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Hey everyone,
So I am new to this whole brewing game. I am 2 batches in and just finished bottling my second batch. I am slowly collecting gear to make the process more efficient and am looking for opinions on what I should pick up. Are the bottling trees and vinator worth the investment? Also what does everyone out there use for secondary? Right now I am using a pail for primary for up to 3 weeks and then a glass carboy as a secondary mostly just to add my priming sugar prior to bottling, is this a useless step? I'd like to eliminate the carboy as it is a PITA to clean. Mostly I am concerned with disturbing the yeast cake if I add the sugar straight to the primary and then direct bottle via siphon. Any insight would be helpful. cheers

Welcome! Good call on not disturbing the yeast cake by adding / stirring in priming sugar. A second bucket for bottling would do the trick.

You can also add the sugar to each bottle, fill, cap, and shake to dissolve. I forget how much though, something like 1/2 to 1 tsp. Although racking to another bucket to do a bulk dissolve so each bottle gets exactly the same amount of sugar is the best method.

If you're bottling than the tree is a must. Skip the carboy. Straight to a 2nd pail when to use ready to bottle. Step further move to kegging, and get a beer gun. Save having priming sugar, reduce chance of oxidation and sediment.

Thanks for the quick replies. Where can I pickup a bottling bucket with spigot? I haven't noticed them at NG.Can I just use a new HD bucket and throw a spigot on? are they food safe? Trust me kegging will be in the near future but I think I will invest in an all grain setup first. I have to sneak pieces in one at a time so the missus doesn't realize the spare room is slowly becoming a brewery.

I used to bottle, never used the tree. Did end up building a little race with a scrap of playwood and a hole saw. Free if you have a drill, hole saw, and scrap wood

I find the vinator kinda dinky but very useful for cleaning and sanitizing bottles.

For bottling bucket I just use regular bucket, with auto siphon to get liquid out.

B-boy wrote: I have to sneak pieces in one at a time so the missus doesn't realize the spare room is slowly becoming a brewery.

The look on the face of your significant other after a few larger equipment acquisitions is usually priceless!

I have never felt the need for a bottling tree. I just use the top rack of the dishwasher to dry my bottles after cleaning/sanitizing.

I really like the FastRacks because they do double-duty in the kitchen for empties when I'm not bottling and they take up a whole lot less space that a tree. When you consistently rinse bottles as you empty them and get them into the FastRacks, cleaning them for next time becomes a whole lot easier. I do think the FastRacks are a little more expensive if you're getting both the beer and wine (for 500/650mL bombers) formats.

I do use a vinator for sanitizing and it works great.

Noble Grape sells a spigot that you can install in a plastic bucket to turn it into a bottling bucket. You have to be careful drilling the hole though; and you do have to remove it to clean it properly. I attach a 1" or so piece of tubing to the spigot and then stick the bottling wand into that. I then bottle over the open dishwasher which catches any drips/foam-overs (got that idea from someone else on here but I can't remember who). I always get a little trub in my bottling bucket and I feel like with gravity feeding using a bottling spigot only a little of that gets into my last few bottles versus a siphon. I'm also minimizing the distance traveled and hopefully reducing the opportunities for oxygen exposure.

I used to mix up my priming solution, put it into the bottling bucket and then rack onto it, but after overcarbing a couple batches I've started verifying my final volume by racking to the bottling bucket first, then mixing up and boiling my priming solution and then stirring it gently into the bottling bucket.

Rather than get more buckets, I went the other way.

I do primary fermentation in the carboy for 10-14 days, and move to another carboy if the beer needs more time to mellow out. A lot of the time, I move from primary carboy to keg and purge with CO2. It then matures in the keg for a few weeks before cold conditioning and carbonation. I stopped using the buckets because, as careful as I was, they still ended up covered with scratches. I'm assuming from vigorous stirring to oxygenate the wort before pitching? Otherwise, I don't know. I still use the buckets for sanitising gear, grinding malt into and for when bottle a batch.

I've never had an issue with cleaning the carboys. I rinse as much of the gunk as I can with shaking or swirling, and then use PBW to get the stubborn stuff off. It has never failed, even with 3 week hardened krausen deposits. Glass doesn't scratch easily or allow oxygen to permeate which is one up on buckets. I have seen wide-mouth carboys for sale. They are big enough to fit your arm in and have a big screw top.

Carboys do have their downside though. They are exceptionally heavy when full, and can be very dangerous when the break. I know a few folks on here will testify to that. I try not to move them full if I can help it, and when I do, I've got sturdy boots on. There are handles which help, but the carboy lips can break if you move them full with the handle.

The best bit about using a carboy for primary fermentation is the show! You get to see every step of fermentation. I have never been so amazed, watching microscopic organisms churn up 5 gallons of liquid so much that you'd think someone was stirring it with a paddle!

Ruby wrote:

Carboys do have their downside though. They are exceptionally heavy when full, and can be very dangerous when the break. I know a few folks on here will testify to that. I try not to move them full if I can help it, and when I do, I've got sturdy boots on. There are handles which help, but the carboy lips can break if you move them full with the handle.

Milk crates are perfect for carboys, sturdy enough to lift when full. Obstructs the view a bit, but with a bright light you can still see the clearifcation action.

Ruby wrote:

Carboys do have their downside though. They are exceptionally heavy when full, and can be very dangerous when the break. I know a few folks on here will testify to that. I try not to move them full if I can help it, and when I do, I've got sturdy boots on. There are handles which help, but the carboy lips can break if you move them full with the handle.

Milk crates are perfect for carboys, sturdy enough to lift when full. Obstructs the view a bit, but with a bright light you can still see the clearifcation action.

The sling straps for carboys are also very good for moving them. I have a set for each of my wide mouth fermenters. The small handle that fits on the neck of a traditional carboy isn't really meant for lifting when full.

My thoughts exactly, the wide mouth ones and the straps work great

I was looking at the wide mouth carboys and nearly bought one, Dave talked me down from buying it. I do love the idea of being able to see what is going on with fermentation but for now I think I will stick to cheap ol buckets so I can put money towards other gear. like a DIY counterflow chiller or a keggle for this summer.

Sounds like a good plan. Looks like you're at the turning point between passion and obsession!

Come join us. Take the red pill!

Welcome

Hi,

You could primary ferment for 3 or 4 days in your plastic pail, then transfer to glass carboy for a couple weeks. Then prior to bottling siphon back into your plastic pale with your your priming sugar and immediately afterward do your bottling.

Joe Harvie