Bottling first batch help

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DogFlynnHead

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Going from primary to bottling bucket. Have a the hand pump siphon deal with tubing. Do I need to swirl primary and siphon bottom yeast into bottling bucket for bottle conditioning? Step by step help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
 
1. Heat sugar and water mixture to boiling.
2. Pour into bottling bucket
3. Siphon from primary to bucket. keep siphon intake from touching the yeast cake, I even leave an inch or 2 of beer on the cake to avoid sucking that stuff up.
4. Siphon "quietly", put the outlet tube on the bottom of the bottling bucket to encourage swirling and mixing with sugar, but discourage splashing and aeration
5. Start bottling...The first bottle will get a bunch of air in it from the siphon tube being empty from the primary to bottling bucket finish. I always fill that bottle up halfway, till the siphon is full again, then come back to that bottle last.

I fill my bottles up and keep a tupperware container full of starsan and caps next to me, and set a cap on each bottle as I fill, and then crimp them when I finish.
 
quickerNu said:
1. Heat sugar and water mixture to boiling.
2. Pour into bottling bucket
3. Siphon from primary to bucket. keep siphon intake from touching the yeast cake, I even leave an inch or 2 of beer on the cake to avoid sucking that stuff up.
4. Siphon "quietly", put the outlet tube on the bottom of the bottling bucket to encourage swirling and mixing with sugar, but discourage splashing and aeration
5. Start bottling...The first bottle will get a bunch of air in it from the siphon tube being empty from the primary to bottling bucket finish. I always fill that bottle up halfway, till the siphon is full again, then come back to that bottle last.

I fill my bottles up and keep a tupperware container full of starsan and caps next to me, and set a cap on each bottle as I fill, and then crimp them when I finish.
Click to expand...
Plus or minus some very minor differences, this is how I bottled my very first batch last night.
 
Do i have to let the boiled priming sugar solution cool before mixing with the beer? You guys are great, thanks for your help!
 
No. I do the sugar the same way. Pull it right off the stove at boiling, just after I start the autosiphon. Pour it right on top of the wort as it's starting to fill the bucket. The wort siphoning in pulls the temperature of the sugar solution down very quickly, leaving oodles of yeast to condition. The gentle whirlpool action of the siphoning mixes the sugar solution (5 oz. corn sugar / 2 cups water) very thoroughly. I never get an under / over carbonated bottle. Better, it fits into my K.I.S.S. methodology.
 
DogFlynnHead said:
Give it a stir with a sanitized spoon right? Thanks for you responses!
Click to expand...

I never have, I'd be more worried about oxydation issues that way.

I just use the natural flow of the beer into the priming solution from the bottom of the bucket upward to mix it naturally. I've never had any issues with the beer and sugar solution not mixing properly.
 
Resist the urge to stir. Pouring the priming solution into your bucket then siphoning the beer will mix it sufficiently.
 
So this fits in a bit with this conversation... racking from fermenter to bottling bucket, I use an Auto-Siphon (included with my kit). Once I get the fluid flowing, I notice that it gurgles quite a bit at the point between the cane and the hose. It looks like a crapload of air is mixing in at this point. Isn't this aerating the beer, and isn't this a "Bad Thing (TM)"?
 
That's not a good thing. It sounds like the inside diameter of your tubing is too large. The tubing was a PITA to get on the racking cane (I heated it in water first), but my autosiphon does not gurgle. The OD of the tubing is the same size as the cane itself.
 
Mine will start doing that sometimes. Slide the tubing all the way to the bend on the racking cane, and pinch the point where the bubbles are, they usually disappear.
 
torque2k said:
So this fits in a bit with this conversation... racking from fermenter to bottling bucket, I use an Auto-Siphon (included with my kit). Once I get the fluid flowing, I notice that it gurgles quite a bit at the point between the cane and the hose. It looks like a crapload of air is mixing in at this point. Isn't this aerating the beer, and isn't this a "Bad Thing (TM)"?
Click to expand...

The first time I racked with an autosiphon this happened to me. I had the ferm on the counter and the bucket on the floor. I moved the bucket up on to a chair and the aeration stopped. Apparently the extra fall was causing the liquid to run too fast.
 
northernlad said:
The first time I racked with an autosiphon this happened to me. I had the ferm on the counter and the bucket on the floor. I moved the bucket up on to a chair and the aeration stopped. Apparently the extra fall was causing the liquid to run too fast.
Click to expand...
That's exactly how I had mine set up. I'll try that next time, and I'll pop a clamp around the cane/hose joint (I'll actually try it tomorrow, bottling day again).

Thanks!
 

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