Racking losses

[Bru]

I ferment and bottle with 25L buckets with the tap about 1" off the bottom.
As a result I lose from 1 to 2 litres every time I rack :
From primary to secondary to bottling bucket - it starts adding up - I can lose a gallon.
Ive assumed if I tilt the bucket when racking I will end up with the sediment going in as well - making for cloudy beer ? Or is the sediment compacted enough to stay behind ? Any pointers ?

 

[scrambledegg81]

I wouldn't tilt the primary, though others might say otherwise...

Just considering that when you tilt, you're stirring up the sediment on the bottom & risking sucking all that gunk into the secondary. After 5 batches, I've just learned to take my losses (while downing a few IPA's of course...), and leave a good 3/4" of clear-looking brew sitting above the yeast cake. Pretty much the only way (I've found) that you can get a decently clarified brew aside from adding Irish Moss or other clarifying agents in the boil process.

 

[Bru]

Thanks.............
How much gunk sits in the bottom of the secondary ?

 

[scrambledegg81]

No prob.

Even if your bottles turn out cloudy, just let them sit in the fridge for 3-4 days, and pour up to the last 1/4" or so and you'll be fine.

 

[rico567]

I do primary -> secondary -> bottling bucket too, and use an autosiphon for the first two steps, and then a regular spigot to bottle. There is no way that I lose a gallon in racking, I'm sure it's less than half that, between one and two quarts depending on the volume of trub in the primary for that particular beer.

 

[flananuts]

I find that with using a carboy as my secondary, any secondary sediment settles into the bottom corners of the bottle and I can siphon right from the middle. I figure I lose maybe 1 cup at the most. Plus if you cold crash your beer after secondary you can monitor its clarity

 

[Bru]

Thanks all.

 

[bronzdragon]

You're always going to have lost beer, and a lot of it depends on how much trub went into the primary to start with and what type of yeast you used.

Some yeasts get all "fluffy" and settle out and leaving 2-3 inches of muck at the bottom. Some yeasts fall out and compact really well, while some tend to float around for awhile.

Personally, I start out by always putting about 5 1/4 - 5 1/2 gallons in the primary to allow for the loss. And when racking over to the secondary, I do tilt, but very gently and watch to make sure I stop the suction before getting any trub/yeast into the secondary.

Most beers I make end up sitting in the secondary for awhile, long enough for everything to settle again anyway.

When I rack from the secondary to keg or bottling bucket, I always err on the side of clean beer by leaving a bit more in the bottom. I think the whole trick is to just start with a bit more then 5 gallons in the primary to allow for the losses.

With that said, don't fill the bucket/carboy too far, or you'll have blow off through the water lock or tube with a vigorous fermentation.

cheers

~r~

 

[hal2814]

I used to worry about that loss, too. When I started washing yeast, I stopped worrying so much about it since at least the loss was being put to good use.

 

[david_42]

Here's a trick: Prop the fermenter with a board below the tap right after pitching the yeast. The trub will settle out, but most of it will be on the side away from the tap. Before you rack, carefully move the prop to the opposite side. You'll get a minimal amount of trub transferred.

I keg from the fermenter and this gives the best yield.

 

[PseudoChef]

Design your recipes for 6 gallons. 5.5 into the fermentor, then 5 into the keg/bottles. Just accept your loses for clear, clean beer.

 

[DanPoch]

Design your recipes for 6 gallons. 5.5 into the fermentor, then 5 into the keg/bottles. Just accept your loses for clear, clean beer.

This is the method I use with my carboys. I also have my racking cane in a carboy cap so that it's about 1/2" above the bottom. Before I set up my racking-cap I was always worried about disturbing the sediment.