Question about splitting a batch after primary

CornyKegs 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Bacon

Bacon

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2011
Messages
46
Reaction score
0
Location
Statesboro
Right. So I'm new and this is my first thread. I'm working on my third batch ever, a brewers best boxed version of an irish stout, 5 gal in a 6.5gal fermeter. Everything went fine on brew day and my fermenter is bubbling happily away. My gf recently brought back some very nice flavored coffees from NYC and I thought to myself "coffee stout...." so I was thinking I'd try to split this batch after primary was done and flavor half of it with cold extracted coffee and leave the other half as is. All I have for secondary right now is a 5gal carboy and a 6.5 gal bottling bucket in the terms of containers to split this batch in to. Obviously that's a lot of head space after primary fermentation is done, and I dont want to end up with two things of stale beer.
Here's the question:

Is that too much head space and should I just go spring for two smaller carboys? If it isn't, should I just leave the non-coffee half in the primary container, or maybe even just bottle it?

I only ask here because I've found many mixed opinions on the subject and I'm tired of searching.
Phew. I think that's it. :drunk:
 
I split batches alot, but you really need to get a couple 3 gallon carboys if you want to secondary split batches. Even 3 gallon water bottles will work for short time storage. Even mr beer kegs will work.

As you can see I use a bit of everything when I'm doing stuff like that, 3 gallon better bottles, wine jugs, "regular" 3 gallon water jugs.

fermentation_closet.jpg
 
I have some water bottles, but they say "for water only". That makes me shy away from them. Just curious if yours say that?
 
mixedbrewer said:
I have some water bottles, but they say "for water only". That makes me shy away from them. Just curious if yours say that?
Click to expand...

There's a legal reason they say that, not a reason that affects making beer.

FYI, many of the new Bisophenal-A free waterbottles are actually made by the Better Bottle Company. Some advertise the fact as part of their marketing, and interestingly enough some of the water/betterbottles have accidently ended up in homebrew shops. They are labeled "for water only" and "not for reuse" BUT when the hbt member who got one of these contacted them, they were told that they HAVE to stamp them as such, BUT they are perfectly fine and exactly the same as their regular better bottles.

Think about it, if it's good enough to drink water from, why the hell wouldn't it be for beer.

One of the reasons the stamp them like that, is so gullible homebrewers won't start using them for their beers and wines...
 
Thanks for the quick reply. Of course now down at the 'similar thread' section I see this issue had been brought up many times, so I apologize for the repost. Guess I'll have to go shopping!
 
There is no chemical reaction or alcohol in the water. I am no plastics expert but I dont see a whole lot of beer for sale in plastic bottles. That idea mixed with "for water only" made me think twice.
 
mixedbrewer said:
There is no chemical reaction or alcohol in the water. I am no plastics expert but I dont see a whole lot of beer for sale in plastic bottles. That idea mixed with "for water only" made me think twice.
Click to expand...

Yeah well you obviously must get out much do you? And you must not buy beer at sporting events or other places that don't allow glass, do you?

They've only been around since 1999

http://www.allbusiness.com/plastics-rubber/plastics-product-manufacturing/284606-1.html

http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4563510-1.html

And been really popular since the whole BPA-reacalls. I wrote this awhile ago...I've been following this for years...

modern plastics have come along way, especially in the last couple years after the Bispahenol A recalls. More and more of the new bottles coming out are made of the same stuff as the better bottles. In fact the company that made better bottles started making bottles for the water cooler industry. Some water companies even advertise they are using better bottles for their products. And some of the water better bottles have ended up at homebrew shops mis labled, there was even a thread on that here a couple years ago, iirc the OP called the BB company and they said they got mixed up in the warehouse, but they are the same bottles, just that the water bottles are stamped "not for re-use" and some other legal mumbo jumbo, but they are the same bottles.

There's just too many variables in plastic water bottles these days, since so many companies changed their plastics a couple years ago so we wouldn't grow man-boobs due to BPA, to be able to make a blanket statement like "they're oxygen permeable" anymore.

That might have been the truth 5 years ago, but there's been some leaps in the industry the last few years. Heck even the BMC brewers started putting their beers in plastic bottles for ballparks and stuff not to long ago, and THEY did that becasue of the leaps in plastic bottle technologies. I posted an article about that on here a couple of years ago, when I think miller started bottling with them.

