Normal bottling volume

So what is normal bottling volume for a five gallon recipe? I've done two now and bottling volume was under four gallons for each . I did rack to secondary and back to bottling bucket, losing some there.

dbkdev said:

So what is normal bottling volume for a five gallon recipe? I've done two now and bottling volume was under four gallons for each . I did rack to secondary and back to bottling bucket, losing some there.

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Could be you are pushing your fermenting time a little, or the yeast you are using may not be a strong flocutater (sp). I let my ales ferment out for about 3 weeks and the trub layer is compact and usually less than 1/4 gallon. I rack off till I hit the trub and stop before any gets into the bottling bucket.

I DO NOT use a secondary, as I let my ales brighten or clear up in the primary and by the time I bottle the ales are very clean and clear.

bosco

That seems low. I "lose" a little to trub, but definitely not a gallon. I probably bottle 4.75 gallons or thereabouts.

Some yeast strains will compact more quickly and better than others, especially if chilled, so it can really help to use a flocculant yeast strain (like nottingham or other English yeast strains) and either cold crash or let it sit a bit to firm up the trub layer before racking.

I've been winemaking and brewing for a long time, so I'm pretty proficient with racking and I think that helps too. Practice makes perfect, they say.

Moving the vessel the night before you rack also helps, as it allows the sediment to resettle to the bottom, and then not moving the fermenter at all once it's moved keeps most of the stuff at the bottom.

I also lose very little to trub when bottling. I bag all my hops so I only get about 1/4 inch sediment. I ferment for at least 2 weeks. I might lose 12 ounces...

After my beers hit FG,I give it another 3-7 days in the primary to clean up & settle out clear or slightly misty,depending on the yeast's flocculation rate. Then rack to bottling bucket & bulk prime. I typically get 48-53 bottles from a 5 gallon batch. But I also strain the chilled wort into primary with a large,dual layer fine mesh strainer. This gives less trub & yeast at racking time.

dbkdev said:

So what is normal bottling volume for a five gallon recipe? I've done two now and bottling volume was under four gallons for each . I did rack to secondary and back to bottling bucket, losing some there.

Click to expand...

Another way to lose beer is with the pre-marked volume lines on a bucket. They are very often not accurate.
Have you marked the 5 gallon level with a measured 5 gallon fill of water?