Transferring From Cube To Fermenter

[Cortez The Killer]

Fellas

I have been using taps on my no chill cubes for a long time, but lately they have been leaking a little - even with new taps

So have decided to put the bungs back into my cubes and pour from the top

Now this is giving me all manner of grief - wort all over the floor and projecting past the fermenter opening when sucking air back in - it's a mess

Had the same issue last night when using a spout on the cube

So my question is how does everyone go about pouring their wort into their fermenters? And is spillage just a fact of cubing?

Cheers

 

[jonocarroll]

Double capped cube FTW!

Rather than just a single twist-cap on the top, mine has two. I open one for pouring, and the other to let air in. I still get a little wort on the floor if the cube is really full, but not a horrible mess. I'm likely to knock the tap off one day when it's full of hot wort, so I use the bung.

This is the closest example picture I can find. I got mine from Mitchell's (camping/outdoors store). Mine's of course clear, with decent sized outlets.

 

[beerbrewer76543]

Have you tried plumbers tape on the thread of the tap?

 

[crundle]

I use a 20 litre cube and open the lid and upend the thing directly over the top of the fermenter. Very little mess this way, great aeration, but it does transfer any cold break along with it.

I have been thinking of using a siphon to transfer to leave behind the cold break, but I haven't noticed any real problem yet from introducing cold break in the fermenter. If I was to siphon, I would crash chill the cube after it has cooled prior to siphoning, to help condense the layer of break material down.

Crundle

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Have you tried plumbers tape on the thread of the tap?

The thread seal is fine - it's coming out of the tap itself

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

I use a 20 litre cube and open the lid and upend the thing directly over the top of the fermenter. Very little mess this way, great aeration, but it does transfer any cold break along with it.

I have been thinking of using a siphon to transfer to leave behind the cold break, but I haven't noticed any real problem yet from introducing cold break in the fermenter. If I was to siphon, I would crash chill the cube after it has cooled prior to siphoning, to help condense the layer of break material down.

Crundle

I've always included all the break in the fermenter - so this method might be the go

I'll try it on the next batch I transfer

Cheers

 

[Sammus]

I use a 20 litre cube and open the lid and upend the thing directly over the top of the fermenter. Very little mess this way, great aeration, but it does transfer any cold break along with it.

I have been thinking of using a siphon to transfer to leave behind the cold break, but I haven't noticed any real problem yet from introducing cold break in the fermenter. If I was to siphon, I would crash chill the cube after it has cooled prior to siphoning, to help condense the layer of break material down.

Crundle

yep, gotta be quick though. this is how I used to fill up the liquid chlorine reservoir at my old place, the chlorine comes in the little 15L cubes (the only ones that really resemble a cube ) straight upside down and it rests on the tank nicely and chugs out without spilling. maybe a drop here and there, nothing major.

 

[brendo]

Cortez - I find that the issue of air getting sucked back in is greatly reduced if you pour into the fermentor from side on - i.e. grab the handle normally but tip to the left or right rather than forwards.

I've found that I end up with minimal wort on the floor doing this - just the odd splash and far more successful than tipping forwards.

Cheers,

Brendo

 

[Lachlan]

I pour into my fermenter holding the cube on it's side which allows the air to enter the cube above the wort coming out.

 

[wambesi]

I use a 20 litre cube and open the lid and upend the thing directly over the top of the fermenter. Very little mess this way, great aeration, but it does transfer any cold break along with it.

Pretty much what I do as well, works well.
From what I've read it does not seem much of a deal with the break except maybe for lagers but I have yet to really notice anything.

Gave up on taps on my second cube when I squeezed the sides and the tap went flying out!
Very uncool.

 

[Swinging Beef]

I use a 20 litre cube and open the lid and upend the thing directly over the top of the fermenter. Very little mess this way, great aeration, but it does transfer any cold break along with it.

Me too.
I have cubes with taps for 2ndary, and cubes with no taps for "no chill"
All part of the "No Hose" brewing system.

Umm.. maybe replace the taps, mate?

 

[brendo]

Pretty much what I do as well, works well.
From what I've read it does not seem much of a deal with the break except maybe for lagers but I have yet to really notice anything.

Gave up on taps on my second cube when I squeezed the sides and the tap went flying out!
Very uncool.

I remember reading about that... *shudder* :unsure:

 

[Bill8o]

I'm forever spilling my wort everywhere as I'm pouring from the cube to the fermenter. I transfer to the fermenter on the lawn now
I've been meaning to give one of these cap taps a go from a place called Peopleinplastic, and it looks like they would do a good job of aerating the wort too.

 

[geoffi]

I just take the lid off and quickly upend it into the fermenter. Let it splash away like mad to aerate, and with about half left I reseal the cube, shake the crap out of it for some extra aeration, then tip the rest in. I usually get a little wort splash, but not enough to worry about. Just don't try it in your lounge room.

Not really worried about the break. It'll settle out anyway.

 

[t2000kw]

I stopped using taps on my plastic primary fermenters when I suspected they were the source of an infection. They are difficult to clean and sanitize at best, and if taken apart and cleaned they are more likely to leak.

I now use plastic fermenters without taps and use a siphon to transfer to a secondary glass fermenter if I'm not going to bottle soon or into a bottling bucket if it looks like it's clear enough.

I don't use a cube, but the tap could still be a problem. For a bottling bucket, it's not as much of an issue since the beer has alcohol in it by then, but it still needs some cleaning and rinsing before and after use.

 

[Pollux]

I have a 20L jerry from bunnings, they came with hose type things which attach to the the top.

I simply attach that to the opening that is OPPOSITE to the side that the bung is on. Lift cube and pour, then while holding with one hand and my knees I remove the bung with the side of a spanner, makes it flow much easier.

 

[Leigh]

I got wort all over the place the other night, ended up using the upend technique and let it chug away...made me think though, some jerry cans come with a nozzle that screws on (same thread as cubes), but has a breather tube alongside the pouring spout...stops petrol chugging so its gotta work on a cube...

I need another jerry can for petrol, so the next one I buy, i'll be putting the pouring spout in the brewery!

 

[Damian44]

Im waiting for a $9 racking cane i ordered from G&G to turn up. No worries about aeration that way.

 

[raven19]

I tend to have a few splashes that miss the fermentor too.... most recent effort I upended the whole cube quickly into the fermentor.

I like the splashing to get it aerated personally, rather than use a tap.

My cubes all have bungs only... dont want to risk losing a batch as mentioned above.

I can only recommend upending it quickly, or doing it outside!

Or maybe siphon some out to get more air space,

Or how about a NC splashback for the fermentor?

 

[Fourstar]

I've always included all the break in the fermenter - so this method might be the go
I'll try it on the next batch I transfer
Cheers

Its been said that having cold break in the fermenter is fine, app its good for yeast health. Its only bad if the beer is left on the cake for an extedned period... e.g. if you where lagering in primary.

My cubes all have bungs only... dont want to risk losing a batch as mentioned above.

I hope you guys are still dismantling your fermenter bungs when cleaning as its a source for bacteria growth. There is usually a small recess trub, hops and yeast get stuck in, regardless of how much you rinse the fermenter out.

Cheers! :icon_cheers: