I've been using my bottle bucket as my primary for the last 18 batches and have racked to my better bottle than back to the bottle bucket a couple of weeks later to prime then bottle... well now my better bottle has infected my last 2 batches and i'm wondering what everyone else uses. Mind you i'm on a very limited budget and only do 5gallon batches right now. I can find glass carboys on craigslist from time to time but is a 6.5 enough? My bottle bucket is a true brew 7.9gallon and has on occasion seen foam in the airlock
What do you use for your primary?
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iparks81
Well-Known Member
I'd just buy another brewing bucket...cheep and good! If you want a carboy style fermenter buy a plastic better bottle....I wouldn't buy a glass carboy, their to heavy and dangerous. I thought for the longest time that I didnt care about having a glass carboy...Then I nearly dropped it. I took it In to the LHBS and he traded me 2 Better bottles for the one "scary" glass carboy.
There's always the more expensive fermenters out there...but the cheapest that will get you tasty beer is a reg plastic bucket or Better Bottle.
There's always the more expensive fermenters out there...but the cheapest that will get you tasty beer is a reg plastic bucket or Better Bottle.
jrgtr42
Well-Known Member
I use a dedicated fermenting bucket - similar to the bottling one, except no spigot.
Correction: I usually use it. I have a couple BBs and a few glass carboys that occasionally get used, depending on the beer.
I don't usually use a secondary, so the only time it gets racked is into the bottling bucket.
I would say that if you're sure it's the BB that's infecting the beer, pitch it and get a new one. It's equally possible it's the bottling bucket you're using for primary. Especially if it has the spigot, nasties can get in there and hide from sanitizer, but still do bad things to your beer. IN either case, you probably should get a new bottling bucket as well.
6.5 gallon carboy / BB is big enough for most beers, unless you have some extremely active fermentation going on. The only time I've had issues with a bucket was when I used yeast nutrient in the starter and then also in the boil, and th second was a big beer, RR COnsecration clone. The first one blew the top, the second just had my rushing for a blow off tube.
Correction: I usually use it. I have a couple BBs and a few glass carboys that occasionally get used, depending on the beer.
I don't usually use a secondary, so the only time it gets racked is into the bottling bucket.
I would say that if you're sure it's the BB that's infecting the beer, pitch it and get a new one. It's equally possible it's the bottling bucket you're using for primary. Especially if it has the spigot, nasties can get in there and hide from sanitizer, but still do bad things to your beer. IN either case, you probably should get a new bottling bucket as well.
6.5 gallon carboy / BB is big enough for most beers, unless you have some extremely active fermentation going on. The only time I've had issues with a bucket was when I used yeast nutrient in the starter and then also in the boil, and th second was a big beer, RR COnsecration clone. The first one blew the top, the second just had my rushing for a blow off tube.
iparks81
Well-Known Member
I'd just buy another brewing bucket...cheep and good! If you want a carboy style fermenter buy a plastic better bottle....I wouldn't buy a glass carboy, their to heavy and dangerous. I thought for the longest time that I didnt care about having a glass carboy...Then I nearly dropped it. I took it In to the LHBS and he traded me 2 Better bottles for the one "scary" glass carboy.
There's always the more expensive fermenters out there...but the cheapest that will get you tasty beer is a reg plastic bucket or Better Bottle.
There's always the more expensive fermenters out there...but the cheapest that will get you tasty beer is a reg plastic bucket or Better Bottle.
LordUlrich
Well-Known Member
I have used just about everything, including SS conicals (on a 10 bbl system). I would use a conical first (if I could afford it) but in a realistic world I use buckets for everything. I use a better bottle or glass carboy as a secondary but only for barley-wines and sours. But buckets are disposable, and should be replaced somewhat regularly (1-2 years) in my opinion.
raouliii
Well-Known Member
6.5 gallon glass carboy and no secondary. I do 5.5 gal. recipes and have only had 1 beer out of maybe 25 blow out the top.
I have a fleet of bottling buckets that I ferment in. 6-8 in the rotation. I generally go 2-3 weeks in primary and directly from the bottling bucket to a keg. I do have a couple Stainless Steel Buckets on the way that I am hoping work as well as they look. I also use 5 gallon corny kegs to do 3.5 gallon batches that I put in some 3 gallon kegs I have.
*A few thoughts in regard to your process - as I am a long time "bottling bucket user" as well.
