First bottle day sucked

So I bottled my first batch tonight. Did not go like I pictured it would. First, my auto-siphon clogged and would not suck any more beer into the bottling bucket and it seemed like I was pumping more air into it than anything, also getting a lot of trub into my bucket. Then, I hit the handle on my spigot with my foot, spilling a lot on the floor. Lastly, my bottle filler clogged and and I couldn't get anymore out. Only 40 beers in the first batch. I guess I still have a lot to work on

Try cold crashing

I've found a little more success with holding the auto-siphon about midway in the primary and slowly lowering it into the primary as the beer transfers into the bottle bucket - only getting into the trub at the very end of the siphon process.. That's what works for me.

Bottling gets better with practice. My last batch was almost painless. My first bottling session was like fighting a beer-spitting anaconda.

My first was comically bad looking back. Beer on the floor, counter, and me. Trouble with the system and timing of bottling and capping. Starsan foam in the bottle. If it was still this much trouble bottling I would no longer be brewing. If you don't have a bottle tree and vinator I highly recommend one. It solved or eased 90% of my bottling troubles.

It's tough, I bottled my third batch about two weeks ago and it was no easier than the first. Well, I overfilled a lot fewer bottles, and I've learned to put each empty bottle in a bowl before filling so any overfilling won't run all over the floor. Still, I had some clogs and the whole process seems like a two man job. I'm considering a fermenter with a tap on it so I won't have to siphon when bottling.

Thanks guys! I really appreciate your advice and will adjust my bottle day accordingly. I dry hopped it and I'm thinking I siphoned up some of the hops I added 7 days ago. I know it's like anything else and I will get better with practice. I just got pissed at all my mistakes and I just had to vent for second. Thanks again!

mrh1965 said:

It's tough, I bottled my third batch about two weeks ago and it was no easier than the first. Well, I overfilled a lot fewer bottles, and I've learned to put each empty bottle in a bowl before filling so any overfilling won't run all over the floor. Still, I had some clogs and the whole process seems like a two man job. I'm considering a fermenter with a tap on it so I won't have to siphon when bottling.

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Have you tried bottling over the dishwasher. I place 4-6 bottles on open dishwasher door, fill, and close the door. Very little mess that way. I stole the method from some one on here (Revvy?). But it works great.

+1 on doing it over the dishwasher. I'm migrating to a system where I autosiphon into a bottling bucket with a spigot with a bottling wand attached. Put the bucket with spigot over the dishwasher door, open the spigot, fill bottles with the wand, close the spigot when you need to stop and cap. I need to sort out the parts - right now I just autosiphon again out of the bottling bucket and bottle from the hose end, flow controlled with a clamp. I've got enough practice with it now that it works OK.

my for batch was just 9 bottles (1 gallon) and took an hr since then I have an auto siphion, bottle tree, vintor, and I set up bottkes one side fill put on a cap the set aside then crimp on caps after all filled.

Getting a buddy to help is priceless in the bottling process.

I pour my finished beer into a bottling bucket then wait 4-5 days for everything to resettle, then bottle. And, yes, I said pour, dump it into the bucket(one with a spigot), use the handle to fill each beer. Didn't always do it this way but once I started to, haven't looked back. Screw that auto-siphon. And if there is that oxidation thing, I haven't noticed.

Get a bottle filler if you don't have one, attach it straight to the bottling bucket valve so it is solid and easy to press the bottles up against. Hang bucket partway over the counter.


Always a 2 man job (well... My wife does the capping so...) we do 50 bottles in about 20 minuets (after racking to bucket and getting all set up).

There are some really good videos on YouTube with tips on making the process better. For me it is one of the most rewarding steps in the process!

You can kinda see how I do it here... And get some of these plastic soda holder things to cart your bottles around in

Bottling day will get easier as you find out what works best for you. Revvy's idea is a good one. I use my dryer in the basement (concrete floor) with a small cup to catch any drips. (No siphon.) Also about 12 bottles in, I take a two ounce sample. I use an inverted dust pan to give the bottling bucket a little more tilt. Plus I'm a PET bottle user, so it's twist a sanitized cap on and grab the next bottle.

Do what Jlaw does, but also open the dishwasher door so it catches any overflow and/or drips. Bottling cane connected to 2-3 inches of tubing connected to the spigot on the bottling bucket. Works awesome.

Been kegging for over a year now but just bottled 5 gallons today of a Altbier...it was actually fun to bottle again. Beautiful day outside...cranked up the music in the garage had . some homebrew and bottled away..nice relaxing Friday.

It gets easier overtime...no worries we have all been there

mgr_stl said:

Do what Jlaw does, but also open the dishwasher door so it catches any overflow and/or drips. Bottling cane connected to 2-3 inches of tubing connected to the spigot on the bottling bucket. Works awesome.

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hahaha! I had the same thought after reading this thread and uploading that pic... Learned something new and wasn't even trying

I have three towels and a hand towel set aside just for bottling. Things get wet.

To ease my back, I stack the bottling bucket on top of the empty fermenter, but be careful!

Gotta say I love having a pass-through right above my sink area. Bucket sits up there and I bottle in my sink (using short length of tubing and bottling wand). Caps in bowl of Star San beside sink, lay cap on top of each filled bottle as I go, then cap all at the end of process. Also have bottling tree which holds sanitized bottles - I just pluck them off as I fill. Bottling gets much smoother with the right equipment and setup. I don't dread it any more, not at all.

The key was getting the bottling bucket a foot or more higher than the sink.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement! I did read Revys post about bottling several times, so that made it somewhat easier. My main problem was using the auto-siphon and getting the trub into my bucket. Precious beer spilled everywhere from me kicking the spigot open. It ended up leaving about 36 oz. in the primary and then the trub clogged the spigot on the bucket, as well as my bottle filler. I just pictured it going smoother with a beer in hand and basketball on the tv! In the end I just had 40 beers and I'm drunk mopping the kitchen floor.

Get a clip fpr the autosiphon to snap onto the edge of your fermenter. I need to use a rubberband on it to hold my autosiphon at the right level. Only submerge it a couple inches from the top and slowly lower it as your beer moves to the bottling bucket. Then when there is a couple inches left I tilt the fermenter with a dust pan and hold the autosiphon to where the rest of the beer moved. I get very little trub going through it. And using Revvy's method on the dining room table while sitting in a comfy chair, combined with the Vinator has made bottling less painful and actually somewhat satisfying work now- although I do enjoy the ease of kegging. It sure is nice to carry a 12 pack to a party

I used that damn autosiphon once & that was it. Streams of lil bubbles I had trouble stopping, working with both hands at once,needing a third. F that.
Got spigots on my fermenters & bottling bucket. The bottling bucket I built with the spigot a hair lower than the fermenters. This way,the trub compacts well below the level of the fermenter spigots. Straining everything into the fermenter keeps it that way. The lower bottling bucket spigot allows me to tilt it a bit less to get all but a couple TBSP & a pinch of grainy stuff out. My bottling wand has a longer 3/8" tube so I can sit in my office chair with everything in arms' reach. 2 part video on youtube under "unionrdr's channel". It needs better lighting,but shows how my set up works & some tips along the way. Gotta re-discover the whereabouts of my darn tripod.