Bottling Dilemma

Okay, so the beer is in the secondary fermenter which doubles as my bottling bucket (it has a spigot on the bottom). The hygrometer reading should be stabilized within a few days and the beer ready to bottle. The problem, however, is: how do I thoroughly mix my priming sugar into the bucket without contaminating the beer? I've been overly anal about sanitation since the water coming out of Lake Lanier is questionable right now (Atlanta is in the worst drought on record!) and would like to disturb the beer as little as possible but still mixing in the priming sugar well. Any thoughts?

Hmm, maybe carb tabs are a better option at this point?

The easiest thing to do (which you may not want to hear) is to sanitize your primary and rack it over to it then clean out/sanitize your bottling bucket and rack back to it then bottle with it.

Right- the whole point of the clearing tank is to allow the trub to settle out and clear up your beer. If you're just going to mix it up and bottle out if it, there would be no point in using that clearing tank (secondary). I'd do what HB99 said, and rack into a sanitized container, and rack back into the bottling bucket.

I don't secondary in my bottling bucket, for that reason, and also because it'd be a bugger to sanitize the spigot for bottling with the brew and trub already in it. In a pinch, I'd use my bottling bucket for primary, but not for a clearing tank.

Oh, wait, I just read your post again. If your hydrometer readings aren't stable, it shouldn't be in a clearing tank anyway. It should still be in the fermenter. Do you mean that you're using your bottling bucket as a primary? I'm sorry- I'm just so easily confused, especially when I've been drinking. :cross:

I missed it also...with 7 buckets I know which ones are for what purpose...

The bottling bucket is the secondary. The beer is fermented out; I'm just being cautious as I don't want any exploding bottles. I usually keg, so using the bottling bucket as the secondary is no big deal. This is my first time bottling. Guess I should have thought this out a little more. Oh well, just an excuse to try again!

Just a couple of points:
I wouldn't worry about the level of Lanier, the treatment process is the same. If you are concened, get a water filter. If your concerned about living organic contamination boil the water. But the chlorine levels should be sufficient to kill anything unless you are reintroducing contamination.

Just curious, what possible difference do you think the water level at Lake Lanier could make? I don't know what or who you are listening to but someone is filling you head with nonsense.

If you are afraid of bottle bombs you can also get plastic Pete bottles, both Miller and Coors use them. And most Home brew stores sell them.

benwhite22 said:

The bottling bucket is the secondary. The beer is fermented out; I'm just being cautious as I don't want any exploding bottles. I usually keg, so using the bottling bucket as the secondary is no big deal. This is my first time bottling. Guess I should have thought this out a little more. Oh well, just an excuse to try again!

Click to expand...

Ok, so I did understand the first time! Sorry about that. You can rack into your primary, and prime it that way, and rack back into the bottling bucket after it's been cleaned and sanitized (especially the spigot area). Or, you can bottle from your primary with a siphon. That's probably what I'd do.

YooperBrew said:

Or, you can bottle from your primary with a siphon. That's probably what I'd do.

Click to expand...

I was wondering when someone would suggest that! My original kit came with 1 6.5 gallon bucket (no spigot) and a 5 gallon carboy. Primaried in the bucket, secondaried in the carboy and bottled from the bucket using an autosipon and a bottling wand. Worked great.

Thanks for all the input. As for the water, I've been noticing more sediment and such in the water but maybe that's just me. You're right about the rampant rumors though; according to some there is a steeple of an old church sticking out of the water somewhere in the middle of the lake.

I'm currently drinking the last few bottles of my first batch and had this exact situation arise. I had purchased a Carboy to rack to as a secondary, sanitized and transferred into it then.. kerplunk, pushed my stopper right on into the beer. Ended up siphoning into the bottling bucket for secondary for 2 weeks. When ready to bottle, I gently stirred in my boiled priming sugar, sanitized the spiggot as well as I could and went for it.

No off results as I can tell-- tastes great and all seemed uniformly carbed. Maybe less than ideal, but worked well in the end!