Bottling by yourself... how do you do it?

So I just bottled an IPA and I had a hell of a time getting a siphon going, then a hard time going from bottling bucket to bottles. I just feel like I need more hands.

I was only bottling a one gallon batch so the bottling bucket was probably excessive, but I wanted to make sure my priming sugar mixed evenly.

I couldn't get a good siphon going and I felt like I had to constantly do a pump just to get it going again. I had my fermenter jug pretty high up away from the bucket for gravity, but it just wasn't happening. It's kind of hard to mess with the shape of the tube while holding all this stuff.

Anyways, are there any good tutorials or tips on doing this as simply as possible? Especially for smaller batches. I'll have a three gallon batch of cider to bottle in a week or so, as well.

I have found that most brew kits come with a diameter of hose that doesn't fit the auto siphon correctly. If you are having to stroje more than once your grabbing air. Try getting a new hose that fits the siphon tightly and this will fix your problem. It worked for me.

If not using an auto siphon, the easiest thing to do is to fill the tube with water and cap each end with thumbs, attach one end to racking cane keeping other end plugged. Lower the end down to the vessel and release the end creating a siphon and allow it to drain out completely. Be sure there is at least a couple feet of elevation change between to the two vessels. (I place one on a table, the other on the floor)

From the bottling bucket to the bottles you should be attaching a hose to the spigot and using a bottling wand with a pressure tip to fill from the bottom up. If using a siphon to do this you are making your life very difficult. Fill all the bottles first, then cap them all. By myself I can usually accomplish this task for 60 bottles in about an hour start to finish.

Use the bottling bucket. I have my spring loaded bottle wand filler attached to the spigot on my bottling bucket with tubing and no matter the size of the batch, I always rack to the bottling bucket first. It's the best way i've found to mix priming syrup into my beers and fill the bottles.

Even small 1 gallon batches, I can tilt the bottling bucket towards the spigot to get out every last drop with one hand, while holding my bottle with the other hand. The spring loaded tip on the end of the bottle filler will continue to fill as long as I have the bottle pressed up against it, so it's pretty easy to get every last drop out of any sized batch.

There are ways of starting a siphon. I personally LOVE my autosiphon for cool liquids.

But I sometimes use a "T" fitting on a hose and suck the siphon. This has been a great time and frustration saver for starting the chill siphon.

Some people have a knack for starting a siphon with a water-filled hose, but I've never had good luck that way.

As far as bottling alone, I usually wait until my daughter is available for 1/2 hour and have her hand me empties and cap the full ones. Bottling is not hard once you've learned a few tricks (See the link above!)

Bottling bucket set at counter height containing your beer and the priming solution (appropriate amount of sugar + enough water to dissolve).

Connect a sanitized short hose to bottling bucket spigot. Secure with a clamp, rubber band, or twist-tie to ensure no air bubbles escape.

Connect a sanitized bottle filling wand to other end of hose. Again, secure with a clamp, rubber band, or twist-tie to ensure no air bubbles escape. Open the bottling bucket valve and watch the hose fill with beer via gravity. No auto siphon needed.

With a short enough hose, the bottle filling wand will hang in mid-air. It will not drip out unless you press the bottom of the wand. At this point, you can comfortably pull up a chair and touch the bottom of the bottle with the bottom of the wand to extract the beer without introducing 02.

A towel on your lap or the floor, depending on the setup, will prevent any drops of beer from causing a mess. Immediately cap and wait about 16-18 days at room temperature for carbonating before refrigerating.

The process is very easy to do by yourself if you set things up in a way that makes sense and if you take care to avoid oxygenating the beer. An extra set of hands is convenient for capping the bottles, but it's unnecessary for all steps prior.

I bottled by myself once and I'll never do it again!

I bottle alone. (George Thorogood?) I add my priming solution to the bottling bucket, auto-siphon the beer into that, connect my bottling wand with a short length of hose to the spigot on the bucket, and fill.
It's not the most glamorous part of homebrewing, but it's beer I made, and I'm putting it into bottles, so life is good!
I use 22oz. bottles, so that there are fewer of them to cap. As each bottle is filled, I top with a sanitized cap. When I have a dozen or so, I stop filling and crimp the caps on. With roughly 24 or 25 bottles to do, this makes it a bearable 2 step process. And of course, I'm sipping on a homebrew the whole time.

Good grief. Get a bottling bucket with a bottling wand. Starting a siphon and trying to maintain it between bottles is for the birds.

Worst I have to worry about is spilling a couple of drops between bottles - mostly due to the wand being wet.

I move the WAND or TUBE and never the bottle... Speeds things up very nice.

