen-dickety. Whatever. I don't have a problem with either method, but they just don't carry buckets with spigots. I try to support the LHBS so I buy what I can from them. In my opinion do whatever you want. I'm not a grouchy old codger.

I think all of the options listed will work, kettle, extra bucket.

As an FYI, I have even primed and bottled out of the fermenter without issue. Just add the priming solution to the fermenter and stir very gently so as not to disturb the yeast cake, then wait a couple hours for the priming solution to diffuse into the beer.....

It works....

wtfDean said:

Their beef is the sanitation issue, yes. But they're a bunch of grouchy old codgers who have probably been siphon bottling since nineteen-dickety. Whatever. I don't have a problem with either method, but they just don't carry buckets with spigots. I try to support the LHBS so I buy what I can from them. In my opinion do whatever you want. I'm not a grouchy old codger.

Click to expand...

I like this description. Sounds like a fun place to hang out for an afternoon. A bunch of grouchy old codgers with booze and/or tobacco makes for some delightful conversation.

Since we're talking about it, I'll be bottling my dry hopped Citra Pale Ale tonight!

Woo!

wtfDean said:

Since we're talking about it, I'll be bottling my dry hopped Citra Pale Ale tonight!

Woo!

Click to expand...

So how was the initial pre-carb/pre-condition taste test??

jbb3 said:

So how was the initial pre-carb/pre-condition taste test??

Click to expand...

This is a SMASH beer with 2 row and Citra, and it's fantastic! Using only 2 row seems to make a very fermentable wort and my FG is ~1.007, which is a great canvas for the Citra.