Ale pail measurements are off!

I just read the handy hint that the Ale Pails don't actually measure correctly for volume of your beer. I made a trippel last week, and filled the primary until it "looked" like about 5.25 gallons (as per the instructions with the kit). I just racked it over to secondary yesterday, and it was definitely not up to the level it should be.

I am worried about the issue of oxidation, but I also don't want to top up if that will dilute the flavor. The beer comes up to the curve of the Better Bottle (see picture). Is there anything I can or should do? Thanks!

I wouldn't worry about it a bit. I secondary in better bottles with that level or less and haven't run into a problem yet.

Whoa wait, what? The lines on the Ale Pail are wrong? Man I never took note of this. How far off are they, where is this 'handy hint' you speak of??

McKBrew said:

I wouldn't worry about it a bit. I secondary in better bottles with that level or less and haven't run into a problem yet.

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Sweet, thanks for the reassurance.

Yea, I'd like to know as well. I use ale pails to measure all my strike/sparge water.

I don't know about the plastic carboys, but in the glass ones 5 gallons is right where the neck starts to curve in, where the arrow is in you picture. Any headspace above that is nothing to worry about.

Your arrow is pointing to the exact 5.5 gallon mark on 5 gallon better bottle. It's right at the middle of that concave part.

You will not get oxidation. The brew is still generating CO2 and will insulate the beer from the majority of the Oxygen regardless of head size.

Some breweries still use open fermenters.

Bobby_M said:

Your arrow is pointing to the exact 5.5 gallon mark on 5 gallon better bottle. It's right at the middle of that concave part.

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Thanks, I didn't know it wasn't supposed to come up to the bottom of the opening.

Bobby_M said:

Your arrow is pointing to the exact 5.5 gallon mark on 5 gallon better bottle. It's right at the middle of that concave part.

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I assume you mean the 6 gallon better bottle, I'd expect the 5.5 gallon mark on a 5 gallon bottle to be somewhere on the floor...

That is in fact about where the 5.5 gallon mark is on a 6 gallon bottle, but are you using a 6 gallon or 5 gallon bottle?

I've totally confused myslef now. I have both size better bottles calibrated with marks but I'm not sure which one I should be refering to since I'm at work. I do know that both sizes will hold 5.5 gallons without spilling on the floor though. I'll post later.

Bobby_M said:

I've totally confused myslef now. I have both size better bottles calibrated with marks but I'm not sure which one I should be refering to since I'm at work. I do know that both sizes will hold 5.5 gallons without spilling on the floor though. I'll post later.

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Weird. Because I've got three 6-gallon BB's, and the 5.5 gallon mark is right where you said it was. I don't think the bottle would hold significantly more than 6 gallons - 6.5 MAYBE (though I've never tried), so I'd be surprised if a 5-gallon version could hold 5.5 without being filled to the brim, if at all - but it's merely speculation since I've never used a 5-gal model.

In any case, I am fairly confident that if the OP is using a 5-gallon version and it's only full to that line, then they are in fact significantly under their target volume, but if it's a 6-gallon version then they're right on target.

Back to the question...

You could add more water, you could add more wort if you felt like it!

Water will dilute it, but not much. More Beer vs. Better beer(but not by much)

If you really wanted to, you could take 2 galons out, flush them down the toilet, add 5 or so handfulls of freshly cut grass clippings and age for 6 months.....but I wouldn't recommend it.

If the picture is accurate, I'm pretty sure it's a 6 gallon. It's got that wider, tubby look to it. One reason I know the 5gs hold more is because I always get between 5.5 and 5.75 gallons in primary and rack that over to the 5g secondary and get at least 5.25 or 5.5 gallons into secondary no problem and it's not even up into the neck.

Whew, I will know to be more specific next time I pick a random internet photo to represent my equipment! Sorry for the confusion, Bobby_M - I am, in fact, using a 5-gallon Better Bottle (sorry, I think I accidentally snagged a photo of a 6-gallon).

So I guess we've determined that either way, my beer should be ok, yes?

yes, it will be fine.

Funkenjaeger said:

I assume you mean the 6 gallon better bottle, I'd expect the 5.5 gallon mark on a 5 gallon bottle to be somewhere on the floor...

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I'm using a 5 gal glass carboy as a secondary, and I found out the 5.5 gal mark you speak of the hard way last night as I was racking over from my ale pail.

I was concentrating on keeping my siphon under the surface but above the trub and before I knew it my feet were wet. Those carboys don't make a damn sound when you over fill them with a siphon!

Ok, so does the "Ale Pail" (that is 6.5 gallons) have accurate marks? Don't make me measure out the gallons!

zoebisch01 said:

Whoa wait, what? The lines on the Ale Pail are wrong? Man I never took note of this. How far off are they, where is this 'handy hint' you speak of??

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In my experience, they are quite accurate. Certainly accurate enough for our purposes.

zoebisch01 said:

Ok, so does the "Ale Pail" (that is 6.5 gallons) have accurate marks? Don't make me measure out the gallons!

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I think I read someone's post incorrectly the first time - I assumed the person meant the marks already on the ale pail were incorrect. Going back to read it, I take it to mean now that HE made his own marks on the bucket, and they were incorrect. Sorry to scare you!

6-gal better bottles have two ribbed 'stripes', and the 5-gal have one. So the one in the picture is 6-gal. I don't think they have ever made 5.5 or 6.5 gal sizes. Hope this helps.

jmulligan said:

I think I read someone's post incorrectly the first time - I assumed the person meant the marks already on the ale pail were incorrect. Going back to read it, I take it to mean now that HE made his own marks on the bucket, and they were incorrect. Sorry to scare you!

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I wasn't too worried

I was just confused about the details and was thinking..."hmm they can't be that far off".

landhoney said:

6-gal better bottles have two ribbed 'stripes', and the 5-gal have one. So the one in the picture is 6-gal. I don't think they have ever made 5.5 or 6.5 gal sizes. Hope this helps.

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vs.