It all depends on the bottles, but it's no longer as cut and dried as many people think.
Click to expand...

plasticebottle.jpg


B%C3%BCrger.JPG


Plastic%20Bottle.jpg


collectible-24098.jpg


0429cfmiller1.gif


Not to mention the ubiquitous pet Mr Beer Bottles that have been around for awhile as well......Oh and wineries in Australia are putting their products in them as well.

*shrug*
 
i have also heard that using plastic water jugs are not condusive for beer making. or is it not good for primary? or long term?

what exactly makes them not usable?
 
Hockeyhunter99 said:
i have also heard that using plastic water jugs are not condusive for beer making. or is it not good for primary? or long term?

what exactly makes them not usable?
Click to expand...

You guys are about 5 years or more behind in your "conventional wisdom" there's a million threads on here now disputing that....so it's your choice. I've been using them for years and have managed even to win a few awards for beers brewed or secondaries in those pictured...Again, it really is up to you what you wanna believe, but a lot of what you are believing is outdated info, that's been disputed on here for years....Even the old "oxygen permeability" chestnut has been shot down...it turned out it's really negligable.

*shrug*
 
I don't think we will ever fully comprehend the genius behind Charlie's motto: Relax Don't Worry, Have A Home Brew.
 
Mr. Beer sells plastic bottles in their kits,so does coopers.People like them better because they are very good for paranoid people that get nervous about glass shrapnal.I personally would like that safety but plastic is made out of petro oil and that industry can suck it, i just reuse glass and take different precautions.
 
I didnt say I have never seen a beer in a plastic bottle. I work at a beer store and we dont sell one single beer in a plastic bottle. The whole plastic thing seems like a necessity due to safety from glass wielding thugs. Otherwise all of our beer would be in plastic. Who knows... I might try a batch in the water bottle. I was just curious, not looking to be vaguely insulted.
 
Revvy - What is the potential harm to splitting into a 5 gallon carboy and leaving the rest in the primary? Are we talking oxygen exposure?

I've done this before with no ill effects (that I'm aware of at least). However, when I split I did so at high krausen as I was adding honey to half the batch so the yeast was still plenty active to keep producing a good amount of CO2 to push the oxygen out.
 
Bacon said:
Right. So I'm new and this is my first thread. I'm working on my third batch ever, a brewers best boxed version of an irish stout, 5 gal in a 6.5gal fermeter. Everything went fine on brew day and my fermenter is bubbling happily away. My gf recently brought back some very nice flavored coffees from NYC and I thought to myself "coffee stout...." so I was thinking I'd try to split this batch after primary was done and flavor half of it with cold extracted coffee and leave the other half as is. All I have for secondary right now is a 5gal carboy and a 6.5 gal bottling bucket in the terms of containers to split this batch in to. Obviously that's a lot of head space after primary fermentation is done, and I dont want to end up with two things of stale beer.
Here's the question:

Is that too much head space and should I just go spring for two smaller carboys? If it isn't, should I just leave the non-coffee half in the primary container, or maybe even just bottle it?

I only ask here because I've found many mixed opinions on the subject and I'm tired of searching.
Phew. I think that's it. :drunk:
Click to expand...

Instead of spending money on 3-gallon containers, you could always rack all to secondary, then when bottling, after halfway done, gently (without introducing oxygen) add the cold-brewed coffee to the bucket and finish bottling...this would allow you to add to taste, instead of guessing what the right amount should be...
 
Thanks Mischief, I may just end up doing that. I quickly found out that finding 3 gallon containers is a bit more challenging than I initially thought. For some reason adding it right before bottling just never occured to me. Is there any real advantage to letting it condition in a secondary with added flavors if I'm just going to use a cold extract anyways? I can't think of any, but then again, like I said, I'm still pretty new.
 

Similar threads

_Keven
Question about a high gravity reading after 5 weeks
Replies
34
Views
1K
MikeCo
M
A
Cold Crashing ?
Replies
11
Views
1K
mac_1103
mac_1103
K
Question About Keg Secondary
Replies
9
Views
748
Broken Crow
Broken Crow
Langerz
Batch split between multiple fermenters
Replies
8
Views
949
dperrigan
dperrigan
Gabriel Sayegh
How do folks calculate ABV after a step feed with volume change?
Replies
12
Views
490
MaxStout
MaxStout

Latest posts

Back
Top