Any Tips On Racking?

[Lobby Lobster]

G'day,

I'm a bit over the amount of sediment in the bottom of my bottles so today I bought a second barrel to rack into.

I have been trying to piece together info so that I get it right.

My understanding is that via the (food grade) hose I take it from the tap on the primary (obviously) onto the very bottom of the secondary so as to avoid splashing and aeration.

Then I think I need to leave if for 2 to 10 days before adding sugar for bulk priming and bottling? Is this immediately before bottling?


With the bulk priming, do I stir the sugar in?

I really don't want to bugger anything up.

I have a dutch lager just about ready to rack that I suspect will have more sediment than usual. I jumped the gun and added extra yeast thinking the original wasn't working. Schoolboy error.

 

[manticle]

G'day,

I'm a bit over the amount of sediment in the bottom of my bottles so today I bought a second barrel to rack into.

I have been trying to piece together info so that I get it right.

My understanding is that via the (food grade) hose I take it from the tap on the primary (obviously) onto the very bottom of the secondary so as to avoid splashing and aeration.

Then I think I need to leave if for 2 to 10 days before adding sugar for bulk priming and bottling? Is this immediately before bottling?


With the bulk priming, do I stir the sugar in?

I really don't want to bugger anything up.

I have a dutch lager just about ready to rack that I suspect will have more sediment than usual. I jumped the gun and added extra yeast thinking the original wasn't working. Schoolboy error.

Why do you need to leave it for 2-10 days?

If you rack for the purpose of secondary fermentation (done as the primary phase is winding down and many brewers question if it has any benefit) then obviously you leave the beer until it's finished fermenting.

However if you are simply racking to get away from the yeast and/or to bulk prime then you don't need to leave it at all. Many people rack onto their priming solution and bottle straight away. This is presuming the brew has definitely finished fermenting. This is not to say you can't rack and leave to let more yeast settle out - if this is what you want then I recommend crash chilling.

If you add priming solution to the fermenter you stir. I always leave it for 30 minutes. However if you rack onto the priming solution the racking motion should be enough to mix the sugar through.

Make sure you make a solution though - don't just add the sugar straight in. Boil up some water (maybe a litre) with the sugar and let it cool below 50 degrees.

 

[Cube]

Don't bulk prime so others will chime in I'm sure. Just get the hose and run it from tap to tap. Open the tap fully on racing vessel then slowly on the primary until it is over the tap level on the racking vessel then open the primary tap full tit. This stops any splashing etc. Obviously racking vessel is lower.

Reason for this is so the beer only touches the insides of the hose and chance of infection is reduced by at least 50%

 

[Bizier]

Hey Lobby,

I use the tap for gravity samples and that is it. It pulls too much trub into the next vessel for me.

Everyone will do something slightly different. My method is to leave it on primary for the entire duration of the ferment and siphon from the top of the primary to the bulk prime vessel in as clean a fashion as is manageable, then bottle after a few minutes for the mix to settle.

I add my measured boiled priming sugar solution (once cool enough) to primary, then begin my siphon, so that the sugar mixes twice (especially with the turbulence of transfer), and does not stick on the bottom of the priming vessel. I know this involves the top being open, but my theory is that any falling bacteria are falling onto the beer surface, and I am taking from slightly below the surface.

I begin my siphon with a sanitised piece of white tubing from an old bottling wand in the to end of the racking cane, the other end of the cane below the surface of the primary fermenter. This is the only thing I let touch my mouth. Once I have drawn enough beer through the cane to prime it, I break the racking cane off, and drop the white tube into a nearby bucket.

I know that you can prime by immersing the racking cane and plugging it off, but this method means you don't have to touch it with your hands or mouth, and doesn't stir your yeast. You are also able to gently tilt the fermenter and get the last few drops of clear beer with little fuss.

Once I started this method, I have had consistent carbonation and about the same amount of sediment as a commercial German hefe.

ED: where possible, I have a lid covering the fermenter and priming vessel during transfer, only having it open as long as it is absolutely necessary.

 

[Lobby Lobster]

Brilliant. Thanks heaps. I'll be able to graft a method from the great advice.

It's relief not to need to keep it in the barrel for so long.

Just on the sugar solution, do I us the same ratio of 1 tsp per expected bottle?

 

[manticle]

Use a bulk priming calculator. The great thing about bulk priming is how easy it is to control the level of carbonation you want. If you drink a schofferhoffer, you'll find it much fizzier than a Boddington's pub ale. If you like everything fizzy then you can make it all fizzy, if you like flat you can make it flat or if you like different levels according to what type of beer you can do that too.

Bulk priming calculator here: http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html

Bulk priming guide here: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=68

 

[skurvy84]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...;showarticle=12

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...p;showarticle=9

 

[JestersDarts]

Don't bulk prime so others will chime in I'm sure. Just get the hose and run it from tap to tap. Open the tap fully on racing vessel then slowly on the primary until it is over the tap level on the racking vessel then open the primary tap full tit. This stops any splashing etc. Obviously racking vessel is lower.

