Bottling Method

[Mountainbeers]

So I'm going to be doing some bottling on Sunday and I was wondering what you guys thought the best method would be.

I have been just setting the bottles on towels and siphoning straight from my glass secondary to the bottles (with lots of speed and still a little spillage). I know I can pick up one of those valve/nozzles to put on the end of my siphon tube but I don't have anywhere locally to pick one up and don't have another thing to order it with to justify shipping costs. Do you think it would be better to transfer it back to my Ale Pail with the spigot on the bottom and then fill them from there? Once I do make this transfer should I let the beer sit for a few hours/days to clear up?

 

[Hammy71]

In hindsight...a bottling wand is almost a must. Having said this... I'd get a bucket to catch the spillage instead of just a towel....(Your gonna need it...). Second I would transfer the beer to your bottling bucket (with the spigot).... at least that way you can stop the flow easily. Third.... 'speed' isn't necassarily a good thing. By rushing between bottles you'll be splashing the beer as you pour into the bottles. Oxyegenation is sure to be a result.... Minus the wand, I'd use the spout with a peice of sanitized tubing on it. Set the bucket up high and do one bottle at a time by turning on and off the spigot....making sure the tubing touches the bottom of the bottle so it fills from the bottom. Wow...just writing that makes me appreciate the couple of bucks I spent on the bottling wand.....

 

[Mountainbeers]

Yea I don't know how I missed getting one but I'll make due for this batch.

 

[Malticulous]

I use a five gallon bucket with a hose barb threaded in as close to the bottom as possible. It has about a four foot hose and the spring loaded bottle filler. The bottle filler is the only valve I need and it was only two bucks. I'm going to have to upgrade to a 6.5 gallon bucket because I often end up with more than five gallons to bottle. The five gallon buck is to the rim with 5.5 gallons and can be difficult to lift up with out spilling. I get 6.5 gallon buckets locally for $7.