Secondary / Bottling bucket confusion . . . . . . .

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TheSalad

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Hi folks, I'm a little confused. Making my second batch of Cooper Stout and wanted to improve my bottling as v messy last time.

Once fermentation is complete in primary is it best to rack straight to the bottling bucket and batch prime and then bottle immediately? Or is there benefit in transferring to a secondary for further clearing and then transfer a third time to a bottling bucket for batch prime and bottling?
 
Some people do a secondary and some go straight from primary to bottling. Neither should be messy. Explain how it was messy?
 
Hi, it was messy cause I was bottling straight from primary with just a syphon tube, and I was on my own trying to avoid all the gunk at the bottom of the FV.
Plus I was priming each bottle with sugar which was time consuming

I have invested in a bottling bucket and a 'little bottler' to try and make things easier. But I'm confused if there is any benefit in racking to a secondary for a week or so BEFORE transferring to the bottling bucket.
 
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The benefit is in leaving your beer for a week to allow it to further condition/improve. Whether you do that in a secondary or leave in primary is the subject of much debate, apparently taking it off the trub prevents any off flavours developing during the extended conditioning time but transferring introduces the risk of infection and oxidation. Personally, I don't bother with a secondary as the total time in the primary is less than 3 weeks which is too short for the off flavours but if I ever bulk age the beer I'll transfer it to a secondary.
 
I keep meaning to get a little bottler myself and try bottling straight from primary, to avoid air getting to the beer. I always batch prime, but it would require priming each bottle - which shouldn't be a faff with a sterilised funnel. I've done it before.

I also cold crash if I can - outside overnight in this weather, in the fridge in warmer weather - I use 10 litre FVs mainly. This helps the yeast to settle down.

But I've also racked off to secondary a few times, it reduces the yeast to a minimum and helps condition the beer. It's worthwhile I think, it seems to be standard practice in America, I'm just lacking patience. I want it bottled and down my neck too quick.
 
Hi, it was messy cause I was bottling straight from primary with just a syphon tube, and I was on my own trying to avoid all the gunk at the bottom of the FV.
Plus I was priming each bottle with sugar which was time consuming

I have invested in a bottling bucket and a 'little bottler' to try and make things easier. But I'm confused if there is any benefit in racking to a secondary for a week or so BEFORE transferring to the bottling bucket.

The bottling bucket and little bottler will make things a whole lot simpler. My method is generally to leave things in the primary indoors for two weeks and then to cold crash outside for a few days.

Then, the by now pretty clear beer, is siphoned into the bottling bucket which already has the required amount of priming sugar solution in it.

I only depart from this with Brewferm kits which specifically ask for transfer to a secondary and for some one gallon all grain batches which have a large amount of trub; transferring these to a secondary gives me more room for dry hopping.

Cheers - Louis MacNeice
 
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