- It seems like you are moving your beer back and forth a lot. If I read correctly, you are going from bottling bucket, to better bottle back to bottling bucket. Every time you move the beer you are introducing an opportunity for infection. Plus, by putting your beer in a better bottle, you have to siphon it (I assume) to get it back in the bottling bucket. For me, the #1 benefit of a bottling bucket is that you don't need to siphon - just drain with a length of tubing.
Why not ferment in bottling bucket until fermentation is complete (2-3 weeks) drain to another bottling bucket and bottle. Knocks out one transfer and the need for a siphon.
- Spigots.... the downfall of using a bottling bucket is spigots can harbor nasties.
*Make sure you totally disassemble the spigot to clean and sanitize - it comes apart - many people don't realize that. Might take a good tug - but the turn-stop thing will pull out.
*I assemble my spigot and put it in the bucket while it is all completely submerged in starsan in a tub.
*When I pull the bucket out and have it ready to fill with beer for fermenting, I put a sandwich baggie over the spigot with a rubber band to keep dust, fruit flies, etc. out of the spigot over the 2-3 week ferment.
* before I drain beer from the bucket to the keg, I use a spray bottle with starsan in it to thouroughly spray out the spigot before I put sanitized tubing on it.
I think bottling buckets make great ferementers, but a little extra care and attention is needed with those spigots.
*A few thoughts in regard to your process - as I am a long time "bottling bucket user" as well.
- It seems like you are moving your beer back and forth a lot. If I read correctly, you are going from bottling bucket, to better bottle back to bottling bucket. Every time you move the beer you are introducing an opportunity for infection. Plus, by putting your beer in a better bottle, you have to siphon it (I assume) to get it back in the bottling bucket. For me, the #1 benefit of a bottling bucket is that you don't need to siphon - just drain with a length of tubing.
Why not ferment in bottling bucket until fermentation is complete (2-3 weeks) drain to another bottling bucket and bottle. Knocks out one transfer and the need for a siphon.
- Spigots.... the downfall of using a bottling bucket is spigots can harbor nasties.
*Make sure you totally disassemble the spigot to clean and sanitize - it comes apart - many people don't realize that. Might take a good tug - but the turn-stop thing will pull out.
*I assemble my spigot and put it in the bucket while it is all completely submerged in starsan in a tub.
*When I pull the bucket out and have it ready to fill with beer for fermenting, I put a sandwich baggie over the spigot with a rubber band to keep dust, fruit flies, etc. out of the spigot over the 2-3 week ferment.
* before I drain beer from the bucket to the keg, I use a spray bottle with starsan in it to thouroughly spray out the spigot before I put sanitized tubing on it.
I think bottling buckets make great ferementers, but a little extra care and attention is needed with those spigots.
I have a bottling bucket for bottling but I have two 6.5 gallon buckets, three 6 gallon better bottles (or the Northern Brewer knock offs) and one 5 gallon BB used mostly for cider or secondary if I have any need for a secondary vessel.
I cannot understand the method of bottling bucket to better bottle to bottling bucket. I feel like you're actually working too hard for beer, if that's possible.
I would ferment in your BB, then rack to a bottling bucket when ready to bottle. If you need to rack to secondary you can likely get away with doing so in the bottling bucket and bottle from there. The spigot is high enough to avoid the trub in a lot of cases, right?
I cannot understand the method of bottling bucket to better bottle to bottling bucket. I feel like you're actually working too hard for beer, if that's possible.
I would ferment in your BB, then rack to a bottling bucket when ready to bottle. If you need to rack to secondary you can likely get away with doing so in the bottling bucket and bottle from there. The spigot is high enough to avoid the trub in a lot of cases, right?
norsk
Well-Known Member
I usually use a temp controlled conical but frequently utilize 2-3 buckets as well since we make a lot of beer at the same time. All the buckets have spigots and were obtained at http://www.usplastic.com/... Have four 7 gal and three 5 gal...
Scottanooga
Well-Known Member
Another vote for Speidels. I have bucket fermenters and better bottles, but I never use them unless both of my 30 liter Speidels are already full.
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scottab
Well-Known Member
I cannot understand the method of bottling bucket to better bottle to bottling bucket. I feel like you're actually working too hard for beer, if that's possible.
the bb is only 5 gallon so i'd lose a bit of beer if i was to ferment in it... if i got a 6.5 gallon then i'd probably use that... the bottle bucket quickly became my primary since i blew out my very first batch and lost about a half gallon in the processes.
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