So I have my first brew (Irish Red Ale with the Essential Brewing Starter Kit) in the basement and the bubbles have stopped after 10 days. I was reading the instructions and realized I put the wart in the bucket with the spout/spigot and should have put it in the regular bucket. What should I do now? I was thinking I would pour it into the regular bucket and clean the bucket with the spout/spigot. Then when I was ready to bottle I could use clean bucket with the spout/spigot. Is there any danger in transferring it around like that? Would that just be like a secondary fermentation? Any help would be appreciated.
There are people here with a lot more experience than me, but if I were you I would sanitize your other bucket (the one without the spigot) and then siphon the beer from there into your bottling bucket. You don’t want to just pour it in because it’s better to avoid aerating the wort at this point, plus you’ll get your wort off all the trub that’s going to be at the bottom of your bottling bucket.
Then, clean your bottling bucket, sanitize it, and then siphon your beer back into that bucket when your ready to bottle (and if it’s been fermenting for ten days, that kit should be close to being ready to bottle.)
The main things you should be concerned about are not aerating the beer and avoiding infection, so sanitize everything that comes in contact with the beer, including the siphon.
[quote=“manzilla86”]There are people here with a lot more experience than me, but if I were you I would sanitize your other bucket (the one without the spigot) and then siphon the beer from there into your bottling bucket. You don’t want to just pour it in because it’s better to avoid aerating the wort at this point, plus you’ll get your wort off all the trub that’s going to be at the bottom of your bottling bucket.
Then, clean your bottling bucket, sanitize it, and then siphon your beer back into that bucket when your ready to bottle (and if it’s been fermenting for ten days, that kit should be close to being ready to bottle.)
The main things you should be concerned about are not aerating the beer and avoiding infection, so sanitize everything that comes in contact with the beer, including the siphon.[/quote]
Glad to hear that. I have that auto siphon so I could use that without aerating the beer. Thanks for the input
Also, make sure to dis-assemble the spigot and o-rings on the bottling bucket and rinse them well and sanitize them. There might be a good deal of gunk in there. Did any beer come out the spigot during fermentation?
Instead of moving the beer twice I would rack to the other bucket with your priming sugar. Then just put the bottling wand on your siphon and bottle off the siphon.
Of course if you plan on moving to a secondary anyway ignore my above post. Using a bucket with a spigot on for fermentation is done all the time if that is what your worried about. Any way you do it is fine like mazilla86 said just be sanitary.
If you bottle from the original bucket, all of the trub/yeast cake at the bottom of the bucket will get bottled too. I would transfer it to get a “cleaner” beer. PS. I’ve done this same thing, and it still made beer. RDWHAHB!!!
Could I just bottle from the original bucket with the spigot on it? Put my priming sugar in the original bucket?[/quote]
It would be hard to get the sugar mixed without disturbing the trub. If you want use those fizz drops in the bottles it would work. They are an expensive way to do it though. Like I said put your sugar in your other bucket and start your siphon with the bottling wand attatch to the end and bottle. Once you get the beer going in the siphon it works the same as the tube attached to the spigot. That’s how I’ve done one gallon batches.
If I did decide to transfer to another bucket soon(or do a secondary), I would still give it a few more days if not another week in primary on the yeast so the yeast can clean up after itself.
[quote=“Frenchie”]If I did decide to transfer to another bucket soon(or do a secondary), I would still give it a few more days if not another week in primary on the yeast so the yeast can clean up after itself.
:cheers:
Ron[/quote]
Very good point. Bubbles are not a good way to tell if the beer is fermenting or stopped fermenting. Well after the beer is finished fermenting, the yeast cleans up by products. Racking out of the primary too soon can result in a stuck fermentation or beer with off flavors due to the yeast not being able to clean up.
Almost always better to be later than sooner. Even after fermentation stops, the yeast will continue to clean up after themselves. It isn’t going to hurt your beer to leave it in the fermentor for another week or even another month.
