Help! I keep losing beer..

[donkeyhodie3]

No,not like where I left it.Lemme explain.I recently brewed two batches after a long absence,both went into secondaries.Each time when I bottled,I wound up about 3 six packs short.Since the only place I could be losing it is the transfers,here's my question:is using a ye olde ale pail bottling bucket as a primary,transferring (via spigot and hose,I know,no splashing) to a second bottling bucket,and going on from there a safe idea? I've seen this mentioned in passing in several places,but no good idea/bad idea kind of info.Thought's anyone?

 

[Teromous]

Beer gnome drank it before if was ready.

Normally I'd chock it up to sediment and junk that you leave behind after your primary, but did I read correctly that it's nearly 1.6 gallons per batch that's missing?? It's possible that the actual measurements on your buckets are wrong, so they're saying 5 when really 4 or something...

 

[donkeyhodie3]

Yep.Both batches were about 38 12oz.bottles short.As for the markings being off,if they are (which I'll check) it could only happen to me.I actually was worried a bit about the last batch 'cause I filled the primary a wee bit above the 5 gallon mark!The only way I can think of is that I'm losing it is in whats left in the primary and secondary,hence the idea of using just 2 buckets.Thanks for the reply.Hope I'm making sense.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

How much are you leaving behind in the primary when you siphon to the bottling bucket?

 

[dracus]

I always brew 6 gallon batches 1/2 Gallon left in kettle 1/2 gallon left in primary. I do not use secondary unless fruit. I end up with exactly 5 gallons and an lose a couple ounces in bottling bucket.

My first thought is some loss in transfer and are you using a bottleing wand or manaully stopping the flow. If you are not using a wand I can easily see over filling bottles and thus loosing beer.

 

[dshaggy]

The only thing I can think of is maybe your bottling bucket is leaking. Or maybe if you're dry hopping - hops seem to soak up a lot of fluid and it's hard to get it back.

 

[donkeyhodie3]

Ok,I think I may have figured this out.I eyeballed about how much I had left in both the primary and secondary and it's close to about a quart or so in each.My Ale Pale is marked correctly,so if I topped it off to about 5.5 gallons,skipped the secondary and racked about as much as I can using my auto siphon,I ought to be in a little better shape,right?

P.s I think my math is off.I'm off by about 18 bottles,or 216 oz.Thanks for the replies.

 

[gak27]

Just out of curiousity, and I'm not trying to be a smart@ss or anything, but are you sure about your math (e.g. 1 gallon = 128 oz., approx. 53 12 oz bottles per 5 gallons, etc.)?

 

[Zamial]

I'm off by about 18 bottles,or 216 oz.

I am thinking this loss can be explained as a combination of 2 things, Hydro samples and trub. If you do not secondary, that means that you have LOTS of trub. If you syphon down to the trub line is that about a gallon or more?

Trub was wort when you filled the bucket...

I also use these Ale Pail buckets...for now...but I am a bit more tenacious about my product. I secondary....all the time...This seems to reduce the really bad thick trub at the bottom of the bucket and gives me a clearer beer.

When I move it to a bottling bucket, I get all I can with the siphon and then GENTLY poor, like a home brew into a glass, the remaining liquid into a smaller separate bucket I will leave this to separate/clarify on its own while I bottle the rest. At the end of my bottling run I will use 2-22oz bottles, that I have dubbed the "Trubbled 2", I "sample" any that is left normally after that 1-3 oz.
The Trubbled 2 often end up with a thicker than average sentiment, go figure, and have been noted to contain some "floaters", I think they are hops particles, since I have not strained my hops as of yet but am starting to next batch. IDC about any of this as I am drinking it vs. throwing it away with the trub...