Bottling straight from primary.

[MPBeer]

Hi. My primary fermenter has a spigot at the bottom, so I was using it to bottle beer right after the fermentation has finished (added sugar to each bottles). I didn't have any problem, till last night. I was bottling my 3rd batch, and it was stout w/ vanilla and cacao. When I opened the lid, I could smell the huge adjunct nose bursting out. Howver, when I pour the beer from the bottom, there only was very subtle flavor. I like to only use my primary fermenter since it's much easier and I don't have to risk oxidation from racking my beer to other vessels. So now I'm thinking that since all the adjuncts are floating on the top, the flavor hasn't been mixed.

Should I use bottling bucket to have my beer mixed? Or can I just mix my beer a bit with sanitized sticks. I would like to stick to this process since I don't want any oxygen get in to my beer (and I brew NEIPAs too). Cheers!

 

[Sparkncode]

If you mix in thr primary you will stir up the yeast and trub so would then need to cold crash or let is settle out before bottling.

Very gental mixing should not introduce significant oxygen. A separate bottling bucket allows you to stop syphoning out of the promary brfore you suck up too much trub which results in clearer beer quicker

 

[IslandLizard]

As @Sparkncode said, racking into a bottling bucket is probably the best way to effectively mix your beer and leave the trub behind in your primary. Use a hose from your spigot into the bottling bucket. Curl the hose on the bottom so it doesn't splash and aerate. The curl also creates a slight vortex, mixing the beer and sugar. Before you start bottling, a gentle stir with a long spoon will homogenize the beer.

It's good to skip secondaries, they are really not needed, except if you want to bulk age or ferment (sours) for several months or years.

In that picture, what are you exactly doing there? Looks like you're aerating your beer by pouring it out of the spigot, through the mesh, splashing it into a bucket.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I just want to add that giving it a gentle stir in the bottling bucket is important to ensure the heavier sugar water for priming doesn't sit on the bottom. The one time I skipped this step I ended up with a dozen or so gushers and the rest of the batch had varying levels of carbonation. I carefully "burped" the over carbed ones a couple of times and moved them in the beer fridge, and I'll drink them first just to get rid of them.

 

[MPBeer]

Seems like using bottling bucket is the best choice. Should order some siphoning gadgets right now! Just one more question. As I know, racking to second vessel is

1. Open the lid of fermenter.
2. Put the one end of siphon in the beer, and other end of the siphon to the bottling bucket where is full of oxygen.
3. Siphon.
4. Close the lid of the bottling bucket.
5. Bottle

Is this correct? I'm worried about the oxidation while I'm racking.. is there any way I can make it minimum? Would the full-open fermenter & bottling bucket will be fine from the exposure of oxygen? Thanks!

 

[IslandLizard]

Mostly yes!
If I may, let me revise that a little:

1. Open the lid of fermenter.
2. Put the one end of siphon in the beer, and curl other end of the siphon into the bottling bucket, which is full of oxygen air (21% O2, 78% N2).*
3. Start siphon.
4. Add your dissolved priming sugar while continue siphoning.
5. Toward the end, tilt the fermentor toward the siphon, so you're siphoning from a deeper well.
   
6. Stop the siphon before it starts sucking air. Clamp off or pull the hose out of the bottling bucket.
7. Stir gently.
8. Close the lid of the bottling bucket, make sure some air can get in as you draw beer from the bottom.
9. Bottle.

* Notes:

• Use a siphon clip to hold the siphon (or racking cane) along the inside of the bucket, above the trub. That's the best $2 I ever spent. They come for different diameter siphons/canes, so make sure to get the correct one.
• Start siphoning from about halfway below the beer level, then lower the siphon as the level drops, keeping the siphon above the trub. Use that inverter tippy that comes with the siphon or buy one if it isn't included. That's why you tilt the fermentor when there's about a gallon left to keep that well deep.

Is this correct? I'm worried about the oxidation while I'm racking.. is there any way I can make it minimum? Would the full-open fermenter & bottling bucket will be fine from the exposure of oxygen? Thanks!

Yeah, there is not much you can do about that using buckets. You can do a (semi) closed transfer if you have access to a CO2 tank.
I'm not sure how much of an issue that extra air exposure is, you're not pre-purging those bottles with CO2 either.

 

[ncbrewer]

When you say "Put the one end of siphon in the beer", you're probably talking about an auto siphon. If not, you should consider using one. It makes siphoning much easier. And you might get less air into the beer because the whole operation is smoother.

And make sure the lower end of the siphon tube lays down flat in the bottom of the bottling bucket. I had some that was too stiff, and the beer shot slightly upward and splashed some. I got some oxidized beer. I replaced the vinyl tube with silicone - it lays down very flat.

Also, make sure the tube attachment to the auto siphon is air tight - you can get some air in if it's not. I use two cable ties to snug up the fit on mine.

 

[flars]

Photo showing the siphon clip and tilting the fermentor to create the deep well of beer. I remove the siphon from the clip when the fermentor is getting down to one-quarter. I hand hold it against the side of the fermentor to visually keep it just above the trub layer.

 

[Velnerj]

You don't need to be so hyper sensitive about oxygen. The yeast will use it in the bottle for food. The keggers need to be the most careful as the don't have any fermentation going on in the keg, not true for bottles. Obviously you can be careless and over oxygenate but if you're gentle it'll be fine.

 

[smyrnaquince]

View attachment 572434

Hi. My primary fermenter has a spigot at the bottom, so I was using it to bottle beer right after the fermentation has finished (added sugar to each bottles). I didn't have any problem, till last night. I was bottling my 3rd batch, and it was stout w/ vanilla and cacao. When I opened the lid, I could smell the huge adjunct nose bursting out. Howver, when I pour the beer from the bottom, there only was very subtle flavor. I like to only use my primary fermenter since it's much easier and I don't have to risk oxidation from racking my beer to other vessels. So now I'm thinking that since all the adjuncts are floating on the top, the flavor hasn't been mixed.

Should I use bottling bucket to have my beer mixed? Or can I just mix my beer a bit with sanitized sticks. I would like to stick to this process since I don't want any oxygen get in to my beer (and I brew NEIPAs too). Cheers!

My primary bucket has a spout at the bottom, like yours. Instead of siphoning, I attach a hose to the sprout instead of using a siphon. In my bucket, the bottom of the spout hole is just above the yeast tub layer. I run the first bit from the hose into a measuring cup to get rid of the yeast that has settled in the spout, then run the rest into the bottling bucket. I see no reason for you to use a siphon if you have a spout on your fermenter.

Tilt the fermenter near the end so you don't start sucking air. Stop drawing as soon as you either start pulling in the yeast trub layer or just before you start sucking air, whichever come first.

 

[MPBeer]

Thanks for so much tips. I can borrow a siphon so I'll use it, and use the spigot to rack to bottling bucket too, then see what suits the best for my equipment.