Bottling Question

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Rebelz1

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Here is my trouble that I have as per the kit instruction the FG leveled out after 11 days and then it say's to rack to a secondary for 2 weeks then bottle! That is tonight.

Now my thought process at the time of transfer from primary to secondary was to just put it in my bottling bucket and then after 2 weeks go strait to the bottle! I got to thinking last night, how am I going to add the sugar to the beer for priming? To the bottles? I really really don't want to put the sugar in every single bottle again! That is such a PITA!

Is there another way to prime the bucket instead of the bottles? I don't want to move it to the primary and then back to the bottling bucket again just to add the sugar then there goes the 2 weeks of clarifying.

Any advice would be helpful
Thanks Shane
 
If you carefully rack it into the primary, keeping your racking cane above the sediment, you should still have clear beer. Then, clean out your bottling bucket, sanitize, and rack back into it. Be careful not to splash the beer, or else you will introduce oxygen which will make your beer stale.

Most people on here will not recommend that you prime in bottles. You could have uneven carbonation and possibly bottle bombs.

Another point I'd like to make, somewhat unrelated to your bottling issue, is that alot of us do not rack to secondary unless you are dry-hopping or adding fruit or something (some dont secondary for these cases either). You also want to ignore most of those instructions that come with your kit. You did the right thing in checking FG. That is the only way to tell your beer is attenuated. For most normal gravity ales, 3-4 weeks in primary, then bottle is usually good. The beer actually benefits from sitting on the yeast cake for a few weeks after you reach FG.

if you leave the beer in primary, you wouldnt end up in the predicament you are in now.
 
Just leave it in the fermentation bucket for another week or so and bottle. Is the beer clear at all? If it is and tastes good and FG is stable you could bottle it right away if you want. There is no need to rack to another fermentor to clarify.
 
MachineShopBrewing said:
Just leave it in the fermentation bucket for another week or so and bottle. Is the beer clear at all? If it is and tastes good and FG is stable you could bottle it right away if you want. There is no need to rack to another fermentor to clarify.
Click to expand...

The problem is introducing the priming sugar, if he adds it to the bottling bucket (which currently holds his beer), he wont be able to mix it thoroughly without resuspending all the yeast.
 
The problem is introducing the priming sugar, if he adds it to the bottling bucket (which currently holds his beer), he wont be able to mix it thoroughly without resuspending all the yeast.
Click to expand...


I see. I misread and thought he was debating whether to rack it over to his bottling bucket or not.

You could always pick up some carb tabs and drop those into each bottle. Not too difficult that way. Or sanitize a spoon and GENTLY stir in the priming solution.
 
kpr121 said:
If you carefully rack it into the primary, keeping your racking cane above the sediment, you should still have clear beer. Then, clean out your bottling bucket, sanitize, and rack back into it. Be careful not to splash the beer, or else you will introduce oxygen which will make your beer stale.

Most people on here will not recommend that you prime in bottles. You could have uneven carbonation and possibly bottle bombs.

Another point I'd like to make, somewhat unrelated to your bottling issue, is that alot of us do not rack to secondary unless you are dry-hopping or adding fruit or something (some dont secondary for these cases either). You also want to ignore most of those instructions that come with your kit. You did the right thing in checking FG. That is the only way to tell your beer is attenuated. For most normal gravity ales, 3-4 weeks in primary, then bottle is usually good. The beer actually benefits from sitting on the yeast cake for a few weeks after you reach FG.

if you leave the beer in primary, you wouldnt end up in the predicament you are in now.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply!
And I was trying not to do this but if I have to then hey WTH Lesson well learned right! I was just following the instructions as I do on all the things I start that are new to me then make ajustments for the next time. My first all grain :rockin:
 
Carb tabs do work pretty well. If you have a LHBS nearby, I would just buy these instead of all the extra racking. Just be careful when you go to dispense from the bottling bucket. I would put the bucket at your 'bottling station' the night before, allowing the sediment that gets kicked up to settle back down before the next day. The first few bottles may be a bit cloudy, but that should all settle in the bottom of the bottle anyways. Mark the first 6 pack and drink em last.
 
MachineShopBrewing said:
I see. I misread and thought he was debating whether to rack it over to his bottling bucket or not.

You could always pick up some carb tabs and drop those into each bottle. Not too difficult that way. Or sanitize a spoon and GENTLY stir in the priming solution.
Click to expand...

I have stirred GENTLY with a spoon before and the last 2 batches that I bottled took about 5 or so weeks to clear in the bottle so if I can I'm going to stay away from this.
 
MachineShopBrewing said:
I see. I misread and thought he was debating whether to rack it over to his bottling bucket or not.

You could always pick up some carb tabs and drop those into each bottle. Not too difficult that way. Or sanitize a spoon and GENTLY stir in the priming solution.
Click to expand...

Carb tabs???? Hmmmmmm...... sounds easy!
 
Rebelz1 said:
Carb tabs???? Hmmmmmm...... sounds easy!
Click to expand...

