Bottling question

[TenorMadness]

I started my first homebrew batch a week ago. My kit came with a 7 gallon bottling bucket and a 5 gallon plastic carboy, so I fermented in the bucket.

This is the ingredient kit I'm using.

I'm wondering if I should bottle directly from the fermenting bucket, or rack the beer to the 5 gallon carboy and bottle from it. If I bottle from the bucket, should I use the spigot or an auto siphon?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Puddlethumper]

I started my first homebrew batch a week ago. My kit came with a 7 gallon bottling bucket and a 5 gallon plastic carboy, so I fermented in the bucket.

This is the ingredient kit I'm using.

I'm wondering if I should bottle directly from the fermenting bucket, or rack the beer to the 5 gallon carboy and bottle from it. If I bottle from the bucket, should I use the spigot or an auto siphon?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

If your bucket has a spigot installed then you should use it. The spigot is usually installed for that purpose only. You will also need a short length of tubing (probably 2-3' is enough and most spigots are for 3/8" ID tubing) and a bottling wand something like this:

http://morebeer.com/products/bottle-filler-removable-spring-38.html

These are both available on line or at your lhbs.

Cheers!

 

[burninator]

Sounds like you fermented in the bottling bucket (the one with the spigot)? If so, I'd rack to the carboy, clean out the bucket, and transfer back to that, so you can use the spigot and your bottling wand to bottle.

 

[edco76]

I would order another bottling bucket, rack into that.

They're cheap and then going forward you have a fermenting bucket, carboy for secondary if needed, and a bottling bucket.


Its not like you will never need another bucket any way.

 

[TenorMadness]

I would order another bottling bucket, rack into that.

They're cheap and then going forward you have a fermenting bucket, carboy for secondary if needed, and a bottling bucket.


Its not like you will never need another bucket any way.

I suppose that's the best option. Why would the kit include such a small carboy instead of another large bucket. Which one was I supposed to use to ferment?

 

[edco76]

I suppose that's the best option. Why would the kit include such a small carboy instead of another large bucket. Which one was I supposed to use to ferment?

I just brewed my first kit as well. Bought my beginners kit, extract recipe. Thought I was good to go!!!!

Then, I realized that I had a 5 gallon carboy, and a bottling bucket. For a 5 gallon recipe.

I think the thinking behind it is to:

Ferment in bucket
Use 5g carboy for secondary
re-use bucket for bottling



Which I guess is fine, IF you wanna do a secondary. If not, you kinda have to have a bigger carboy, or another bucket.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, the 5 gallon carboy is fine for secondary, but too small for fermenting in. I'd just get another bucket with spigot. I have spigots on both my fermenters as well. Handy works better than that darn auto siphon for racking, bottling, etc.