pldoolittle I really appreciate your comments.
NP. Make sure you pay it back by answering someone else's question later.
I am now bottling from the secondary and I am seriously considering your advice. I only adopted the secondary method for my last brew and the bottles have only been matured for one week. I am anxious to compare the results. So far it is looking good. It would not be a big deal to get another brew container as it would cost under $20.
You don't need to buy another container. Rack into your primary and bottle from there. Or get a food grade bucket. Or use your boil pot. Or DON'T use a secondary and bottle from your primary vessel. What doesn't really matter. The idea is that with all the start, stop, insert cane, bump, wiggle, etc. it's pretty hard to bottle and not disturb the sediment layer. But you can fix a racking cane in place and you will only suck off about a tsp of sediment into the bottling bucket.
How long could I store beer in a secondary container
Search this board. It's a subject of much debate, but the consensus is "a very long time" 2-3 months as a lower limit.
If what you say works then I could have several secondaries filled and stored each with a different brew awaiting bottling.
I would recommend more bottles, particularly since the price of bottles is about the price of a carbuoy. But, you certainly could do it that way. If you go that route, treat the carbuoy like a big bottle of beer. Keep it sealed (air always filled with sanitizer or vodka), keep it in the dark, and keep it chilled (~40*F)
would the yeast reactivate in the botte if stored it for some time before bottling.
Yes, but after many months so many will be dead that priming can be very slow (or fail). Sounds like you're thinking 2-3 secondaries sitting around for 6+months? I would go ahead and bottle it. If you don't, re-infuse yeast before bottling to ensure carbonation. And keep in mind that you're in experimental territory...
That also raises the question of possible contamination although with a 4.7% alcohol limit I should imagine that would prevent some contamination.
If the fermenter is sealed and it's not contamined after 1 month, what's going to contaminate it in month 2-3? And besides carbonation, what's the difference between a sealed carbuoy and a beer bottle? Not much. Do you worry about your bottles beer getting contaminated just because it will a long time before you drink them? Nope...
I cannot afford kegs and the Co2 that goes with it but I could store the beer in secondary's and bottle when I have a batch of bottles available.
Bottles are $12/case. Guinness is $24/case and includes beer. Get some more bottles if it's an issue.
After some thought by using a bottling bucket the beer that is mixed with the sugar/dextrose solution is no clearer that it is, as it is poured into the bottle, and any sediment from that, must be the result of the yeast feeding on the suger in the bottle during bottle carbination. I do have mixed thoughts about bulk priming as it adds an extra process and another variable.
Sediment is not the result of yeast feeding, it IS yeast. It will be there no matter what you do.
With bulk priming, you can sanitize your priming sugar. With bottle priming it is very difficult. With bulk priming, you KNOW you get an even carbonation. With bottle priming, you have to be very careful to get an even prime. Either way, you need to be working from a bottling bucket to reduce sediment, why not pour some sugar into it before you bottle?
It does not mean I will not try however as I could use my fermentor as the bottling bucket. I would have to do it for two identical brews to establish the difference. I have adopted the 1 2 3 method.
Trust me, I think you will that it makes bottling day easier and results in a more consistent product. That's a win-win.
I suppose the more sugar available the more yeast is grown.
This may start a debate, but....
For the most part, yeast reproduce in the presence of oxygen, and "eat" when there is no oxygen remaining. Since your fermented beer has no oxygen, the yeast are mostly eating and doing very little reproduction. This means that the yeast at the bottom of your bottle was all in suspension before you bottled. It just eats some more and "dies" when the food runs our. So while the amount of sugar may affect sediment volume, it is not the primary driver. i.e. the amount of sediment is more determined by the length of time in the bright tank (secondary) than it is by the amount of priming sugars.
