how to deal with spigot yeast crud for a primary only brew???

[roguenroll]

Hey I was just getting ready to add another fermenter to my workflow, and space in the fridge is limited.

long story, after reading some articles, Im thinking I might dedicate the fridge to 2 fermenters and bail on the secondary/clearing/bottling buckets.

The Question???

The transfer from primary to secondary cleared out my spigot of blocked up yeast, etc, allowing that yeast to settle in the secondary.

How can do a Primary only, and avoid that first big glop of crud from going right into the keg?????

I assume filtering, but any suggestions on something easy??



Thanks

 

[roguenroll]

As im thinking, I guess I could sacrifice a few ounces and preclear in another container before the keg pour.

But with some possible krausen, and a other particulate. does anyone use a coffee filter or something??


i dont want to get into a whole water filter setup.

 

[porterpounder]

Us an autosyphon instead of the spigot and start 1/4 the way up from the bottom of the bucket, lowering slowly when it gets toward the bottom. It's a bit more effort, but you'll get clearer beer. Either way you're likely to get at least some settling in the keg without a filter and that's a LOT more effort.

 

[roguenroll]

cool, that is a good option.

 

[roguenroll]

good idea, and Ive started to not pour all the wort heavy settle stuff into the ferm. But I think the most of the stuff ends up in the spigot after the intense yeast fermentation, as you know theres a whirlwind of action going on for 2-3 days. I think tipping it might help, but the stuff is whirling around, so a lot would get in anyway.

i searched around and found these strainers.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=24071&catid=685

 

[MaryB]

I skip the secondary and ferment in my bottling buckets. Last batch the test jar for the hydrometer and first bottle had a tiny bit of yeast and after that it was clear until I tilted the bucket to far trying to get the last drop. Way less work, less exposure to oxygen/infection, only 1 bucket to clean...

I do use hop bags to keep the hop debris out of the wort(orderings a hop basket next month for less cleanup) and am careful filling the fermenters to keep out most of the trub(yesterdays batch I saw a dozen pieces of barley, and the hot break material left in the kettle. I do stir to whirlpool it to the center after cooling then wait 20 minutes). I suspect the little I saw was caught in the pickup tube...

 

[roguenroll]

I skip the secondary and ferment in my bottling buckets. Last batch the test jar for the hydrometer and first bottle had a tiny bit of yeast and after that it was clear until I tilted the bucket to far trying to get the last drop. Way less work, less exposure to oxygen/infection, only 1 bucket to clean...

I do use hop bags to keep the hop debris out of the wort(orderings a hop basket next month for less cleanup) and am careful filling the fermenters to keep out most of the trub(yesterdays batch I saw a dozen pieces of barley, and the hot break material left in the kettle. I do stir to whirlpool it to the center after cooling then wait 20 minutes). I suspect the little I saw was caught in the pickup tube...

sounds like a plan. less to clean up, easier, less exposure. :rockin:

 

[edb]

Using your bottling bucket is fine what you could do to seeing you have the fridge, is drop the temp as low as you can go to cold crash it and clear it more. Of course you wont want to have a second beer in fridge when cold crashing unless you're cold crashing 2 at a time.

 

[roguenroll]

Using your bottling bucket is fine what you could do to seeing you have the fridge, is drop the temp as low as you can go to cold crash it and clear it more. Of course you wont want to have a second beer in fridge when cold crashing unless you're cold crashing 2 at a time.

thanks yes I do cold crash, so that's helpful, and they should be done at the same time so I think that will work out.

Instead of the directions that say: 'drop in the hops', I hop bagged the hops and the additive ingredients, and that help keep out a lot of particle matter from getting in the fermenter this time.

 

[kh54s10]

Get fermenters that don't have spigots. They are a place for contaminates to grow. I also don't trust the plastic spigots for long term. They just don't seem strong enough to feel safe for an extended time.

Also you never have to worry about them getting plugged up if there isn't one...

 

[MaryB]

Plastic spigots I have are easy to clean. They have a hole on the front that will back feed into the body from a connected piece of tubing. I fill the tube. Turn the spigot off and lift it and it back flushes the body out. Do that 5-6 times and it is clean! I use PBW mixed strong for this.

 

[roguenroll]

Plastic spigots I have are easy to clean. They have a hole on the front that will back feed into the body from a connected piece of tubing. I fill the tube. Turn the spigot off and lift it and it back flushes the body out. Do that 5-6 times and it is clean! I use PBW mixed strong for this.

mine are the coopers fermenters, very easy to clean (when theyre empty)

it'll work out, Ive added hops bags tot he workflow, and will maybe set up a quick gravity strain w/ a 200 micron filter. maybe roll the screen in one of my plastic cooper pet bottles.

 

[roguenroll]

Get fermenters that don't have spigots. They are a place for contaminates to grow. I also don't trust the plastic spigots for long term. They just don't seem strong enough to feel safe for an extended time.

