First test worked, questions before I take it further

[EvilDrFoetus]

Heya,

So I thought I'd try brewing for the hell of it a few weeks back, just in case it all messed up I grabbed the cheapest Wilko's kit I could find. It's turned out...serviceable, but that's more the kit being about £8 I think. Got a different cheap kit with an eye to bottling it this time to make sure I can get that right, but need a few pointers first (with the maxim that I'm trying to keep costs down):

- Can I just fit a bottling wand to the end of siphon tubing rather than drilling out a bucket?

- Is priming from a bucket really reliable enough? I'm worried it won't be distributed enough (so a mix of flat beer and bombs)

- Most of the sanitiser on sale around here is crap (15-20 minute soak). Is it worth just getting some sani san and giving each bottle a spritz inside instead?

Cheers.

Slightly unrelated; been having with the pressure barrel I got in the starter kit, in that I primed it, beer build up a good head of CO2 that then proceeded to force it to dribble out the tap. Only lost about half a pint over a fortnight, but I can't draw more than half a pint out before it slows to a trickle. Ordered an S30 cartridge kit to try and remedy this for now, but is this just a case of the tap itself not coping with pressure? There's nothing coming out the outside or around the seal, just a slow dribble from the spout even when the tap's fully off.

 

[Homercidal]

You "can" bottle straight from a siphon hose. I highly recommend using a bottling wand to help you fill bottles, though. And really, a bottling bucket is REALLY cheap. Any food grade 5 gallon bucket will work. The spigot costs $2-3 I think.

I always add a sugar *solution* to the bottling bucket before I rack the beer onto it. Boiling the sugar in a small amount of water sanitizes it and help it dissolve and distribute. Then gently stir before bottling.

Sanitizing is really up to you. I would kill myself if I had to wait 15-20 minutes. I mix StarSan with distilled water and keep it in a 3-quart jug, which I use to top off a spray bottle. That jug will last me a month or more. The little bottle of StarSan lasts me over a year or two (depends on how often I brew). I think it's completely worth it to get the non-staining, no-taste-no-rinse, nearly instant sanitation of StarSan. YMMV.

I wish I could help with the pressure barrel, but I honestly can't picture your setup or what might be wrong. From your description it sounds as if the tap is simply leaking. You may need to take it apart and inspect it and maybe replace the seal. Check the sealing surface for dents or dings or crud.

 

[kh54s10]

IMO, the easiest and most controllable way to prime your beer is to get a bottling bucket with a spigot. Attach the wand directly to the spigot with a 25 -35 mm piece of tubing.
Make up a priming solution of the right amount of sugar and add it to the bottom of the bucket. Siphon the beer into the bucket with the tubing sitting on the bottom curled along the side. This will create a vortex mixing the sugar solution very well. If you are worried you can stir very carefully. (no splashing)

Get rid of your pressure barrel and just use a bucket, PET carboy or other fermenter. You will need a blow off tube or airlock.

Starsan is the most popular no rinse sanitizer here in the States. It takes 1-2 minutes of contact. Sani-san might be the non foaming equivalent. I am sure you can find something better.

 

[Aristotelian]

Yes, star san is absolutely worth it. Hard to imagine brewing without it.

 

[EvilDrFoetus]

Thanks all, got enough to get me going on this now.

Glad I could find Star San over here; part of my background's in microbiology and I'm used to just spraying down stuff and not having to worry (although we used to just use pure ethanol, which is somewhat restricted outside of the lab )