Bottling folly

jrakich87 · 10-08-2008, 05:43 PM

So when I racked to the bottling bucket, I used tap water to fill the siphon and create the suction. I let it drain into a pot until beer started coming out before moving the tubing over to the bottling bucket, but is there any chance that the tap water would infect my beer? I microwaved the water (about 1 cup) for 35 seconds but didn't boil it.

To add to my folly, I'd had a few beers and mistakenly added the rest of the unused "siphon water" to the bucket thinking it was the priming sugar solution.... then added the real priming sugar solution when about 1 to 1 1/12 gallons (of 5) were already racked. Will this really increase my chance of infection in all the bottles? Or will that late addition of priming sugar solution cause it to not be mixed evenly?

**BigKahuna** · 10-08-2008, 05:44 PM

Only Time will tell!
You might want to lay off the hooch while bottling until you get the hang of it.

Parker36 · 10-08-2008, 05:45 PM

I wouldn't worry too much about infections from tap water as long as it good enough to drink. I'm more confused about using different water to start your auto siphon? You don't just stick it in the beer, pump a few times to get it going and leave it?

Austin_ · 10-08-2008, 05:48 PM

I have used tap water to start my siphon every time I have racked and nothing has happened to my beer. I don't even drain it into a seperate bucket but rather right into my bottling bucket. Maybe I'm asking for an infection but nothing has happened yet. As for the bottles that were filled without priming solution, well, they might take a good while to carb.

jrakich87 · 10-08-2008, 05:57 PM

I have a racking cane and tubing which makes for a siphon but not an auto-siphon that you pump to start. It seems like that's easier but it's not that hard to start a siphon yourself... maybe I'll pick one up in the future when I have some extra cash laying around.

Thanks for the reassurance AustinLSU... and I didn't actually bottle anything before adding the priming solution to the bottling bucket, I just added it in late as opposed to right when the beer started filling the bucket. I'm wondering whether this might cause it to not mix as well and perhaps have some bottles more/less carbonated than others.

*and you're absolutely right BK... although I'd only had a few, I can't help but think it might've contributed. I'm limiting myself to 1 pale ale for my next brew day just to be safe. I'm doing an IPA so I gotta taste a little hops in the process!

**Revvy** · 10-08-2008, 06:02 PM

Get rid of the racking cane and spend 10 bucks for an auto siphon...you'll never need to worry about that happening again...

Just give it a couple pumps and the siphon's started.