Well I tried bulk priming today :/

[Nizmoose]

Today I had a 10L batch to bottle and thought considering everyone's love of the process I'd give bulk priming a try. I went out this morning and bought an auto-siphon and 2m of hose from the LHBS. Got all my bottles together and got my mini fermenter out of the fridge and dissolved my 55g of dex in 2/3's of a cup of water then let it cool. At this point I thought "bulk priming is easy!". Then I got ready to siphon..... I specifically asked the guy at the LHBS "I'm assuming this is the right hose for this siphon?" I got an answer along the lines of "of course". Well it wasn't.

So basically I decided to practice my siphoning technique with my 1L of starsan mix as I figured I'd be sanatising my auto-siphon, hose and bottling bucket (my usual 30L fermenter). The hose was too big and even me trying to hold it tight was no use. I got a rubber band to wrap around the smaller hose on the siphon to try and make a seal. That didn't work and I should have gone looking for blu-tack or plasticine but instead I panicked.

I filled my hose with starsan mix, let it drain a tad so I could put the hose in the beer without dropping much starsan in then let the siphon get rid of the starsan before I moved the hose into my bottling bucket with the priming solution in it. This was going well until I realised I couldnt get the hose heaps close to the bottom as I had a carboy style fermenter with a narrow opening and couldn't bend the hose right. So then I decided to forget what was left as I wasnt going to tip it into the fermenter and ruin the cold crash and I wasn't prepared to dump trub into my batch. I ended up losing about 2L of beer left in the fermenter and also realised that it meant I had 10L worth of priming solution in 8L of beer. I did give myself some leeway and aimed for 2.4g of CO2/L so it should be fine but I'm not stoked about losing 20% of my beer.

After swearing at my siphon and banishing it to the other side of the shed I bottled what was left in my bottling bucket and also had my first crack at washing yeast. This was something that actually seemed to go quite well! Got some cooled boiled water from the kettle and poured it into my fermenter then filled two 330ml bottles with the slurry then let them sit and ended up with one bottle of yeast (pictured below) it seems pretty clean do people think its enough to pitch into a new batch? Never made a starter before but I guess how hard can adding the yeast to some LDME added to some water right?

It is still separating a bit but i hope I'll have enough to re-pitch.

So that's my bulk priming story, its not a memory I'll cherish but its a lesson well learned and I hope me writing it prevents some newer brewers who haven't used an auto-siphon before from making the same mistake: MAKE SURE THE HOSE SEALS AND TRY WITH WATER OR SANITISER BEFORE YOUR BEER. I do have to admit I am officially a bulk priming convert and will do it on further small batches as I will only have the large fermenter free to bottle from when I'm doing a small batch instead of a large batch

 

[marksy]

When your trying a new technique or gear best to try a dry run first, you'll never get it first go. I think we have all been there. I certainly have. I wouldn't worry about a little yeast getting into the bottle bucket. Remember if you can swirl the wort the vortex will suck everything down to the bottom. Plenty of threads on here about yeast washing and starters.

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Sounds like you should have waited til you got the right hose lol. Bulk priming is pretty easy once you do it once, you'll have it sorted next time.. Just a bit finicky with a carboy.. pretty much have to use a syphon of some kind. Jiggle syphons are a bit of a strange creature to get used to as well. I find if you put the jiggle as close to you as possible (the vessel rim closest to you) and give it a few quick strokes it is fine. How much hose did you use? My auto syphon is about 1.6 meters - I chopped 40 or so cm off to use for other brewing miscellaneous activities such as racking direct from a fermenter into the bottling bucket.

Hard to tell with that photo if its settled - remember you need the milky middle part, not the bottom trub part or the top clear part. Different yeasts seem to settle differently.. I rely on the separation and also the decanting by eye, you can see the clear, the milky and stop when the trub comes.

You'll have to do a starter of course - since it is pretty fresh yeast, you can either step up to 300ml and then 1.5 to 2L in 24 hours, or I would probably say start with something like 700L and go to 1.5 to 2L in 24 hours. I have found when using fresh fermenter yeast that it goes pretty crazy in a 300ml - could be alright considering you only did 10L.. I'd probably try for a 2L starter to be safe and let it reach high krausen also.

Why not boil that 2L you left in the fermenter and use it as your starter wort? I would.

