1st brew and kit questions

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Draken

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Just tried my first brew from my first ever batch of beer.. MrB's West Coast Pale Ale... I through one bottle in the fridge Friday after patiently staring at it for 2 weeks in the leg and another one in the bottle. I left the others to condition another week before I throw them in the fridge as well.
All I can say is.. It's at least beer. Reminds me a bit of miller lite.. Or some other cheap brew. It smells a lot better than it tastes. No sweetness to it, just a bit of alcohol that I can detect. Otherwise pretty bland. Of course I pretty much only drink craft beers or the occasional SA Boston lager so my preferences may be skewed.

I already have a second batch of cold maple wheat in the MrB keg. It should go in bottles next week. I hope it's a bit more exciting.

Now finally the questions. I want to get the equipment for a 2.5 gallon setup. I am considering BIAB in the near future as well. Is there something close to 2.5 gallons I can use as a secondary? Will a 3 gallon better bottle leave to much headspace to be a secondary?? Is there somewhere I can get a 2.5 liter glass carboy?

Thanks in advance!
 
When I started biab I just scaled 5 gallon recipes down to 2.2 to fit in my mr beers. I also split 5 gal recipes in half it worked pretty well.
 
I think the 3 gallon will be fine. you probably don't even need a secondary, just leave it in the primary a bit longer. Unless you want clearer beer.
 
Once you start controlling your ingredients you can get bigger beers and also control hops for more flavor and aroma
 
Draken , most brews will benefit from longer times in the "leg" (keg) and in the bottle. Standard is generally 3 weeks in the primary (Mr. B keg) and three in the bottle. Opinions vary with Mr. B, some love it, some hate it. Because you're already drinking craft brews, your taste "buds" are looking for more satisfaction. You've proved you can make beer. Now you can start to make better beer. Extend your times and you should see the difference.
Northern Brewer, for example has some nice jugs and carboys in a three gallon size.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-equipment/fermenting-equipment/carboys-jugs
You may not want/need to secondary. I've never made a 2.5G brew, so I don't know if there'll be enough headspace (I think there would be though). Just my dos centavos...
 
I'm with what Petey_C said time is your friend, I'm a 3-4 week in the fermenter (I don't use a secondary/bright tank), cold crash then keg/bottle. 3-4 weeks minimum to bottle condition then a week in the refrigerator to clear and settle the yeast.
 
If you can learn to skip the secondary you can use a 6 1/2 gallon ale pail to ferment your small batches. Once the fermentation gets started it will produce CO2 which being heavier than air will for a nice blanket over your beer to protect it from oxidation. You will never need to worry about a blowoff tube either.
 
One week in the bottle isn't nearly enough time, you'll need a minimum of 3 and it'll get better with 5 or more. WCPA isn't the most malty beer and if you try 2 cans instead of 1 or 1 HME and 1 UME, you'll enjoy it more than 1 can plus booster.
I strongly suggest now that you've tried the 'basic', that you leave the booster behind and try the premium brews. Then from there, you can decide what you want to do.
 
I used 1lb of dme instead of the booster. It's still weak flavor wise I doubt more time will fix that. As I may have stated impatience led me to throw one in the fridge just to try it. Three weeks is a long time to wait for a beer!!!

My real question is around the 3 gallon better bottle, is there to much headspace to use it for a secondary on a 2.5 gallon batch? I know all the talk of no secondary and such, but my wife likes fruit beers so it has to be considered.
 
Depends on how active fermentations you get. Most beers it's probably fine. Might need to use a larger diameter hose for the blowoff for active fermentations, though. Could pop the airlock right off if you used one instead.
 
Some folks on here suggest you not open prior to the three week mark. I think all new brewers should. You're better able to see what green beer is (and not the crap they serve on St. Paddy's day) and how the flavor of beer improves with time.
 
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