Yepp, its simple. Depending on the carb level you want (and the brand of tabs) you just drop them in each bottle, and rack into them. They dissolve, and the yeast consume the sugar and produce CO2!
 
kpr121 said:
Yepp, its simple. Depending on the carb level you want (and the brand of tabs) you just drop them in each bottle, and rack into them. They dissolve, and the yeast consume the sugar and produce CO2!
Click to expand...

Cool after work then it is off to the LHBS hopefuly they have some because they are small and really only order what they sell. The next closest store is 80 miles away!!! I think I would rather rack it back and forth then drive lol

Thanks again Shane
 
Here is another question now. They didn't have any of those Carb tabs here in town so last night I racked my beer back into the primary to let it settle over night it still smelled like it did when I originally put it into the bottling bucket. But just a minute a go when we opened up the primary to go back to the bottling bucket it smells different now kind of like a yogurt or something sweet. I don't understand why would the smell change over night like that? Any thoughts on this?

Shane
 
You probably off-gassed some CO2 while transferring and it is pushing more beer aromas up to your nose. Probably nothing to worry about.
 
Do yourself a favor, get a decent scale and learn how to prime with sugars that you weigh (nake a priming solution). Depending on carb tabs, IMO, sets you up for more trouble. Like what you're already experiencing. Racking more than absolutely necessary is not a good idea. Once my brew gets yeast added its only racked either for aging (on oak mostly) or into the bottling buclet which already has the priming solution in it.

I calculate how much sugar is needed for a batch and make the solution for each brew. Its not something that's difficult to do. A quick boil, and cool, and its ready to go.

With the shortage of HBS in your area, you should become more self reliant. Buying sugar to prime with from the grocery store (I use Dememera sugar) means you'll probably never need to worry about not having any on hand or quickly purchased. Thw grocery store I visit actually had it on sale last week, so I picked up extra. I'm good for at least the next 24+ batches.
 
Golddiggie said:
Do yourself a favor, get a decent scale and learn how to prime with sugars that you weigh (nake a priming solution). Depending on carb tabs, IMO, sets you up for more trouble. Like what you're already experiencing. Racking more than absolutely necessary is not a good idea. Once my brew gets yeast added its only racked either for aging (on oak mostly) or into the bottling buclet which already has the priming solution in it.

I calculate how much sugar is needed for a batch and make the solution for each brew. Its not something that's difficult to do. A quick boil, and cool, and its ready to go.

With the shortage of HBS in your area, you should become more self reliant. Buying sugar to prime with from the grocery store (I use Dememera sugar) means you'll probably never need to worry about not having any on hand or quickly purchased. Thw grocery store I visit actually had it on sale last week, so I picked up extra. I'm good for at least the next 24+ batches.
Click to expand...

Well thanks for the reply! But apparently you didn't read my first post or even the first page! Before you go and start blasting ppl about not knowing what they are doing you might read a little first!!!!:mad: Granted this is about my 11th batch so I may be a NOOB in your mind

I did as the instructions said and put into a secondary that just happened to be a bottling because my other buckets are full. I didn't think about how I was going to add the sugar for priming at the time. So as mentioned in the FIRST Page of this thread was either rack it back and forth to add the priming sugar or get some carb tabs! COuldn't get the tabs so the racking was my only option!
Oh and I have TWO SCALES thank you one is a 20lbs and the other is a 2lbs scale so I think I am covered there!!!!!
 
Well thanks for the reply! But apparently you didn't read my first post or even the first page! Before you go and start blasting ppl about not knowing what they are doing you might read a little first!!
Click to expand...



Hah! you beat me to it!
 
Rebelz1 said:
I have stirred GENTLY with a spoon before and the last 2 batches that I bottled took about 5 or so weeks to clear in the bottle so if I can I'm going to stay away from this.
Click to expand...

I would say you didnt stir enough then.

Normally, I add the boiled priming sugar to my bucket and siphon the 2ndary on top if it. Sometimes I stir with the cane - sometimes not.

Adding the sugar after the transfer should not make a difference as long as you stirred enough to see a whirlpool effect.
 
musick said:
I would say you didnt stir enough then.

Normally, I add the boiled priming sugar to my bucket and siphon the 2ndary on top if it. Sometimes I stir with the cane - sometimes not.

Adding the sugar after the transfer should not make a difference as long as you stirred enough to see a whirlpool effect.
Click to expand...

If he stirred more, wouldn't it cause more sediment to be brought up, thus making it even hard to clear as he stated was the problem. He didnt mention anything about not being carbed, just that the beer was not clear.

OP, another option you could have had was to make your priming solution, then calculate the amount of liquid needed per bottle, and add it to each. You would need something accurate like a pipette or small graduated cylinder, but it could work.

But if I were you I would have done the same thing, rack it to your primary bucket/carboy. If you dont want to rack again, you could always hook the bottling wand up to the end of the racking tubing, and bottle directly from there?
 

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