That last inch ... of beer

Hi all -

I'm bottling my first batch ever (not counting Mr. Beer 15 years ago).

There's about half an inch to an inch of beer in the carboy that I can't seem to siphon out with my auto-siphon. I'm worried about sucking up any of the sediment.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Not worth fighting to get it out unfortunately. Not much chance of getting it without getting sediment as well. Pretty much everyone I know sacrifices that last 1/4" or so in the fermenter, I make sure to get every last drop from the bottling bucket though. Good luck.

Pour it for your homies

Tilt the fermentor before you start siphoning. That beer also protects the yeast for harvest.

Thanks, all. I managed to get it pretty low without (I think) sucking up any sediment. Now, my next question ... What to do with the sediment? Silly question, but I don't want to pour it down the drain for fear of clogging the drain, and I'd dump it outside but I'm not sure what (if any) kind of creatures that might attract (could pour it in the neighbor's yard, I suppose).

Also, I stole a sip after bottling (hopefully I didn't contaminate that bottle!) and ... it actually tastes like beer! I guess that's a good sign, huh?

I yielded three 32-oz. flip-tops from a gallon batch. Does that sound about right? I mean, I know there are about 4-liters in a gallon, but I'm sure I lost some volume to the process.

Fill a sanitized quart jar with what is left in the fermentor. Call it yeast harvesting.

Not going to clog the drain...it's yeast not glue...


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I have been tossing mine in the back yard. Hasn't killed the weeds yet.

Dump er down the toilet.

I've put bigger things down it before.




I actually flush my spent grain too


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rub it all over yourself like peanut butter... It is good for the skin.

jekeane said:

rub it all over yourself like peanut butter... It is good for the skin.

Click to expand...

It's not cheating if your dog licks it off


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And the winner is ...

Flush!

(Rubbing it all over myself was a close second, but sadly I don't have a dog.)

harvesting it is a good option. and super easy. all you do is add some boiled ( and subsequently cooled) water and swirl it up. then pour into a large container, let it sit for 20 minutes, and pour the liquid into a different container (a lot of people use several smaller mason jars so you can choose how much to use next time). chuck the crap that settled out. let it settle again for 20 mins or so, chuck the crap again and stick it in the fridge.

if your sanitation is good, a lot of people say it improves their beer by harvesting yeast like this. you can do it over and over, too so you save a few bucks

There's not a lot of material, I pour it down the sink followed by a rinse with hot water.

There was a guy in my LHBS the other day, he has been brewing for about 15 years now, he was telling me and the owner how his mound septic drainfield just blew up. He figured it was all the yeast that he had been dumping down his drain for the last 15 years.

Not sure if that is in fact what caused his drain field to explode but it is worth thinking about.

Heavywalker said:

There was a guy in my LHBS the other day, he has been brewing for about 15 years now, he was telling me and the owner how his mound septic drainfield just blew up. He figured it was all the yeast that he had been dumping down his drain for the last 15 years.

Not sure if that is in fact what caused his drain field to explode but it is worth thinking about.

Click to expand...

I'm guessing that the 1/2 gallon of gasoline he poured down the drain had nothing to do with it....
More seriously, if you have a garden, the trub makes a good liquid fertilizer.