Can screw up you cardboard case but I just swing by a liquor store and get more.

I fill a case and then cap...

This is awesome advice. I found my tube fits loosely on my auto siphon, so that could be an issue. Just want to keep everything as zen as possible.

Time to go to the LHBS and get some new tubing. Got three gallons of cider and a gallon of amber beer to bottle this weekend. I'll post how it goes.

Thanks everyone

DPBISME said:

I move the WAND or TUBE and never the bottle... Speeds things up very nice.

Click to expand...

Try moving only the bottle, and never anything else. Speeds things up even quicker when the hose & wand just hangs in mid-air and all you need to do is lift the bottle up into it.

Siphon to bottling bucket with spigot via wand and some tubing.

Use a 2 inch piece of tubing and connect spring loaded bottle filler to the bucket spigot.

Set bucket on counter and open dishwasher door to catch all spills. The spring loaded bottle filler diameter is perfect such that the area it takes up leaves one inch in the tops of bottles- just fill the bottle to the very top, and removing the bottle filler leaves an inch of head space.

Cap when there is no more room on the counter and box up.

When I bottle I have my 15 year old help me. The reason you feel like you need more hands is because you do lol. He swaps bottles while I run the Auto siphon and cap them. My auto siphon has an extention on the botteling end that has a stopper. When inserted into the bottle you touch it to the bottom and let the bottle fill up. When your ready to stop filling you lift it and it stops the flow. Then just stick it in the next bottle and it starts again. But you for sure need another person. :rockin:

I bulk prime in a bucket and use an auto-siphon with a bottling wand for bottling. I put a cheap hose clamp on the hose just above the wand in case I get interrupted while bottling. Leave the wand in a bottle set the clamp and walk away (don't leave it like that for too long).

I put my bottling bucket up on a table (tilted up on a peice of 2x4) along with a tub containing my sanitized caps (I use glass and plastic bottles). Off to one side I put a little stand that has my bottle tree full of drained bottles. Between the table and the stand there is enough empty space to stand all the bottles and a chair for me to sit on. From the chair I can reach the bottle tree and the tub.

I put a couple of bottles on the floor and start the siphon. When the first bottle fills I move the siphon to the next bottle, grab a cap and lay it on the bottle I just filled. I may yank another bottle or two off the tree while the current bottle fills. I usually lay the bottle out in rows and back my chair up a little as I finish a row.

When all the beer has been bottled I go back and tighten the caps (plastic) or clamp them on (glass). If you use plastic bottles and caps I recommend gloves when tightening unless your job/lifestyle has left you with tough hands. I make my living behind a keyboard and my lily white hands blister at the slightest amount of friction. The first time I bottled a batch I rose and broke a blister in the web of hand between my thumb and forefinger before I realised I was doing it. Yes, my father (marine diesel mechanic) makes fun of me for this.

I always bottle alone and so far this method has worked out great for me.

Your going to spill a little between bottles its a given. The more you do the better you get.

Auto siphon into sanitized lauter tun which has sugars in for priming, wrap siphon hose on the bottom of the tun to create swirl. Once all in tun w/ sugars, attach bottle wand and go to town siphoning into bottles. Have sanitized lauter tun near by to place bottle wand in in between. Works well. Beer does not flow until you push wand down, and stopping flow in between does not hinder the flow for the next bottle. Switched to this after fear of scratches on my ale pail and I am not turning back! That is to say, using an auto siphon to bottle can be a breeze.


I bottle a six pack, then cap, and continue. Six pack by six pack.
And horray for bottle trees!

Did one gallon today and I switched tubes. No issues with the siphon at all, must have had an air gap in the last one. Almost no spills. I found putting all the bottles close and just moving the wand to work best. Used the bottling bucket to mix priming even though its a bit ridiculous for one gallon. Nice clear amber beer!!

backyardhomebrew said:

I have found that most brew kits come with a diameter of hose that doesn't fit the auto siphon correctly. If you are having to stroje more than once your grabbing air. Try getting a new hose that fits the siphon tightly and this will fix your problem. It worked for me.

Click to expand...

This gave me fits the first time I tried siphoning! I ended up using electrical tape around the hose/wand connection and that worked.

Another vote for siphoning into a bottling bucket and using a spring loaded wand. Wand hangs in the air and I move the bottles.

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes my bottling wand get stuck open and pisses beer when out of a bottle. So to compensate for that I put all the bottles in a picnic cooler (in case some beer drips), and pull up a chair and move the bottling wand from bottle to bottle. Very quick, easy and clean.

Pisses beer? Maybe pick up a new one for 5 bucks?

