Siphoning into a carboy?

Hello All,

I received a brew kit from my wife for Christmas and brewed my first batch yesterday!! I can tell you now that I have been bitten by the brewing bug!! It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to make my next batch. I've been reading this forum for the last few days and have already learned a lot of information that helped with making my first batch.

I have a question though, I used a plastic bucket for the first batch and now I am going to get a glass carboy to ferment the second batch. How do you transfer the wort into the carboy? By siphon? If so, how do you strain using a siphon? Is is possible? With a plastic bucket it was very easy to pour and strain the chilled wort. I used a chinois which is just a finely meshed strainer.

Thanks for your help!

The best thing that you can do is purchase an autosiphon. If you choose not to then you need a racking cane and hose. These tools have a bowl on the end that will help prevent sucking trub into the other carboy. Your LHBS will have these. Check out http://cruisenews.net/brewing/page1.php and you will see an example of a autosiphon.

i second anthrobe.

Thanks for the info!

The auto siphon definately looks like the way to go but I have a follow up question. Should I be concerned about straining when using the auto siphon or is it just necessary to be careful and try not get any trub from the bottom of the carboy?

Thanks again!

Alembic said:

Thanks for the info!

The auto siphon definately looks like the way to go but I have a follow up question. Should I be concerned about straining when using the auto siphon or is it just necessary to be careful and try not get any trub from the bottom of the carboy?

Thanks again!

Click to expand...

You want to still be careful to leave as much behind as possible. The inverted bowl shape on the end of the autosiphon will allow the end of it to sit on top of the trub and prevent large amounts from transfering.

anthrobe said:

You want to still be careful to leave as much behind as possible. The inverted bowl shape on the end of the autosiphon will allow the end of it to sit on top of the trub and prevent large amounts from transfering.

Click to expand...

This is true. But I found another way to keep the syphon out of the trub.

I use a small spring-type clamp (you know the $1, sometimes $.49 at Menard's) to keep the syphon from dropping into the trub.

The clamp adjusts the depth of the syphon into the container and sits right on the rim of the bucket or carboy.

anthrobe said:

Check out http://cruisenews.net/brewing/page1.php and you will see an example of a autosiphon.

Click to expand...

Wow. Now there is a web site that took one hell of a lot of work.

Michael_Schaap said:

Wow. Now there is a web site that took one hell of a lot of work.

Click to expand...

hahaha, I know what you mean. I was exhausted by the time I got all the way through. Good info though.

Also this method:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2910&highlight=walker+carboy

Not as fancy, but it works well.