cheapskates next purchase?

[gregfreemyer]

I like to get into a hobby slowly, so i've only bought a couple things. What's a good next item.

Aluminum turkey fryer pot with burner - already owned
5-gallon fermenter-borrowed-friend doesn't brew much anymore
5-carboy-borrowed
Autosiphon-purchased
Hydrometer-purchased
Bottles-drank
Long bottle brush to clean carboy. I use my wine decanter brush.
Starsan-purchased
Capper-borrowed(it's about 40 years old)
Fan to use with swamp cooler-purchased

I've been using the turkey fryer as a bottling bucket, it has a spigot on the side to let the oil out. But it doesn't have a tube, so the beer just falls the length of the bottle.

I'm thinking a bottling bucket should be next on list.

 

[Enoch52]

I'd go with a bottling wand, if there's tubing to fit that spigot (and there probably is). Is there something that makes the turkey fryer less-than-ideal as a bottling bucket besides not having a wand on it?

 

[JuiceyJay]

I Wouldn't use the aluminum fryer pot for bottling, starsan doesnt mix well with aluminum

 

[Enoch52]

Well, that's a good reason. At least a plastic bottling bucket isn't expensive. Still suggest a bottling wand, though. For a couple dollars it will make bottling much less of a hassle.

 

[gregfreemyer]

I'd go with a bottling wand, if there's tubing to fit that spigot (and there probably is). Is there something that makes the turkey fryer less-than-ideal as a bottling bucket besides not having a wand on it?

The shutoff on the spigot seems hard to control.

I did 5 gallons last night and ended up with a couple ounces on the floor. A combination of drips and overflows. I just put a towel down before I start.

Does the wand have a separate shutoff?

 

[Enoch52]

Yep, that's the whole point of the bottling wand. Basically there's a valve on the end of the wand that opens when you press it against the bottom of the bottle. Let up on the pressure when the bottle is full and the valve closes again.

What you typically do with a bottling wand is turn the spigot on and leave it open during bottling. Flow is controlled entirely through the bottling wand.

 

[huntingohio]

The shutoff on the spigot seems hard to control.

I did 5 gallons last night and ended up with a couple ounces on the floor. A combination of drips and overflows. I just put a towel down before I start.

Does the wand have a separate shutoff?

yes they have a little valve on the bottom that pushes up to start the flow, to stop it you simply lower the bottle

 

[mrkrausen]

Yeah the bottling wand is spring loaded. So your liquid gold doesn't come out until you depress the bottling wand against the bottom of the bottle. You then let the beer come to the top lip of the bottle to flush out as much oxygen as possible and then put the cap on. I bottled a couple of batches without it and have to say it made bottling day substantially easier. The link is just to the first site that came to mind. Pretty much everyone carries them though.

 

[gregfreemyer]

I Wouldn't use the aluminum fryer pot for bottling, starsan doesnt mix well with aluminum

Can you clarify that?

Thanks

 

[mrkrausen]

It is believed that starsan removes the oxidized layer of your aluminum pot with extended contact. Here is a post that quotes a podcast with Charlie Talley from Five-Star Chemicals.

 

[DaNewf]

If you are using a tube and wand to bottle then another thing I found that is useful is a little plastic hose clamp that be set and released one handed. The one I use was really cheap (less than $2 if I remember correctly) and is very useful if you suddenly get interupted while bottling. You just leave the wand in the bottle and set the clamp.

I wouldn't leave like it that very long because because the contents of that bottle is open to the air but it's handy if the phone rings or one of the kids start screaming about something.