a couple of questions

I bought a kit with a 5 gal carboy and i'm about ready to start. I think. I guess I need to get my questons out of the way.
First, the book that comes with it talks about adding the yeast with a bucket setup and it talks about sprinkling the yeast on top and gently stirring it in. How do you do that with a carboy?

then there is the bottling time question. According to the book (sometimes they aren't that helpful) you should wait approx 7 days. is that from the brewing date or when the fermenting is done??

I'm really looking forward to this experience, I won't be able to do the brew until after Christmas but I like to get everthing straight in my head.

thanks for the help!

I would rehydrate the yeast if it's dry. I also would get a fresh packet from the local homebrew shop if you can, just to make sure it's viable. Kit packets can be old and of lesser quality. To rehydrate, just sprinkle it into a bowl or Pyrex measuring cup with 1 cup of boiled water that's been cooled to below 100F (I do 60F-70F since that's the temp at which I want to pitch) and let it soak for a few minutes. Then just pour it all in. You could proof it by adding some sugar to the water, just to make sure it foams and that the yeast are really alive, but I wouldn't bother if you got some new yeast at the shop.

You should leave the brew in the carboy for at least 2 weeks, 3 is better for any standard ale. One week is too short, it might still be fermenting at that point. Then bottle and let it sit in there for 2-3 weeks. Don't bother with secondary, if you were thinking of that.

Read this. Then read the rest of that online book.

Good luck!

ok question...you said your kit came with a 5 gallon carboy. i hope you are not planning on making 5 gallon recipe kits. if so you need to get a 6.5 fermenting bucket or a 6.5 carboy. you can still use that 5 gallon one you have as a secondary fermetor. but if you try to make a 5 gallon batch in a 5 gallon carboy you will have issues during the active fermentation period. oh as mentioned in previous post you must let it be in primary for at least 2-3 weeks. if you bottle before fermentation has been completed you run the risk of bottle bombs. good luck in all your brewing!

Thanks guys. That answers questions.

Actually, the book I was referring to is one that came with the kit. If there are any online I would love to get them. I use my Kindle a lot and have: The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Papazian and Brew Ware: how to find, adapt and build homebrewing equipment by lutzen. If you know of any others I should get let me know.

Some other books:

John Palmers How to Brew and
Brewing Classic Styles (Palmer and Zainasheff)

Yeast by Zainasheff and White

seckert said:

I hope you are not planning on making 5 gallon recipe kits. if so you need to get a 6.5 fermenting bucket or a 6.5 carboy. you can still use that 5 gallon one you have as a secondary fermetor. but if you try to make a 5 gallon batch in a 5 gallon carboy you will have issues during the active fermentation period.

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Question for anyone:

Why can't you make a kit to 4 gallons, ferment it out and then add 1 gallon of boiled and cooled water to get to the intended original volume in a 5 gallon fermenter after fermentation is over.

Many professional breweries ferment higher gravity worts and add water to the finished beer to get it to the right alcohol level.

The water needs to be boiled and cooled to get rid of the entrained O2 in water. If you want to make sure you get rid of any O2 in the carboy, you could add a couple of ounces of sugar to the water to create a little fermentation.

One issue I see is that higher gravity beers produce a lot more esters, so temperature control would be very important. From what I have read, a 2X gravity wort will produce 4X esters.


I am not intending on doing this. I have no need for it. But just wanted to see what folks thought.

i guess in theory that would work. i would think that you might have issues getting the water to mix in evenly without getting O2 in the mix. maybe someone will try it out and see what happens...lol. im not willing to do it cause i dont want to waste the time or money and then it not work for me...lol

seckert said:

i would think that you might have issues getting the water to mix in evenly without getting O2 in the mix. l

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The gravity of water is closer to beer than your priming solution, and that mixes in really easily, during transfer to the priming bucket.

unionrdr said:

Is the 5G carboy all you have? If so it'll be way easier & cheaper to just get a 6.5G ale pale & ferment in that. You'll def need the head space during initial fermentation for the krausen build up.

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Or at least set up a blow off tube. It will remove a portion of the kraeusen and in theory create a cleaner tasting beer with a smooth finish.

a 5gal carboy isn't 5gals to the brim, its about 5gal to the shoulder so it'll have some headspace. just set up a blow off tube on it and should be all set. you can get a bigger fermenter (the buckets are cheap and work well) while its fermenting, sounds like you need to get a bottling bucket anyway.

Calder said:

The gravity of water is closer to beer than your priming solution, and that mixes in really easily, during transfer to the priming bucket.

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i didnt think about that, i guess you are right. sometimes it really is easier than we think things are...soooooo who is gonna try it out to see how it works? lol

unionrdr said:

Is the 5G carboy all you have? If so it'll be way easier & cheaper to just get a 6.5G ale pale & ferment in that. You'll def need the head space during initial fermentation for the krausen build up.

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+1 ^^^^^ get the 6.5 ale pail for X-Mas . You will pour the yeast on top and cover it ,then just shake the heck out of the bucket to mix it good; the yeast will take over after that. I would say wait at least 3 wks. to bottle, that gives the yeast time to clean up and settle to the bottom. I personally prefer 4 wks. (lazy I guess) and use one bucket the whole time; 90% of the time I never transfer to a secondary vessel. Once the fermentation has started the less agitation to the fermentation bucket the better. You will want to look on HBT forums about temperature control during fermentation and the simple ways it can be done. Welcome and enjoy your new hobby. Cheers

dcp27 said:

a 5gal carboy isn't 5gals to the brim, its about 5gal to the shoulder so it'll have some headspace. just set up a blow off tube on it and should be all set. you can get a bigger fermenter (the buckets are cheap and work well) while its fermenting, sounds like you need to get a bottling bucket anyway.

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The way my brews ferment, I'd be losing a lot if I was trying to fill a 5 gallon carboy to the shoulder. (Mine are 5 gallons to very close to the bung, also.) I use a big carboy, it's probably about 9 gallons to the top, plenty of room for my 5-6 gallon batches.

I went with the tube (1 1/4" tube). It fits well in the carboy. I checked the carboy and as one mentioned 5 gals only comes up to the shoulder. After adding the wort and the yeast and shaking it a little I stuck one end in the top of the carboy and put the other end into a bucket with water. I did the batch up last night and now it's just happily bubbling away! I'll give that a couple of days and then change it out to the airlock. Hopefully it'll all be done by Superbowl weekend!