Also you never have to worry about them getting plugged up if there isn't one...

I like the convenience to gravity drain into a keg. it may fail in time, I'll have to look at some kind of quick strap or clamp to hold the clamp part secure.

 

[Clavain46]

Just keep it clean and your spigot will be fine.

 

[unionrdr]

I totally agree! The spigots have to be cleaned after every use, every part of'em. The seals & mounting hole too. Then dunked in Starsan & re-assembled wet. I also use a large, fine mesh strainer to strain all the hop gunk, etc out of the chilled wort & aerate it going into primary. This makes for a lot less trub & yeast compacted on the bottom later. I get only a very small amount of the grainy stuff on the bottom of the bottling bucket with a couple TBSP's of wort.

 

[roguenroll]

What I mean is the collection of yeast in the fermenter, in the two weeks its fermenting and clearing.

But Ive decided to clear it in a small cup, then I have a filter DIY that I'll strain wort into kegs with.

 

[Singletrack]

I didn't like siphoning into a bottling bucket, so I got a fermentation vessel with a ball valve. Love it. Mine is a little higher on the vessel, so I don't get yeast in it, but I do have to tip it at the end to get all the beer out. I would keep what you have, and waste the first bit with the yeast. Then, without filtering, drain the rest. That stuff will all settle out anyway. Filtering is a PITA.


BTW, I never remove my ball valve to clean it, but I brush it and flush it thoroughly. No infections (so far). Your valve, however, would have me worried.

 

[MaryB]

As mentioned, I use that first bit to take my FG reading... after that the first bottle may get 1/16" more yeast sediment than the rest after carbing...

 

[unionrdr]

What I mean is the collection of yeast in the fermenter, in the two weeks its fermenting and clearing.

But Ive decided to clear it in a small cup, then I have a filter DIY that I'll strain wort into kegs with.

I had one of my spigots plug like this once. And that was due to my own impatience. The rest of the time, hardly anything gets through to the bottling bucket.

 

[roguenroll]

Your valve, however, would have me worried.

knock on wood, so far so good, no infections. I take it out, comes apart, soak it in starsan, put it on fermenter, add starsan to fermenter, shake periodically when in storage, 60 degree fridge.

 

[roguenroll]

My DIY beer filter $20, with plastic cranberry bottles and hops bags (and one 100 micron filter). $20 was the cost of the 3 filter bags.

pic 1 Unassembled,

pic 2 and 3 on keg with (No filters)

Last pic is the 3 filters.

 

[roguenroll]

Assembly. Smallest filter on bottom, then hops bags in next 2 containers pushed into the bottom container.

*Last picture has the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd filters assembled. Hard to see with all the filter bags in the way.

 

[roguenroll]

Plastic stand to stand on keg (cut from bottom of a similar container)

second pic, stand on and cap (cut from bottom of a similar container)

 

[unionrdr]

What I mean is the collection of yeast in the fermenter, in the two weeks its fermenting and clearing.

But Ive decided to clear it in a small cup, then I have a filter DIY that I'll strain wort into kegs with.

After a second look at these, this looks a bit more like coagulated proteins stuck in that spigot? IE-cold break. It always looked like wet popcorn to me?
Neat filter idea...hadn't thought of that. That's another reason I like this place. Good old 'Murican ingenuity!

 

[madscientist451]

I used to use a bucket with a spigot as a primary fermenter, until one day I noticed a strong smell of beer coming from the closet being used as a fermentation chamber. The spigot actually broke off during the night and 5 gallons of porter spilled out and soaked into the oak flooring.
Maybe a freak occurrence, but now I use carboys for fermenting and an auto siphon to transfer the beer.

 

[unionrdr]

Auto siphons can be a pain. I turn my spigot's spout sideways when laying them on the floor or similar. I only used the auto siphon for my BB. But the other day, I had to store 4 gallons of wort in my BK/MT covered with a lid & plastic bag overnight. So Instead of trying to lift the heavy kettle of wort to pour it through the strainer, I had my wife help me work the auto siphon while I worked the tubing end with the fine mesh strainer. Fermenter on a bucket on the floor with kettle on my cart. Definitely easier than lifting the heavy kettle at my age.

 

[roguenroll]

5 gallons of porter spilled out and soaked into the oak flooring.

uh that would suck.

I might get a velco strap and at least add some tension to hold down the spigot latch. no doubt it could pop up. but if it broke at some point, well Im screwed.

 

[Mismost]

I use bottling buckets as primaries and I rarely transfer a secondary.

I now use a All-In-One vacuum wine pump to go from bucket to bottle through a canister water filter...my clearest beers ever now. Is it a bit of extra trouble and time? Sure it is...but after weeks of waiting, why not spend a few minutes more and do the best job you can? Which frankly is actually a waste of time because I bottle carbonate and will always have a bit of dust in the bottom! It's always something.