 

[Nizmoose]

Sounds like you should have waited til you got the right hose lol. Bulk priming is pretty easy once you do it once, you'll have it sorted next time.. Just a bit finicky with a carboy.. pretty much have to use a syphon of some kind. Jiggle syphons are a bit of a strange creature to get used to as well. I find if you put the jiggle as close to you as possible (the vessel rim closest to you) and give it a few quick strokes it is fine. How much hose did you use? My auto syphon is about 1.6 meters - I chopped 40 or so cm off to use for other brewing miscellaneous activities such as racking direct from a fermenter into the bottling bucket.

Hard to tell with that photo if its settled - remember you need the milky middle part, not the bottom trub part or the top clear part. Different yeasts seem to settle differently.. I rely on the separation and also the decanting by eye, you can see the clear, the milky and stop when the trub comes.

You'll have to do a starter of course - since it is pretty fresh yeast, you can either step up to 300ml and then 1.5 to 2L in 24 hours, or I would probably say start with something like 700L and go to 1.5 to 2L in 24 hours. I have found when using fresh fermenter yeast that it goes pretty crazy in a 300ml - could be alright considering you only did 10L.. I'd probably try for a 2L starter to be safe and let it reach high krausen also.

Why not boil that 2L you left in the fermenter and use it as your starter wort? I would.

Dammit should have saved it! I ditched it onto the grass in anger lol, yeah it was a whole pack of us05 in 10L, I'll do a starter, it's separated out much more since that photo and I'd say I have about 150ml of yeast in the bottle. Bulk priming does seem to work great just need that hose sorted haha. My siphon hose is 2m long so no problems there should be doing a batch Sunday but only another 10L batch, can I get away with a litre starter?

 

[superstock]

Dont know why you guys have so much trouble with bulk priming and syphons.

This is the same as i have, bought from my LHBS for about $18.50. It's just a couple of pumps to start and with the bottling wand on the other end tis easy.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AUTO-EASY-SYPHON-SIPHON-APPROX-1-metre-Hose-/171369993598?pt=AU_Barware&hash=item27e672957e



This is my setup.

 

[Nizmoose]

This is exactly what I purchased, my problem was that the hose that runs from the top into the bottling bucket was too large in diameter so I had to try and get it to seal which I couldn't do

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Dammit should have saved it! I ditched it onto the grass in anger lol, yeah it was a whole pack of us05 in 10L, I'll do a starter, it's separated out much more since that photo and I'd say I have about 150ml of yeast in the bottle. Bulk priming does seem to work great just need that hose sorted haha. My siphon hose is 2m long so no problems there should be doing a batch Sunday but only another 10L batch, can I get away with a litre starter?

Yeah thats quite a bit of yeast - 1 litre would be fine I reckon. Let it burble for 24-48 hrs and pitch when its high krausen, or (I'm assuming your using LME) brew it out for a couple of days and cold crash in the fridge overnight - decant the top wort off and just pitch the yeasties.

 

[jkhlt1210]

Bulk priming is great! I don't use a siphon. I simply fit my clear hose on the tap of my fermenter and coil into bottling fermenter. Obviously elevate the one with beer in it turn tap on and bam! Bobs your sister! Easy as hell

 

[Nizmoose]

Yeah thats quite a bit of yeast - 1 litre would be fine I reckon. Let it burble for 24-48 hrs and pitch when its high krausen, or (I'm assuming your using LME) brew it out for a couple of days and cold crash in the fridge overnight - decant the top wort off and just pitch the yeasties.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'm not using any LME any more just DME but do I have to change anything?

Bulk priming is great! I don't use a siphon. I simply fit my clear hose on the tap of my fermenter and coil into bottling fermenter. Obviously elevate the one with beer in it turn tap on and bam! Bobs your sister! Easy as hell

hahaha bobs your sister, The only reason I used bulk priming is because I was fermenting in a small plastic 'carboy' (a BPA free 12L water bottle for those water cooler things) which works amazingly well for small batches but I haven't gone to the effort of fitting a tap. The only vessels I have is that water bottle and a 30L fermenter. So when doing a small batch I can siphon into the fermenter and bottle from it using the tap but when doing a large batch in the fermenter I'm afraid I'm going to have to individually prime until I get something appropriate for bottling.

