How to brewing and manage small batches.

[schia]

hello all,

I’m planning on brewing a small batch this weekend, somewhere between 2 to 2.5 to gallon. I have no problem getting the beer into the small glass carboy but what i am concern is, getting it out from the carboy and straight into the bottle. what techniques have you used in the past to manage small batches?

i would really appreciate the info and knowledge.

thanks in advance.

 

[EcuPirate07]

What about a small racking cane like this

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/mini-auto-siphon-3-8?gclid=CODa5OjIysYCFYY9gQodhdQKlg

 

[schia]

I am thinking of this and would anyone recommend it? I'm worried that it will kickback and stirrup the sediment. Does anyone have experience with it?

 

[schia]

.

 

[schia]

I am thinking of this and would anyone recommend it? I'm worried that it will kickback and stirrup the sediment. Does anyone have experience with it?

 

[schia]

I am thinking of this and would anyone recommend it? I'm worried that it will kickback and stirrup the sediment. Does anyone have experience with it?

 

[Subdivisions]

I don't do small batches but I think most people just rack into a bottling bucket or keg like you normally would.

There is no 'straight into the bottle'. You need to put it into a secondary container with a spigot on it.

 

[schia]

I am thinking of this and would anyone recommend it? I'm worried that it will kickback and stirrup the sediment. Does anyone have experience with it?

 

[Subdivisions]

You don't want to go straight from the carboy to the bottle. You need to rack the beer onto your priming sugar then fill the bottles. It's no different on a 2.5 gallon batch than it is on a 5 gallon.

 

[schia]

I am thinking of this and would anyone recommend it? I'm worried that it will kickback and stirrup the sediment. Does anyone have experience with it?

 

[Subdivisions]

double post

 

[Qhrumphf]

(I didn't post this for the record, have Austin looking into it...)

I am thinking of something like this... cheap and easy. has anyone used this in the past? What i'm worry about this siphon is that it will kickback and stirrup the sediment.

 

[C-Rider]

I don't do small batches but I think most people just rack into a bottling bucket or keg like you normally would.

There is no 'straight into the bottle'. You need to put it into a secondary container with a spigot on it.

Yup. That's what I do w/all my 2 gallon batches. 2 gallon bucket from HD with a spigot added. I ferment in 2 gal buckets as well.

BTW why did you post the same picture 6 times?

 

[The_Glue]

On my 1gal batches i went straight to the bottle.

I have the Mini Auto-Syphon and the standard bottling wand can be connected to the end of it's hose. I add the priming sugar individually to the bottles with a syringe then rack into them from the primary.

 

[schia]

I am so sorry for the multiple posts. Nothing seem to happen when i click on the submit button so i kept refreshing and to my horror i could not delete those posts as well.

 

[cobrem]

I do straight to bottle on my 1 gal batches as well. Autosiphon into bottles, and carb tabs. Not an issue if you keep off the bottom.

 

[schia]

That was a good how to video. Looks like i'll have to get myself a proper siphon to do the job.

this might be a really stupid question but here goes... i want to know will brewing a 2 gallon batch in a 5 gallon fermenter has any off putting effect? I mean, i already have a 5 gallon fermenter and really no point to get a smaller bucket just because i want a small batch. what i am concern is the surface area e.g. the fermenter will contain less liquid with a relatively wider surface area, will this be bad for my beer?

Yup. That's what I do w/all my 2 gallon batches. 2 gallon bucket from HD with a spigot added. I ferment in 2 gal buckets as well.

BTW why did you post the same picture 6 times?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5oIhI2XLZY&list=UUdObnyKPx3hfPdYd9-PcuUg

 

[C-Rider]

That was a good how to video. Looks like i'll have to get myself a proper siphon to do the job.

this might be a really stupid question but here goes... i want to know will brewing a 2 gallon batch in a 5 gallon fermenter has any off putting effect? I mean, i already have a 5 gallon fermenter and really no point to get a smaller bucket just because i want a small batch. what i am concern is the surface area e.g. the fermenter will contain less liquid with a relatively wider surface area, will this be bad for my beer?

