Bottling bucket question

[VApatriot]

Yes, it's another newbie question...

And yes I did a search to get answers to my question before posting, but didn't find anything quickly, so here goes...

My first batch is in the secondary 5 gal carboy, when it's time to bottle do I need to rack the beer into a bottling bucket, add the priming sugar and then fill my bottles? Or can I just put the priming sugar right into the carboy then fill the bottles? I'm thinking I should try to minimize the risk of exposure to air/bugs/etc before I bottle, so if I can prime right in the secondary and bottle from there, the exposure will be minimized.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

 

[llazy_llama]

Boil the priming sugar with about a cup of water. Add that to the bucket, then rack the beer onto the sugar. Bottle from there.

 

[double_e5]

What I do, and there are many different ways to do it, is put the priming solution in the bottom of the bottling bucket and then rack the beer on top of it. Make sure you have plenty of tubing so it coils in the bottom of the bucket. This allows the beer to swirl so there is no need to do any stirring. Then bottle away as normal.

Remember, beer is pretty tough, and more so at this point. There is enough alcohol in there to ward of most anything. Just be careful and sanitary. There is nothing to worry about.

The reason you need to rack to a bottling bucket is because you would have to stir, mixing up all the trub in the bottom of the secondary. You wouldn't want this to happen because, well, what was the point of using the secondary?

 

[double_e5]

The llama wins again. That sumbitch is everywhere! :rockin:

 

[XXguy]

For me, it's easiest & simplest to add the priming sugar mix to the bottom of the bottling bucket, then rack the beer into the bottling bucket. The racking action helps to stir in the priming sugar if you create a gentle whirlpool action. Then I let the bottling bucket sit covered for 10 or 15 minutes while I finish sanitizing all my bottles & bottling wand.

You could add priming sugar to the secondary, and try to stir it in completely, but I haven't seen an effective way to stir a better bottle. You could also add priming sugar individually to each bottle, although most people would advise against that - it's hard to get consistent results doing it that way.

Don't get too freaked out about "risk of exposure". If you're clean, following an orderly procedure, and using sanitizer properly on anything that touches the beer, you can have a relaxing time and bottle up the beer any way that suits you.

Suggest you search for Revvy's page of easy bottling tips. He's got stuff laid out step by step.

 

[-TH-]

I'll help:

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

 

[VApatriot]

Excellent! You guys are great, thanks for all the advice everyone. When ever this stuff clears up in the secondary, Ill rack it onto the boiled corn sugar in the bucket that came w/ my kit and bottle away!

The one thing I've learned from all of the reading I've done in the books I bought, and here on this forum, is that you can't be too sanitary.

I really like this forum, you're all very helpful and I'm sure that cumulatively, you've prevented thousands of gallons of perfectly good beer from going to waste from newbie mistakes. It sure is nice to have a good place to go to get your questions answered versus learning the hard way.

Thanks again and have a good holiday weekend.