using a bottling bucket as a primary?

I just saw Alton Brown's Good Eats episode on home brewing. One thing that I thought was interesting was using a spigotted bottling bucket as a primary. At the end of fermentation, he simply drained the bucket into another bucket with a spigot for bottling, instead of racking it. Seems simpler, and removes some possibilities of contamination, no?

What say the experts??

Well, I'm just one opinion, but I would advise against it. I know that some do it, and apparently with success.

Upside: you can run it out of the spigot when done, instead of siphoning. Frankly, I don't see the advantage. Siphoning is pretty darn easy, if you ask me.

Downside: adding a potential infection route via the spigot. Lots of nooks and crannies to harbor various nasties. Overall, it seems like an unneccessary risk.

Cheers,

Plenty of people ferment in buckets but most without a spigot. The advantage is ease of transfer into you next vessel through the spigot. However there is a small chance of the spigot leaking or infection getting in. Most people just use an auto siphon to transfer. Either way would probably be fine. If you do use the spigot I would put some sanitizer in a spray bottle and spray it in there before you use it.

Depending on your brew you could also pick up some unwanted trub from the bottom if you used it as a primary. With that said I used my bottling bucket as a secondary for this current batch of beer. I really dont like doing secondarys but my beer really needed it for clearing.

I wouldn't worry too much about an infection from the spigot the first time you use it, but trust me, they can be a great place to harbor bacteria! I'd certainly have no problem using one, but I'd make sure to disassemble the spigot when the beer was done and clean and sanitize thoroughly.

But since I have a few spigotless primaries, I don't foresee the need arising. For $15 it's pretty cheap to prepare yourself.

Like others have said, people apparently do it successfully. I wouldn't personally though. My bottling bucket spigot has a very, very slight leak. Hardly noticeable when bottling. I just lose a few drops. However, if this was sitting for 3+ weeks, I'd probably lose my whole batch!

Williams Brewing promotes a siphonless primary in their brew kits. I've used it for all my brews. For the record, the spigot is mounted a little higher than in a typical bottling bucket, and has a special turned-down tube on the back nut to help keep things where they need to be.

Better bottle makes a fermentor with an adjustable spigot so you can put it right above the trub/yeast cake.

My fear would be an unnoticed leak making you lose beer.

Also, if you use your bottling bucket as a fermentor it could interfere with your pipeline.

Here are several threads that have already discussed this topic. My best advice is to put a small shim under the spigot side of the bucket in order to tilt the bucket back while fermenting a few degrees. This will help the trub/cake slant backwards in the bucket so when you rack you leave it all behind.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/bottling-bucket-primary-182870/

BTW many people use the ported better bottles this way and the Speidel fermenters this way too.

I've done it and liked it but now I use my bottling bucket almost weekly or there about. I need it to often to use it as a primary.

PSA: I think that there is a 'this v that' on this topic as a sticky /PSA

I almost always primary in a bottleing bucket. I've not had a problem with infections in any batch. I also do extract with grains, so perhaps other material isn't there to cause me problems. And no I don't take apart my spigot everytime, although I admit I probably should. When I first went to 5 gallons (after mr beer which uses only a primary and a spigot), I didn't want to try an get a syphon going. Later for wine, I bought an auto syphon, but I don't use that on beer because my bucket has a spigot.

Some day I probably will be hit with an infection from it, or maybe not.

PSA: found the link try reading here, although it might not be there, I only went by title.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/vs-pro-con-analysis-109318/ /PSA

My bottling bucket is constantly battling leaks. It seems every time I've used it I fill it with water first and there is a slight leak that needs some adjustment.