Is this overkill?

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DrDirt

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Am I being too anal with my racking procedure? Here's the story:
I brew 10 gal batches and ferment in two 6.5 gal primarys, then I rack to two 5 gal secondaries (most of the time), then, finally, rack into two kegs. For some reason, sometimes I have different fermentation results in the two primary carboys (although conditions are the same) one might start or finish a day ahead of the other for example. Or one might be a point higher on FG than the other.
So, I've been racking half of each carboy into each secondary, instead of just going straight from primary to secondary. For example, I'll rack half of primary A into secondary A, then I rack half of primary B into secondary A, and the other half of primary A and B into secondary B. I do the same thing when I rack into kegs.
My thinking is that by mixing the seperate fermenters I end up with a more uniform beer in to two kegs.

Al I way too anal about this? What do you other 10 gal batch guys do? (don't tell me to buy a conical, smart ass.)
 
Do the beers tastes different? Or do you simply notice a couple of gravity points' difference, or a difference in clarity.

If they taste different, then blending is a good idea if you want uniformity. Otherwise, I'd consider it way overkill. I mean, who's going to know that one beer finished at 1.017, while its sister finished at 1.015?
 
I will. And it will forever haunt me.

As far as taste, it's hard to say for sure. There may be some very minor notes that are different but typically I only have one of the two cornies on tap at a time so I haven't done a side-by-side comparison.
 
might be time for this 15 gallon barrel

10GallonFermenter.jpg


Not mine its Edworts but I have the same one
 
I would not mix, just in case one ever got infected.

Also two slightly different beers isn't all bad.
 
It is overkill in my eyes then. You might just want to look into a larger secondary container so that you can put both primaries into the same container and not have to rack half. I don't like to stop the flow once I get it going. There are some really inexpensive 15 gallon containers out there that can ferment one whole 10 gallon batch. Look into syrup containers.

74065p.jpg


They are like $20 used and can hold an entire 15 gallon batch to ferment. Good luck

EDIT: Damn springer, I had to find the picture. Too fast for me
 
Do those come with a discount on the forklift? how, pray tell, does one go about moving a 15 gallon vessel from the porch to the guest room closet?
Seriously, anybody have a link? That looks like a pretty sweet setup.
 
If you are fermenting 10 gallons like the rest of us that use this size fermenter, it helps to have a friend move it. Otherwise, if you are feeling strong, you can move it yourself. Or of course, you can invest in a dolly of some sort, or a moving "dolly" that is basically the carpeted square with wheels. Or buckets and a funnel. Your choice of course.
 
I'd say no, if your goal is to have 10 gallons of uniform beer. I certainly wouldn't bother, but I also rarely make the exact same beer twice.
 
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