# Bulk Priming In Primary Fermenter



## BEERBOY (3/3/04)

As i don't own a second fermenter for bulk priming and i was wondering if i could add my priming solution into the fermenter and stir so as not to stir up the cake, then bottle. I can't see why this would not work as the cake seems to be faily stable. What do you guys think?


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## ben_sa (3/3/04)

I honestly wouldn't (but then again, im a newbie) as it is a big enough worry when i bulk prime and rack not to get any of the yeast cake into the second fermenter....

I just bought a second fermenter kit from my HBS for $30 included 30L fermenter, airlock, tap, sed. reducer, and even came with a free brew 

Cant go wrong! You should already have everything else, apart from the food grade hose, which is about $4 from a hardware shop

Happy Brewing
Ben :chug:


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## deebee (3/3/04)

Neither would I. You will either not stir the sugar in properly thus creating a mix of bottle-bombs and flat beers. Or you will stir up the sediment and put it into your bottles.

You can get a plastic jerry for less than $20 and this is ideal for secondary conditioning and bottling.

You can also use a santized food-grade bucket (free from your friendly local baker who bought it full of fondant) as a bulk-priming and bottling vessel.

Or just prime each bottle separately.


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## joecast (3/3/04)

using a second ("bottling") bucket is the easiest option for bulk priming. if you arent able to get one for now and can only use your primary fermenter, make sure you leave it in primary long enough to complete fermentation (use a hydrometer to check specific gravity. if its constant over three days, its done). 
then, try those carbonation drops from coopers, or you can measure out a few grams of sugar for each bottle (the drops are much easier). 
joe


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## wedge (3/3/04)

or simply dont prime, the beer will eventually get some carbonation it will just take twice as long!


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## wardy (3/3/04)

i agree with the other guys, DON'T prime in primary!! Once you rack and bulk prime, it really needs a thorough stir otherwise you will get uneven carbonation. bottling bucket is the cheapest and easiest solution. my local bakery collected 10 buckets for me in the space of 2 weeks... they go through dozens a month, and any baker would be happy to give you one because they just throw them out! They are food grade HDPE and do the trick fine. All you need is a $5-$9 tap which makes life a bit easier than having to siphon etc.


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## PostModern (3/3/04)

At the MOST, a 25 litre HDPE bucket with lid is $25 and a tap $1.48 from Bunnings, food grade hose, $2 per metre (2m reqd). Hardware stores sell various HDPE packages for less than that. I've seen 25L fermenters sold as "dry camping storage containers" at Bunnings for about $15. Complete with O-ring. Exactly the same vessel that Jad's homebrew kits used to ship with. Just twist out the bung and twist in a $1.48 tap. If you can't afford $16.48 to make ALL OF THE REST OF THE BEERS THAT YOU WILL EVER BREW better, then you should get used to yeasty bottles with random priming.

What I used to do back in the "2 bucket" days was ferment in A, rack to B for a week or 2 then rack back to A for bulk priming and bottling.


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## Jovial_Monk (3/3/04)

or else 20L food grade plastic water container known colloquially as a 'cube', rack from primary into there, clean & sanitise the fermenter, rack the beer back into the fermenter, bulk prime, bottle.

these cubes make great secondary fermenters

Jovial Monk


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## wee stu (3/3/04)

Sorry joecast, I'd say avoid the carb drops from Coopers like the plague. My experience was they over carbonated, big coke tyoe bubbles and heads that disappeared in no time.

Beerboy, don't f%^$ with the good stuff in the primary. Use any of the suggested ways to rack and bulk prime - one small step for man..... one giant leap for brewkind.


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## ben_sa (4/3/04)

ive heard of many bad tales re: carb drops from coopers (n)

Just get a plastic measurer from like Big W and some sugar, less than $5 and you have enough sugar to do around 5-10 batches of beer....

Ben


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## Stratis (4/3/04)

I bulk prime in primary all the time. You simply have to mix thoroughly (without any splashing to minimise airation) without disturbing the yeast bed too much, then let it settle for about half an hour. If you use a yeast like Safale S-04 which sticks to the bottom like glue it works really well. I always get consistent carbonation. 

I've used a bottling bucket in the past but since there's no real benefit (unless you do primary in a carboy without a tap) I skip it.


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