 

[MaltyHops]

The only reason I used bulk priming is because I was fermenting in a small plastic 'carboy' (a BPA free 12L water bottle for those water cooler things) which works amazingly well for small batches but I haven't gone to the effort of fitting a tap. The only vessels I have is that water bottle and a 30L fermenter. So when doing a small batch I can siphon into the fermenter and bottle from it using the tap but when doing a large batch in the fermenter I'm afraid I'm going to have to individually prime until I get something appropriate for bottling.

Those water cooler containers are often made of vinyl (recycling code 3) which some people try to avoid.

Since you're in Adelaide, Gaganis Bros in Hindmarsh have 10L (more like 11L) hdpe cubes that take a standard cube tap for about $9.

 

[Nizmoose]

Those water cooler containers are often made of vinyl (recycling code 3) which some people try to avoid.

Since you're in Adelaide, Gaganis Bros in Hindmarsh have 10L (more like 11L) hdpe cubes that take a standard cube tap for about $9.

Cheers for the heads up but this is recycling code 2 exactly the same as my 30L fermenter from the LHBS I made sure of this before buying it. $10 for the container along with 12 L of spring water is a win. I wanted to go for something clear and light and simple so this seemed like a good option

EDIT: I should add you may be referring to the neverfail (formally piccadily) water cooler bottles which are a much thicker plastic and are not BPA free, I originally looked into them until I found out what they're made of and how annoying they are to get a hold of, thats when I came across the one I bought which is exactly the same but code 2 and slightly thinner and softer (makes no difference)

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

I mean DME, all the same rooster i believe - I meant to say that some people prefer to brew out, cold crash over night and just pitch the yeast to avoid any off flavours, then others argue that the impact is minimal at best and pitch at high krausen.

 

[Nizmoose]

I mean DME, all the same rooster i believe - I meant to say that some people prefer to brew out, cold crash over night and just pitch the yeast to avoid any off flavours, then others argue that the impact is minimal at best and pitch at high krausen.

Ahhh so the difference being either pitching just the yeast that has multiplied and getting rid of the actual starter wort or just pitching the whole thing?

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Ahhh so the difference being either pitching just the yeast that has multiplied and getting rid of the actual starter wort or just pitching the whole thing?

Yeah thats right - so in the photos below, you pitch just the yeasty creamy light coloured bit down the bottom and decant the top wort.

The 2nd photo (on a record player I use as a stir plate) is at high krausen, ppl pitch the whole lot at this point.

The difference is time - if you pitch the yeast only, you need to brew it out for around 2-3 days and refrigerate over night, decant and pitch

If you do high krausen, it usually takes 48hrs and you can pitch the lot straight away.

 

[mrberlin]

To simplify bulk priming I just add the priming solution into the fermenter, give it a gentle stir wait about 30mins and then bottle. Also if the fermenter doesn't have a tap I just attach the bottling wand to the autosiphon. It works great! There's of ways of doing it whatever works for you!

 

[Nizmoose]

Yeah thats right - so in the photos below, you pitch just the yeasty creamy light coloured bit down the bottom and decant the top wort.

The 2nd photo (on a record player I use as a stir plate) is at high krausen, ppl pitch the whole lot at this point.

The difference is time - if you pitch the yeast only, you need to brew it out for around 2-3 days and refrigerate over night, decant and pitch

If you do high krausen, it usually takes 48hrs and you can pitch the lot straight away.

Thanks for this advice cheeseburger! I sort of followed it but thought I'd just write here how it went! I got the yeast in a 750ml jar which had 100g of LDME and boiled water which had been cooled. My problem was that I only did this less than 24 hours before my brew day. I threw in the yeast and the jar really took off amazingly quickly!

That was just a few hours in and by the time I had to pitch it into my wort the cling wrap was bulging big time.

Its been fermenting for just 20 hours now and the fermentation is going great! The airlock activity has churned the starsan in the airlock enough to make it foam lol

Thanks for all the help guys

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Thanks for this advice cheeseburger! I sort of followed it but thought I'd just write here how it went! I got the yeast in a 750ml jar which had 100g of LDME and boiled water which had been cooled. My problem was that I only did this less than 24 hours before my brew day. I threw in the yeast and the jar really took off amazingly quickly!

That was just a few hours in and by the time I had to pitch it into my wort the cling wrap was bulging big time.

Its been fermenting for just 20 hours now and the fermentation is going great! The airlock activity has churned the starsan in the airlock enough to make it foam lol

Thanks for all the help guys

Nice -