I need to move my beer while in the fermentor

Due to extenuating circumstances I have to move my beer while in the fermenter. It has finished fermentation and needs to be transported in a car over windy mountain roads then freeway. I know air is bad, but how bad? Will this really ruin the beer? Or should I rush to bottling and pump out a hundred bottles tomorrow? It has been in the primary for a little over two weeks.

Thanks every one

I'd start bottling... Better safe than sorry.


You can always let it age in bottles.

You can either leave the airlock on it, or use a lid without an airlock if it's done fermenting. They have carboy caps or bungs for carboys, but if it's in a bucket I'd be a lot more careful due to the wide headspace. If it's in a bucket, I'd probably go ahead and bottle it if it's done fermenting. If it's in a carboy, I wouldn't sweat it at all and just move it.

If you had the time,i would bottle. Every bump and turn would make me nervous,sounds like a lot of sloshing.I guess im thinking long journey,so if it wasnt too long i probably would move the carboy.But if i had the time i would just bottle it.

Does sloshing matter when the headspace is CO2, and the sloshing is just going to drive more of it out of solution?.... As long as it doesn't suck back air, which would be a problem regardless of slosh.

It could suck back your solution as well, thats why i think yooper suggested the cap.Really you dont want sloshy bubbles,ocasionally rocking probably wont be a problem,its probably when you are seing air bubbles.If someone was holding it,that probably would be the best way to transport it. Maybe even seated with towels and styrafoam or something maybe even bubble tape somehow in a seat secure where it wont tip.In a box with a bunch of peanuts? The headspace is probably the main issue if it was pretty full in a carboy,cap it up and go.If its going to be some time, then maybe degass it briefly ocassionally.

pelipen said:

Does sloshing matter when the headspace is CO2, and the sloshing is just going to drive more of it out of solution?.... As long as it doesn't suck back air, which would be a problem regardless of slosh.

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Exactly. CO2 fills the headspace. Over the rough roads I'm sure some of the carbon dioxide is going to come out of solution but that means CO2 not O2 mixing. Maybe a blowoff tube (IDK) just to keep the airlock from being over tasked.

I would let it sit a day or two after the trip before I bottled just to let the trub settle back down.

BTW.. Why do you have to move it?

Ya, I'd rather not explain, too long and complicated.

The set up I have now is a plastic carboy with a rubber stopper with a hole in the middle and one of those small air locks shoved in it. I have on hand tubes and jars and sealed caps for them as well.

What would be the best way to cap it? If I switch the cap will it let in too much o2? Or will the beer push it out? If I decide to bottle is it ok to move those around and transport them?

And what exactly happens if o2 does get into it?

I also have a bottling bucket handy, would it be a good idea to rack the beer, clean the carboy then rack it back to get a bunch of sediment out before transport?

And sorry some of those are noob questions of which I'm pretty sure of the answer I just want to be double sure. Thanks guys

thebeerninja said:

Ya, I'd rather not explain, too long and complicated.

The set up I have now is a plastic carboy with a rubber stopper with a hole in the middle and one of those small air locks shoved in it. I have on hand tubes and jars and sealed caps for them as well.

What would be the best way to cap it? If I switch the cap will it let in too much o2? Or will the beer push it out? If I decide to bottle is it ok to move those around and transport them?

And what exactly happens if o2 does get into it?

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Bottles can be moved anywhere without issue. I think you'd be good to switch the cap. You take gravity readings don't you? You open it then. You should probably just bottle. O2=oxidization=not good=bottle.

I hate to be unhelpful but isn't a large life event like moving (only) slightly more important than a batch of beer? I'd rather seal the fermenter up and hope for the best than bottle it early. If you took good notes, you can recreate the batch of beer for less than the cost of moving when you get to your destination.

Hey, no bottle bombs!

NPK said:

I hate to be unhelpful but isn't a large life event like moving (only) slightly more important than a batch of beer? I'd rather seal the fermenter up and hope for the best than bottle it early. If you took good notes, you can recreate the batch of beer for less than the cost of moving when you get to your destination.

Hey, no bottle bombs!

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Good point.

Yooper said:

You can either leave the airlock on it, or use a lid without an airlock if it's done fermenting. They have carboy caps or bungs for carboys, but if it's in a bucket I'd be a lot more careful due to the wide headspace. If it's in a bucket, I'd probably go ahead and bottle it if it's done fermenting. If it's in a carboy, I wouldn't sweat it at all and just move it.

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Wouldn't the head space be CO2 anyway? If it sloshes around a bit would it really run the risk of oxidizing?

I bought a solid stopper to put in my Better Bottles so I could shake the hell out of them for aeration. When I can't find the solid stopper i just put a freezer bag over the lid with rubber bands. Go with a freezer bag/rubber band and your beer will be fine.

To help dispel some of the mystery, the place where I stay and brew at where at first ok with me brewing there but now they are weirded out about it and don't want any one to know there is beer being made on their premises. So I need to move it to a buddies house ASAP, and it gets more complicated because there are two fermenters going and one is his beer. However, the owners of the place I'm staying at don't want anyone coming over to help brew or move or anything like that to get this stuff out. I gotta do it solo. that's the dilemma in a nut shell.

So I'm still undecided on the best way to do this still?

thebeerninja said:

I also have a bottling bucket handy, would it be a good idea to rack the beer, clean the carboy then rack it back to get a bunch of sediment out before transport?

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I would not do this. Once you rack out of fermentation into bottling bucket, it should go to bottles. Otherwise when you DO bottle it will have transferred 3+ times.

In regards to the rest of the thread: I have driven with a full fermentor a few times. It is NOT an ideal situation but if you don't have any potentially upset passengers, I would use towels or something to decrease the indentation in the passenger seat so that it doesn't lay-back on an angle, then I would strap it into the front seat next to you wearing a seat belt. On any sharp turns or bumps in the road, you can put your hand over to keep it steady and from rocking too much.

Or you can bottle.