Bottling bucket as secondary?

[Drumm72]

I had a guy tell me to rack from my primary to my bottling bucket , and let my beer set in there for a while before adding priming sugar and bottling ? Is there any reason to do this or is the guy "full of it" ?
He told me that the bottling bucket could act as a secondary , and I could bottle and prime from there ?

another newby question

 

[BendBrewer]

I wouldn't bottle out of it after letting the beer sit in it for any length of time.

You are going to have to mix the priming sugar with your beer prior to bottling and doing so in a fermentation chamber would just mix all that trub and spent yeast back into your beer.

I suggest skipping the secondary and just leave it in Primary for another week. Then transfer to bottling bucket, prime and bottle.

 

[mc_eric]

You could do that, but there really isn't any reason to. You do risk oxidation from having that large of a headspace, but it's not something that I would worry too much about.

I would probably just leave it in primary for a couple more weeks, and then rack to your bottling bucket, prime, and bottle.

 

[Revvy]

The problem with bottling from a primary or secondary instead of using a bottling bucket, is that since you have patiently gone and let your beer settle and clear, in order to mix the priming solution and beer effectively, you would have to stir it in the carboy..which would a) kick up all that nice sediment you have patiently let fall, b) possibly oxydize the beer.

Go to a hardware store and get a translucent or white bucket...but look for one where the 5 gallon mark falls way below the top of the bucket. Usually it will say 5 gallons at 3rd band from the top. (oh get the lid too....I totally regret not getting it when I did.)

Then get a spigot and make a dedicated bottling bucket. It really defeats the purpose of both a long primary/no secondary or a secondary if you have to stir up all the nice sediment you patiently waited to settle just so you can have consistent carbonation.

Mine is the translucent Leaktite brand 5 gallon container with the gallon and liter markings from Homedepot.

Here's a pic of mine from my bottling thread.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/revvys-tips-bottler-first-time-otherwise-94812/

But if you try directly from the primary/secondary you will have unsatisfactory results and possibly even cardboard tasting beer.

 

[Pilgarlic]

That's two posts suggesting rack, prime and bottle? I guess I thought EVERYBODY made a solution of the priming sugar and put it into the bottling bucket before racking, to let the swirling do the stirring. No? You add it after racking, then stir it?

 

[BendBrewer]

That's two posts suggesting rack, prime and bottle? I guess I thought EVERYBODY made a solution of the priming sugar and put it into the bottling bucket before racking, to let the swirling do the stirring. No? You add it after racking, then stir it?

No, the former. But you couldn't do that if you tried to bottle out of a vessel that your beer was already in.

 

[mc_eric]

That's two posts suggesting rack, prime and bottle? I guess I thought EVERYBODY made a solution of the priming sugar and put it into the bottling bucket before racking, to let the swirling do the stirring. No? You add it after racking, then stir it?

I think that's the best way to do it, but I've heard of people stirring the priming solution in.

 

[shanecb]

I've stirred the priming solution in with no problems on a few different things. Just don't be vigorously sloshing and it's fine.