I don't understand the need for a bottling bucket

[patrad]

So I've brewed 7-8 batches now. I always just bottle from the wand on the end of the siphon stuck into the secondary. I don't quite understand the need to rack into a bucket, taking more time and risking further contamination.

I do stir the priming solution around in the secondary and I guess the only real reason I could think of would be to better distribute the solution.

I know everyone has their bottling style. . . but I just don't get the need for the bucket?!? What am I missing?

 

[bferullo]

nothing.....its all personal preference IMO. Find a system that works for you is what I was taught.

 

[Naked_Eskimo]

I guess most folk dont want to resuspend all the yeast that has settled out in the secondary and have that bottled.

 

[VikeMan]

I guess most folk dont want to resuspend all the yeast that has settled out in the secondary and have that bottled.

Bingo.

 

[Bobby_M]

Why bother with a secondary if you're willing to stir all that stuff back into suspension. Might as well just rack into the bottling bucket out of primary.

 

[david_42]

Using a bottling bucket reduces the amount of yeast in the bottle. Through mixing of the priming sugar is difficult without stirring up yeast. Since you are happy with your methods ...

By the way, most homebrewers will wonder why you use a secondary. It's an obsolete approach.

 

[Yooper]

Using a bottling bucket reduces the amount of yeast in the bottle. Through mixing of the priming sugar is difficult without stirring up yeast. Since you are happy with your methods ...

This is what I do. I don't use a secondary, so racking to the bottling bucket gets "clean" beer off of the trub as well as mixes the priming solution. I don't stir, just rack into the bucket with the end of the tubing curled around the bottom so it swirls and mixes from the bottom.

There is no more risk of racking to a bottling bucket than racking to a secondary, though, so that's not a good comparison.

I'm pretty proficient with a siphon (I was a winemaker before brewing beer) and I have bottled wines out of the secondary. But there were never any lees in those wines, and no priming sugar to dissolve and mix. With trub on the bottom of the secondary, it'd be hard for me to hold the siphon above the trub line, as well as thoroughly mix the priming solution into the beer and trying to avoid aerating the beer.

It probably sounds lazy to say using a bottling bucket is the easy way, but it seems to be that way for me.

 

[AnOldUR]

By the way, most homebrewers will wonder why you use a secondary. It's an obsolete approach.

Them there's trolling words, but

 

[Revvy]

The problem with bottling from a primary or secondary instead of using a bottling bucket, is that since you have patiently gone and let your beer settle and clear, in order to mix the priming solution and beer effectively, you would have to stir it in the carboy which would a) kick up all that nice sediment you have patiently let fall, b) possibly oxydize the beer.

It really defeats the purpose of both a long primary/no secondary or a secondary if you have to stir up all the nice sediment you patiently waited to settle just so you can have consistent carbonation.

 

[patrad]

Clarity, got it. Thanks everyone. Bottling a beer I dry hopped here next so I'll give the bucket a try.

 

[Revvy]

You'll find a lot of good hints and tips, here;

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/

 

[dotnetdotcom]

Yes! Read that link, if only just to get the tip to connect the bottling wand directly to the bottling bucket spigot. That is the best tip ever.