I see that they now sell the big mouth bubbler with a spigot at the bottom. I am rather confused now. When I started brewing I got a started kit with a bottling bucket that has the spigot at the bottom and was told I should not use that as a fermenter because I risk air getting in through the spigot. I always thought how good it would be to not have to use the siphon but did not do that after the warnings. Now with the big mouth siphonless it seems to contradict that. Whats the scoop? Anyone have an opinion?
I ferment in buckets with spigots. They work great. Attach a hose with a liquid disconnect to the spigot, attach the liquid disconnect to a CO2-purged keg, and run the beer directly into the keg. Or, run the tube to the bottom of a bottling bucket.
I’ve been assuming that air won’t get into the fermenter through the spigot if the beer isn’t leaking out of the spigot. Of course, it’s possible for a spigot to leak, but you can test for that with water before you sanitize the fermenter. I dissemble and clean the spigot between batches for every batch (if I remember).
One sure way to make a spigot leak is to over tighten it and either displace the gasket or tear the fitting. Be sure to let the fermenter sit in the middle of the living room with beer in it. If you miss the fact that it’s leaking, your wife will notice it and inform you in no uncertain terms!
