Siphing from primary to bottling bucket?

[woody34]

I plan on skipping the secondary fermenter for my current brew.
So my 5 gallon batch is in the primary. In a few days, It will be ready to bottle.

To avoid siphoning trub into the bottling bucket, I understand that I can move the fermenter to the bottling location ahead of time, so any trub or particulate can re-settle to the bottom.

My question is ...How far in advance should I move the fermenter to the bottling area? Does it need a couple hours or a couple days for stuff to resettle? I ferment in my basement, but bottle in the kitchen.

Thanks in advance.
current brew is an extract kit, 5 gallon batch, 1050 OG, 3 weeks primary.

 

[frazier]

Overnight should be fine. But based on what I see in the bottom of my bottling bucket when I'm done, a couple hours will probably settle most of it out.

Cheers!

 

[Revvy]

People always say that, but if you've done a month long primary, you have a very tight yeast cake, there should be very little lifted yeast unless maybe you're bringing the beer up a flight of stairs. If I'm only carry my fermenter a little ways and being careful I don't bother waiting, and I have perfectly clear beer.

If you feel the need, then do it, as long as you think you need, there's no right answer. Leave it an hour, leave it over night. Whatever feels right to you. But if I'm just moving my fermenter from another room up to a table I never bother waiting beyond the time it takes to boil priming sugar and sanitize bottles.

You will find with long primaries, the yeast cake is like wet cement. You can upend the bucket and it won't fall out most of the time (unless it's a yeast that's chunky and looks like cottage cheese trub) most yeasts really compact tight in a month or more. A little shaking really won't kick up enough yeast to make cloudy beer.

The REAL trick is to not start the siphoning with the autosiphon jammed in the bottom of the trub layer. Start the flow holding (some folks clamp it) the autosiphon above the trub layer. Let some run in then if you want, you can slowly drop it down...this will let some yeast in, which I think is a good idea to make sure after a long primary you have sufficient yeast to carb. After a couple seconds though the flowing beer will form a runnel in the yeast cake and begin flowing clear again.... and just leave it. When I get down to where I can actually see the top of the trub, I usually lift it back above and sort of "vacuum" the last bit of beer off the trub.....That's how I get 5 gallons back usually, and very little yeast.

I rarely see any sedimentation in the bottom of my bottles EVEN when I purposefully kick up extra yeast by rubbing the AS through the trub (if you've left beer in primary 6 months and are really concerned about too much yeast fallout.)

I know a lot of people seem to think they need to settle the beer after moving, but I think it's more important to rack carefully instead. Especially if you haven't sloshed the beer all that much.

 

[DPBISME]

Hummm...

I always assumed you moved it from Fermentation to the BottlIng Bucket all about the same time...

If you lay the tube in the bucket on the side and get it to go around yu will create a little bit of a whirpool.

BUT: when I brew in a plastic bucket with a faucet I don't bother with doing this since I have never had the yeast and trub be high enough to make out of the bucket.

1. I usually leave it in the Primary for 4 to 5 weeks.
2. Boil up some water and corn sugar
3. Using a sanitized Pyrex pint measuring cup I carefully put the whole cup in the beer at a angle and pour it in
4. With a sanitized spoon I slowly stir it (being careful not to go more than half way down.
5. Wait 10 minutes or so for it to defuse
6. Bottle...

BUT it is interesting how everyone worries about different things:

1. Oxydation
2. Sanitization
3. Clarity
4. Add you fear here

Good luck.

DPB

 

[kh54s10]

I have had good success by starting the bottling process by taking the fermenter to the kitchen. I then check how much corn sugar I need, measure it out, boil it, and cool it some, and sanitize the bottles. I get impatient here and go ahead and put the solution in the bottling bucket and swirl in the beer.

Each beer is a little different in how much gets stirred up moving the fermenter but in the 1-2 hours it is usually pretty settled. I tilt the fermenter while siphoning and try not to suck up much trub.

I also find that what does transfer to the bottling bucket does some settling during the process. There is always a layer on the bottom of the bucket when done.

 

[woody34]

Sounds like great advice fellas.
I normally use a secondary..and by carrying that up from the basement doesn't disturb much trub.
This is my first brew without a secondary so I wasn't quite sure. I will give it an hour or so to settle on the kitchen counter and will siphon carefully. If I suck up a little of the yeast cake, no biggie. I'm going to drink it anyhow. Thanks again fellas.

 

[ludomonster]

I don't let yeast settle when I bottle and I routinely get about 1/4 inch of lees in my bottles.

 

[unionrdr]

I let mine settle out clear or slightly misty,then rack to the bottling bucket. I have a fermenter stand with the bottling bucket on the floor. No moving anywhere to disturb the trub. No lifting either. Save for lifting the full bottling bucket onto the fermenter stand. Stays clear. Maybe 1/16" of trub or less on the bottom,usually a dusting.

 

[DonMagee]

I typically let my primary sit for 3-4 weeks then take it upstairs and put it on a book (so it's angled). Then I boil up my priming suger and sanitize my bottles and bottling bucket/bottle tree. At that point I use my auto-siphon to move the beer to the bottling bucket. I start the siphon up high (clamped to the side of the bucket) and then slowly push it down as the level of beer drops.

My beer with this method has been very clear.

 

[inturnldemize]

I've had no problem with trub. I wouldn't waste my time with that. What I do (and I strongly recommend) is attach a sanitized piece of cheese clots to the siphoning tube (the end that goes into the fermentor or carboy, not the end where the beer comes out of). Any trub will get caught in that and not end up in the bottling bucket. My beer is crystal clear. It works like a charm.