I bulk prime the primary gently stir wait an hour then bottle from the tap.
I have no problems with clarity either. Although I always bottle condition for 2 months.

unionrdr said:

Nah,just take apart the little pin valve on the end of the wand & soak it in PBW for a while. then use a soft toothbrush to scrub it a lil,rinse,& reassemble. They do get a little sticky with drying beer in them. Or run some cleaner & sanitizer through it as soon as you're done bottling. I've been doing it that way lately.

Click to expand...

This, mine is just spring loaded. Remove the tip, spring falls out and then you just have a straight piece of racking cane, a tip, and spring to soak...

Mine will last forever as long as i take good care of the spring.

My no stress bottling. My set up is in the utility room. As I'm bottling the double sink with bottles in draining rack is immediately to my left. Bottling bucket in front of me with bottling wand attached with 2" hose. Bucket is on sawhorse/OSB table with an extra 8" lift under the bucket to make the bottom of the wand 16" from floor. Resturant bussing tray under the wand. Bench capper is fastened to second adjacent table. I'm sitting on a mechanics rolling stool. While filling a bottle my arms rest on knees. No back stress. Roll over to the right to set the bottle near the capper. Roll back grab another bottle. I'll fill a dozen bottles then stand to cap them. At least one cat sitting on a chair behind me watching.

I'm one brew in and tried to bottle with a siphon + wand. Never again. I bought another bucket, drilled a hole, attached a tap + wand and will bottle from that from now on. As above, priming solution into bottling bucket, swirl beer in from FV via autosyphon (without splashing), then bottle.

Do like this, only have the bottling bucket on the counter, above the open dishwasher door to catch the drips. Double bottling - FTW

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/double-barrel-bottling-now-twice-fast-257264/

bobbrews said:

Try moving only the bottle, and never anything else. Speeds things up even quicker when the hose & wand just hangs in mid-air and all you need to do is lift the bottle up into it.

Click to expand...

I find that that is too much movement...

Push down, Fill up, Pull out, and Repeat.

Then I lift the whole case to a table and cap the whole thing.

Then go back and do the next case.

When I am all done I like to rinse off the bottles in place. and let them dry...

I just pick up fresh boxes at the Total Wine each time I go in...

I did see some noce "Plastic Cases" that I was thinking about buying but for right now this works...

You're never pushing down.

You're lifting the bottle into the wand to fill it up, then you quickly pull out and cap.

I haven't had any spills or issues since all the suggestions above.


Just thought I'd note since I do smaller batches of 1-3 gallons that I don't soak my bottles in sanitizer. It seems faster and more efficient to simply spray the inside of the bottle with star San. I do about four or five sprays and make sure the bottle is covered by spinning it in my hand once. Likewise with caps, I put them in a bowl and spray them. I save a lot of star san this way.

It's even faster to rinse your bottles after each use, let them drain in your dish rack, and then store them upside down in their original containers in a closet. This gives you an array of clean, but not sanitized bottles to work with for a future bottling day. So an hour before you wish to bottle, stack your clean bottles upside down in the dishwasher, and run a cycle (without soap). No StarSan required and afterward you have fully sanitized bottles ready for filling. The only downside is that after the cycle, you have leave the dishwasher door open and wait about 10 minutes for the bottles to cool down a bit before filling.

gingerdawg said:

Do like this, only have the bottling bucket on the counter, above the open dishwasher door to catch the drips. Double bottling - FTW

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/double-barrel-bottling-now-twice-fast-257264/

Click to expand...

I don't do double barrel bottling, but I do place my bottling bucket on the counter above my open dishwasher.

bobbrews said:

It's even faster to rinse your bottles after each use, let them drain in your dish rack, and then store them upside down in their original containers in a closet. This gives you an array of clean, but not sanitized bottles to work with for a future bottling day. So an hour before you wish to bottle, stack your clean bottles upside down in the dishwasher, and run a cycle (without soap). No StarSan required and afterward you have fully sanitized bottles ready for filling. The only downside is that after the cycle, you have leave the dishwasher door open and wait about 10 minutes for the bottles to cool down a bit before filling.

Click to expand...

This! I do this as well. I have a sanitize cycle on my dishwasher that I use. And then when I'm bottling using the method described above, I just pull the bottles out of the dishwasher as I go! Works great!

I use a bottling bucket with filling wand. Bucket on counter. I put all empty bottles in milk crates and fill them right in the crate, while sitting on an empty crate. When all bottles are full I bring one crate at a time up to counter for capping.

I fill my bucket with sanitizer, then use it to fill the bottles...add the bottling wand then dump the sanitizer back into my star san bucket as I go...cap as I go as well.