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chkparrish · 03-31-2012, 03:44 PM

6 gallon carboy?
second carboy for secondary fermentation (Is this necessary)

6 gallon carboy yes for primary fermentation is best , second carboy or bottling bucket would be fine, and you dont need a false bottom on your boil kettle just keep it off the bottom with the many ways people have made up contraptions to hold the bag up or tie to a handle.

LouBrew13 · 03-31-2012, 04:44 PM

You don't need more than a 5 gallon carboy for secondary. There isn't any more activity that would need that much head space.

mrwongburger · 03-31-2012, 11:18 PM

So I found a bottling bucket with a spigot online for pretty cheap. If I were to use this as a secondary fermenter should I then ferment for two weeks in the primary carboy and then siphon into the bottling bucket and dry hop for a few days then bottle? Or should I split the time differently?

Also the bottling bucket I found was 6.5 gallons...would there be any problem with there being that much oxygen in the bucket with the brew? The bottling bucket did seem easier so I could just use the spigot to put beer in bottles.

**forstmeister** · 03-31-2012, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrwongburger

So I found a bottling bucket with a spigot online for pretty cheap. If I were to use this as a secondary fermenter should I then ferment for two weeks in the primary carboy and then siphon into the bottling bucket and dry hop for a few days then bottle? Or should I split the time differently?

Also the bottling bucket I found was 6.5 gallons...would there be any problem with there being that much oxygen in the bucket with the brew? The bottling bucket did seem easier so I could just use the spigot to put beer in bottles.

I have used buckets with spigots in the past thinking it was going to be the greatest time saver. Unfortunately, every spigot I have bought eventually leaked just a little bit. Not a big deal when bottling, but when leaving a beer in it for a week, it can make for a big mess and no beer.

Bucket without spigot is my recommendation, then transfer to botting bucket with spigot when bottling.

mrwongburger · 04-01-2012, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forstmeister

I have used buckets with spigots in the past thinking it was going to be the greatest time saver. Unfortunately, every spigot I have bought eventually leaked just a little bit. Not a big deal when bottling, but when leaving a beer in it for a week, it can make for a big mess and no beer.

Bucket without spigot is my recommendation, then transfer to botting bucket with spigot when bottling.

Thanks thats a good point. Do you think it would be ok then to ferment in a 6.5 gallon carboy for a few weeks then put it in bucket with spigot for a few days to dry hop? Or is a few days to long? Also I'm not sure of the process here. Can I add priming sugar to the bottling bucket then place into bottles, or would I leave it in for a few days to dry hop then use the spigot bucket to put beer in bottles and add priming sugar to bottles to condition?

**oakbarn** · 04-01-2012, 12:13 AM

We don"t need no stinking secondary! Home brew should be a little cloudy. If you friends go UGHHH! More For You!

BrewinHooligan · 04-01-2012, 02:14 AM

As far as the boil on your stove, you can do a full 5 gallon batch on the stove if it is strong enough to support it and puts out a lot of heat. I do full batches on my gas stove with no issues at all. I use an 8 gallon aluminum tamale pot and haven't had any issues getting 6.5 gallons up to a boil, other than taking a long time to get up to boil.

**forstmeister** · 04-01-2012, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrwongburger

Thanks thats a good point. Do you think it would be ok then to ferment in a 6.5 gallon carboy for a few weeks then put it in bucket with spigot for a few days to dry hop? Or is a few days to long? Also I'm not sure of the process here. Can I add priming sugar to the bottling bucket then place into bottles, or would I leave it in for a few days to dry hop then use the spigot bucket to put beer in bottles and add priming sugar to bottles to condition?

The easiest way to bottle is to boil up some priming sugar (about 3/4 cup for 5 gallons) in a quart of water for a couple minutes. Then put the solution into your bottling bucket and transfer your beer into the bottling bucket gently to avoid oxidation. Gently stir it up with your brew spoon. Then fill the bottles. Some people like the carbonation tabs, but I find them to be more expensive than necessary for the process. Don't leave the beer in the bottling bucket with the sugar more than a couple hours.

You can just go straight from primary to bottling bucket if you don't have a secondary fermentor (I personally like to secondary ferment, but some people don't care either way). Do you have a bottling wand? They make bottling very easy and are worth the few bucks they cost.

doublehaul · 04-01-2012, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LLBeanJ

Since your recipe questions have already been answered, I'll offer some advice on equipment for moving to all-grain. Get yourself a 10g kettle like this one...

http://www.restaurantsupplypro.com/product/winco-sst-40/stock-pots

and a bag from this guy (or make your own) and do all-grain brew-in-a-bag (BIAB).

Unless you've got your heart set on the traditional MLT approach to all-grain or are planning on 10g batches, BIAB is a very cost efficient way to move from extract to all-grain with the same results, plus you can mill your grain extra fine to get 80+% efficiency and never worry about a stuck sparge and there's less equipment to buy, store, and clean. The only other thing you may need is a propane burner setup to handle the in-kettle mashing and full volume boils. I've only been brewing a short time, but I've never brewed with extract and have only done all-grain BIAB and love how easy it is.

I was going to try BIAB and I have a 10 gal pot, but it seemed like i'd need a 15 gallon pot, so I went the cooler mash tun route.

mrwongburger · 04-09-2012, 03:18 AM

Just as an update a friend and I finally got this brew done yesterday. I took out the chocolate malt and as of now I have a little bit darker of a color than I wanted but I hope that will clear out as it ferments. I was surprised that, unless I recorded the OG correctly, I hit my mark of 1056 about on the head. Cant wait to try this in a few weeks. Thanks everyone for your help.