Don't think the wider surface is the problem. But to much head space above the wort might be. Not sure how much is "to much". But the 2 gallon buckets are cheap. You'd need to have a drill to make the whole for the spicket.

 

[cobrem]

2 gals in a 5 gal fermenter should be fine - for primary (less so for secondary/conditioning). Headspace for primary will get filled with co2 as part of fermentation and will blanket the beer. If you move to secondary, you lose that... And the least amount of headspace possible is desirable.

 

[Weezy]

you can go straight to the bottle. The trick is getting your priming sugar mixed well without disturbing the trub (which is the best benefit of a bottling bucket....working with clean beer)

I'd use a bottle filler:
https://www.brewdemon.com/equipment/all-equipment/bottling/bottle-filler.html

Just use a straight siphon hose; not a autosiphon or a pump thing. Put the carboy up higher than the bottles (say on an inverted bucket and fill on the ground), fill hose with water, hold the outlet end of the hose below the bottom level of the carboy (getting gravity to want to drain the hose towards the outlet end and not towards the carboy, then insert input end into beer. Quickly dispense from the hose into a bucket or something to empty the water from the hose and thereby fill the hose with beer, all the while keeping the outlet end below the carboy. The siphon is now primed and you're then ready to fill bottles. Practice with just water a couple times until you get the hang of it.

 

[madscientist451]

Yes you can bottle from the primary fermenter, but I like to transfer to bottling bucket
so I make sure I get a good mix with the priming sugar and avoid getting anything from the fermeter into the bottle.
I now have a dedicated bottling bucket, but before that I used a water dispenser like this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Arrow-H2O-2.5-Gal-Slimline-Beverage-Dispenser-Blue/15915151

 

[william_shakes_beer]

you can go straight to the bottle. The trick is getting your priming sugar mixed well without disturbing the trub (which is the best benefit of a bottling bucket....working with clean beer)

I'd use a bottle filler:
https://www.brewdemon.com/equipment/all-equipment/bottling/bottle-filler.html

Just use a straight siphon hose; not a autosiphon or a pump thing. Put the carboy up higher than the bottles (say on an inverted bucket and fill on the ground), fill hose with water, hold the outlet end of the hose below the bottom level of the carboy (getting gravity to want to drain the hose towards the outlet end and not towards the carboy, then insert input end into beer. Quickly dispense from the hose into a bucket or something to empty the water from the hose and thereby fill the hose with beer, all the while keeping the outlet end below the carboy. The siphon is now primed and you're then ready to fill bottles. Practice with just water a couple times until you get the hang of it.

You can also put your bottling wand on the end of the siphon tube. If you fill the tube with water or sanitizer then drop the free end into the beer you can see and discard the water as it comes down the tube.

To the OP: I would check any equipment to see that it is food safe. What is your device made for?

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I am so sorry for the multiple posts. Nothing seem to happen when i click on the submit button so i kept refreshing and to my horror i could not delete those posts as well.

You cant delete them but you can edit them to remove the picture and say something like "dupe"

I HATE when that happens

 

[Ike]

I usually always rack to a bottling bucket. THAT SAID, if you were dead set on bottling straight from the primary, I would consider the suggestion of using tubing to connect your racking cane and bottling wand (this is how I always do my transfers anyhow) in conjunction with carb tabs. Tricky part is going to be getting the most beer possible out of the primary without stirring the hell out of the trub with the end of the cane.

OR, since I hate carb tabs (they never dissolve completely for me), boil a known amount of sugar in a known amount of water so you know the necessary amount of priming sugar is in, say, 1 Tbsp of solution. Then, add that amount to each bottle before racking into it with your wand?

I can see the value to bottling right from primary in the case of a small batch. The amount left behind on each transfer doesn't make a big difference in a 5gal batch, but when you're only making 1 or 2 gallons, it can add up.