Transferring wort to glass carboys.

I have been using an ale pail for my primary. It is pretty easy to transfer and aerate the wort from the brew pot by simply pouring it in.
How do you transfer when you have a narrow mouthed glass carboy? How do you get decent aeration? Use a funnel? Doesn't that take quite a while to pour so you dont over flow the funnel? Do you hoppy bits clog the funnel?

Can I ask any more questions?

-Alex-

I use a big funnel with a strainer, and oxygen thru an airstone for aeration.

You may ask as many questions as you like.

I use my bucket for aeration; pour wort in, close bucket, shake like hell.

Then I attach a short piece of hose to the bucket's spigot and let it splash/fall into the carboy. Just insert the hose about 1 inch into the mouth of the carboy and let the beer fall to the bottom of the carboy. The first aeration by shaking the bucket is probably sufficient, but I figure the second aeration by allowing it to free fall into the carboy can't hurt!

-walker

I use a Grain Bag over a funnel. It works to aerate the wort as well as collect a little of the trub.

good idea!

-walker

i have one of those little devices that attaches to the siphon hose that sprays the wort out of the hose. its just a little piece of plastic, but it works good! when i did my imperial stout i used it and i don't know if this was the reason but it fermented out in 24 hours. lots of sugars, lots of air, lots of good beer

Why not install a weldless spigot about 1" off the bottom of the bucket? Then put a piece of tubing on it and drain to the 2ndary. You can add an aeration device to the end of the tubing for about $3 or so.

Let me make sure I'm understanding. You aerate your wort when you move it to the secondary? I didn't think you wanted to do that. Or am I misunderstanding the conversation? I've got a decent hangover going today!

billybrew said:

Let me make sure I'm understanding. You aerate your wort when you move it to the secondary? I didn't think you wanted to do that. Or am I misunderstanding the conversation? I've got a decent hangover going today!

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I think they are talking about moving the wort from brewpot to a carboy, not racking from primary to secondary.

Sorry, if you rack to secondary, dont use the aerator. I just run the tube in and open the spigot to run the brew down the side of the carboy with minimal foam/ air.

if you run the beer down the side of the carboy, you are massively exposing it to oxygen. The beer spreads out into a thin 'water fall' like this and creates a very large surface area that is exposed to the air.

-walker

Yep, you really want a hose that will reach the bottom of your carboy and remain submerged during the transfer.

I use 6.5 carboys for my primarys now, and have a kettle with a spigot, so transfering is easy as can be, and aeration is easy as well. For transfer to the secondary carboy, the auto-siphon makes it real easy.