Bottling bucket

I've always bottled straight from the fermenter and used carbonating drops in each bottle. I'm a bit confused as to how I should use a bottling bucket. Should I use a hose to siphon beer out of the fermenter from the top and put it into the bottling bucket like that? And then bottle from the bucket using the tap at the bottom? Will there be significantly less yeast sediment in the bottles if I do that?

SMOKEU said:

I've always bottled straight from the fermenter and used carbonating drops in each bottle. I'm a bit confused as to how I should use a bottling bucket. Should I use a hose to siphon beer out of the fermenter from the top and put it into the bottling bucket like that? And then bottle from the bucket using the tap at the bottom? Will there be significantly less yeast sediment in the bottles if I do that?

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Yes, that's pretty much it. You can start the siphon from the middle of the fermenter, and lower it as the beer level falls, and stop when you get to the yeast cake. Sometimes, I'll put the fermenter out on the island in the kitchen the day before I rack, so that the sediment is settled and then rack to the bottling bucket.

I don't add carbonating drops, but I've heard that can also increase the sediment. I mix up 4 ounces of priming sugar in 2 cups of boiling water, and add that to the bottling bucket, then I rack the beer into it. You put the tip of the hose at the bottom of the bottling bucket, kind of in a circle, so it swirls in to mix, and fills from the bottom without aerating the beer.

I'd think you'd get less sediment just from the fact that when you siphon to the bottling bucket, you can pay closer attention to what you're doing in the fermenter and make sure not to suck up any of your yeast cake or stir things up unnecessarily.

It also lets you bulk prime. You can mix up a priming solution of corn sugar and water on the stove, let it cool and pour it in your bottling bucket before you rack. It's easy and cheaper than carb drops. It also lets you "fine turn" the amount of carbonation you want so you can carb to style or preference.

You'll want to get a bottling wand (cheap at your LHBS) and attach that to the spigot with some tubing. The wand has a valve at the bottom that opens when you stick it in the bottle and press down. When the bottle is full, lift the wand up and the beer stops flowing. No need to mess with a clamp on the hose. Plus, it's easy to get a good assembly line going for bottling if you have a helper. My daughter fills bottles as I cap them and we're done in no time.

edit: Yoop! You're supposed to be too busy with the comp this weekend to beat me to posts like this!

I explain my process in the first post of my bottling thread. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/revvys-tips-bottler-first-time-otherwise-94812/