Moving - beer still in fermenters. ???

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chefchris

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I have decided to move to Florida. However I have beer that's not ready to be bottled. Anyone have any tips on the best way to go about moving these a couple states away?

I'm worried about the heat and sloshing.
 
KEG IT!

That's what I just did. I'm in the process of a move and that's how I solved the problem.

Also, welcome to the sunshine state.
 
How far along is it?

You could bottle it for the trip and unbottle it when you get there.

Don't prime, of course, especially if the gravity is still moving. 2 or 3-liter PET soda bottles might be your best option - they will take a huge amount of pressure if it is still fermenting significantly, and are hard to break. Toss them in a cooler with ice for the trip and they shouldn't pressurize much. Siphon (to reduce splashing/oxygenation) back into fermenter at the far end.

If it's well into aging (moved on to secondary, gravity stable, but your recipe calls for months in secondary) just prime and bottle and let it age in bottles.

If you start a new batch at the far end, you can fill the fermenters for the old batches with carbon dioxide from the new batch (use a blowoff hose into the carboy or bucket) to reduce issues of oxygenation as you put the beer back into the fermenters.
 
Just set it on the floor of the car, and turn on the AC. It'll be fine. Drive like a normal person!

You could rack to a carboy if it's in buckets....that will help reduce the sloshing.

You're good. No Fears.
 
I've got 3 beers in the primarys (buckets). One is a Christmas ale that is definately not ready to bottle. Then I have 2 stouts, one has been in there for 2 weeks and the other for a week. Right before we move I'll probably bottle the oldest stout. I'll be getting 2 carboys in today so I'll probably rack into those and secure them in the car. I had also thought about bottling without priming.
 
Know any home brewers in the area you can swap with? Give him 3 buckets of beer and he can give you 3 empty buckets and some of his bottled beeer?
 
Well I would leave them here, but I'm moving to Florida from Mississippi. It seems silly to make a 20 hour trip to bottle some beer.

And I don't know any other homebrewers in this area.
 
I've got 3 beers in the primarys (buckets). One is a Christmas ale that is definately not ready to bottle. Then I have 2 stouts, one has been in there for 2 weeks and the other for a week. Right before we move I'll probably bottle the oldest stout. I'll be getting 2 carboys in today so I'll probably rack into those and secure them in the car. I had also thought about bottling without priming.

I'd bottle them and let them age in bottles. As long as they've been in primary for a week and they're at final gravity you'll be fine. Sure, you'll have more sediment in the bottle than if you secondaried them but that's nothing a careful pour won't fix. With all the other stuff you have to deal with during a move, it seems like putting it in bottles early would make your move less complicated and your beer will still be good. Cheers and GL with the move.
 
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