Reason for this is so the beer only touches the insides of the hose and chance of infection is reduced by at least 50%

THIS is why i read this forum!! love it - I would have never have thought of that. I rack to clear my beer... and will definately use this method next time.

Cheers.

 

[Lobby Lobster]

I might give racking a rest for a while.
My initial attempt ( a few weeks ago now) would have been comedy to an onlooker.
I totally cocked it up.

I did bottle the brew, but come tasting day I'm not confident that it won't be rubbish.

I wonder if they'd be any value on having two taps on a barrel. The second an inch or so above the bottom tap.

 

[Pete2501]

A little :icon_offtopic:

But in my experience the bigger the rack the better.

BTW dude don't get too bumbed. Everyone stuffs up. <--- this is me stuffing up cold conditioning. You're thinking.. "how do you stuff up chilling beer?" Well it's possible.

Unless you cocked it up by... you know... cocking it up... Then I think you're worrying too much. Beer is pretty resilient.

edit: to /= too

 

[manticle]

I was going to ask what a big rack was but then I looked it up on redtube.

 

[Pete2501]

I was going to ask what a big rack was but then I looked it up on redtube.

Researching things for yourself can be so rewarding some times. :icon_cheers:

 

[marksfish]

the racks on redtube are mostly silicone as are many hoses used for racking

 

[rude]

Interesting cube racking from tap to tap so the transfer is complete or are you left with some beer in the hose & primary fermenter

Sorry but just thinking of the pressures of the two vessels but I suppose its like a syphon so you would be left with wort to the top of the racking vessels wort in the racking tube?

Have you tried this method Cube ?

 

[Hatchy]

A little :icon_offtopic:

But in my experience the bigger the rack the better.

BTW dude don't get too bumbed. Everyone stuffs up. <--- this is me stuffing up cold conditioning. You're thinking.. "how do you stuff up chilling beer?" Well it's possible.

Unless you cocked it up by... you know... cocking it up... Then I think you're worrying too much. Beer is pretty resilient.

edit: to /= too

How did the ice beer turn out? Higher ABV than you were expecting?

 

[zoidbergmerc]

the (food grade) hose I

I just use some garden hose I knocked off from work... Fits perfect on the fermenter taps as wells as the tap my filtered tap water comes from.

 

[Pete2501]

How did the ice beer turn out? Higher ABV than you were expecting?

One of my best. I drank it so damn quick (under a week). At churchy's I got some very nice comments from the lads. The last 500ml bottle is for the next brew meeting and then it's all gone.

 

[Cube]

Interesting cube racking from tap to tap so the transfer is complete or are you left with some beer in the hose & primary fermenter

Sorry but just thinking of the pressures of the two vessels but I suppose its like a syphon so you would be left with wort to the top of the racking vessels wort in the racking tube?

Have you tried this method Cube ?

Good Q's and took a few goes to master even a easy thing. I start with the fermenter and racking vessel side by side so the pressure isn't so great compared to one on top of the other height wise. RV tap wide open and ease the primary slowly until the level has reached over the tap in the RV. I start lowering the RV to the floor slowly and then let it rip on the primary tap. I tilt the primary a little to get most out as one would if bottling. No biggie because it's got a good week in the fridge anyways.

Don't forget to loosen the lid or in my case a few stabs of the glad wrap with a knife. And use that clear food grade plastic hosing from Bunnings. Comes in a length and one size fits mint. Just grab another tap at bunnings for a sample fit then might as well buy the tap for a spare. I did and saved the day as I needed to do a tap replacement with a fermenter full of beer

Outside hose will impart flavour and is just being so cheap at the end and so close to having a nice beer ruined.

Edit: Yes I use this method every time now. Yes there is a small amount of beer left in the tube when finished. Take of top vessel hose off first then RV. Put thumb over hole on each take off and no mess. And like when you started have the fermenter and RV side by side again for the removal of the hose so then the beer is stick in 'the loop' in the middle of the hose.

It also helps to have the RV tap at a right angle so the hose comes off sideways and it can fit on the floor. Just tweak the tap up tight before fridging or bottling etc.

 

[RobboMC]

I thought I'd add this for all the 'keep it in the tube' people here.

I once had an IPA that I'd excessively dry hopped, and the hops all got stuck in the tap.
After bottling about 2 bottles nothing would come out. In hindsight I should have set up a siphon,
but I didn't think of that until weeks later.

So here I was with a full fermenter and nothing running out. In my desperation I set up my bottling bucket under the tap,
washed my hands thoroughly and then simply REMOVED THE ENTIRE TAP.

22 litres of IPA gushed uncontrolled into the bottling bucket.

All turned out good, no oxidation and no infection.

Beer is somewhat resilient, just don't set up a straw and blow milk shake bubles through it.

 

[rude]

Thanks cube for the explaination

When I rack pv at the top rv at the bottom

I use silicon hose which is clean & sanitised

I rest the lid on top of the rv with the hose going under it

I open the tap full bore & it does gurgle splash for a bit till tube fills up

Pretty happy with results as sanitation isnt a prob but might give youre racking method a try

cheers