Removing top layer of crud before bottling?

[Joey_G]

Hi there,

I'm only a few weeks away from bottling my first batch of home brew - assuming everything stays the course, that is.

Since I'm using one of those solid white fermenting buckets - instead of a glass carboy - I'm assuming it's going to be a little difficult to eye my brew while I'm racking it, making sure I don't suck up any unnecessary crud.

Is it uncommon to skim away whatever stuff might be sitting on top of my beer before siphoning it over to my bottling bucket? Just wanna make sure I bottle only the good stuff.

Thanks!

 

[PADave]

The floating stuff is going to float, your siphon will suck from the bottom. If you got an autosiphon, it will leave the crud on the bottom and the floaters will stay on top. That's what the little cap on the bottom of the autosiphon is for. Even if you get solids in the bottling bucket, and they make it into bottles, they will settle out.

 

[bobeer]

Rack it from the top down. Put the racking cane below the top layer of sludge and keep dropping it down one inch at a time until you can see the yeast cake on the bottom. I usually just put it in the middle of the batch to start with and hold it there until I have to move it down. Once you start to pull up the sediment kill the siphon and you'll leave most everything behind. Racking your beer is an art form but you'll get the hang of it after a few times. Congrats on the first batch!

 

[FVillatoro]

Grats on your first batch! Pretty solid advice on how to rack.

When I used to use an autosiphon, I would tilt the fermenter with a solid wooden block, then I would insert the cane to about the half-way point, and would pump to initiate the siphon.
Once the siphon started, I would slowly lower the cane down the side of the fermenter until I started picking up sediment - slowly lift the cane until it runs clear and hold there till you rack it all.

 

[Joey_G]

Thanks for the helpful tips, everyone! Bottling next week - if all goes well, I'll be posting pics/reviews of it a few weeks after that.

 

[dallasdb]

Probably going to take more than a few weeks to carb in the bottle FYI.

Are you using corn sugar for carbonation?

 

[GnenieGone]

First I cold crash. Ice bath the bucket for at least 12, but 24hrs is better. This get a nice compacted trub at the bottom. I rack from top down with the bucket on a thick book to tilt and leave about 1in or so of beer in the bucket. Since doing this, my beers seem cleaner tasting.

Congratulations on your first and welcome to the funny farm!

 

[Joey_G]

Probably going to take more than a few weeks to carb in the bottle FYI.

Are you using corn sugar for carbonation?

Yep, using corn sugar for carbonation.

Very eager to sample, so I'll try a bottle after two weeks, and if it's not ready I'll just wait a little while before trying the next of the 45+ bottles.

 

[Nihlbeer]

For my first batch, I rigged up a little siphon "holder" that sits on top of my fermenter. I made a "cage" using four stainless steel rods and some scrap aluminum tubing to make it about 6 inches tall, six inches wide, and long enough so that the aluminum tubes hug the side of the bucket from the outside. Then I zip tied an o=ring on each set of rods. After sanitizing it, set it on the bucket...run the siphon through both o-rings and rack. The o-rings are snug enough that even full the siphon doesn't slip. When I see the top of the black gasket on my siphon I push it down a little. Works like a charm.