How many primaries do you have?

So I just got into this addiction...urghhh I mean.... Hobby and I have my first batch bottle conditioning right now ready to be opened on Super Bowl Sunday. Well SWMBO have in and agreed that when we get out taxes back in 2-3 weeks that I can go purchase whatever equipment I wanted. I usually am allowed to spend 5-600 around tax time for whatever I choose and I am going to move up to BIAB for awhile. So my giddy self went on my LHBS website and made a wish list of everything I was going to purchase and I am happy with all my equipment but then it hit me, how many primaries is too many? I would like to have a solid pipeline going and was thinking three but thought I would come on here and see what you guys thought/had. So what is it how many primaries do you have for your pipeline?

I can't imagine having more than four. Even with three, once you get it going you are brewing or bottling once or twice a week with an occasional week off and some weeks you could be doing 3 sessions.

I have 2 9 gallon primaries (mostly for wine/mead) 4 6 gallon primaries, 4 5 gallon secondaries (I usually use them for wine/mead), its more than enough to keep 5 taps full all the time.

I didn't think about wine/mead, the turnaround time is so much longer than beer that it makes sense.

3 - 6 gal primaries
3 - 5 gal secondaries

I haven't even put any secondaries on my wish list. I know that this is opening a can of worms but is it worth having one secondary just in case?

Sometimes I will use secondaries for beer if the pipeline is full and i just feel like brewing. Its a good way to free up fermentor space.

Definitely get at least one secondary, lots of styles can benefit from it, whether it's dry-hopping, "dry-hopping" spices or fruit, or just extended conditioning. Remember you want a secondary the size of the batch with little to no head room.

Think about the time you have to brew and then go from there. If I could brew all day, every day...I'd have way too many goin' at one time...do as many as you can manage.

I have 3 1 gallon primaries, and 3 5 gallon primaries.

I usually leave 1 primary of each size open and secondary in that, if I'm going to secondary. Either that, or secondary in my bottling buckets. I have one for each size.

I don't usually do much aging in the fermentor. I age in the bottle. If you're going to age in bulk then I'd pick up another 2 secondaries for each size you want to do.

The other limiting factor on the number of practical primaries is your method of temperature control. I use a large ferm chamber (8x4x2) and never really have more than 2 temp controlled batches going at once. For extended aging it goes into a keg.

I do plan on doing a golden monkey clone, a westmalle tripel and a la fin du monde clone all Belgian tripels that benefit from extended fermenting and conditioning. So maybe I will get some secondaries. Is it better to batch condition with Belgian tripel/ belgian strong golden ales or bottle condition?

Wow...you're gonna' be busy...go for it.

Not that I've brewed a tripel myself, but it seems to me most tripels from Belgium (or here for that matter) are bottle conditioned. Seems to work out pretty damn well for a lot of them so that's probably the route I would take

Well I just got out of the military and I am a stay at home dad for the time being and all kids are in school during the day so aside from cleaning the house for SWMBO, PS3, and passively looking for a job I have lots of free time

I have 9 6.5 gallon plastic buckets and a 17 gal conical. I've had them all filled on only one occasion. They're great for starsan, oxyclean, keg cleaning, etc. I also have 4 5 gallon carboys, but they're mostly for collecting dust. Occasionally I'll age something in one, but for the most part they just take up room.

Hmmm well I could take some of your dust collectors of your hands

timduncan200021 said:

I do plan on doing a golden monkey clone, a westmalle tripel and a la fin du monde clone all Belgian tripels that benefit from extended fermenting and conditioning. So maybe I will get some secondaries. Is it better to batch condition with Belgian tripel/ belgian strong golden ales or bottle condition?

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Age or condition? Two different things. I'm a fan of batch aging, and I feel that all of those will benefit from bottle conditioning over force carbing. It just seems more appropriate for the style.

I have:
4- 6.5 gal buckets
4 - 5 gal carboys
1 - 7.9 gal bucket
1 - 6 gal carboy

any could technically be a primary altough I typically only use the buckets for primary and use the cayboys as a secondary

Aging in bulk is usually considered to be better. When you age in the bottle you can end up with some differentiation in flavor. Either from the separation that occured before the brew was bottled, or from differences in things like temperature or light during the aging process.

I age in the bottle as I tend to like to sample at different times, and opening your secondary to sample on a regular basis is just asking for an acetobacter or lacto infection.

gelatin said:

I can't imagine having more than four. Even with three, once you get it going you are brewing or bottling once or twice a week with an occasional week off and some weeks you could be doing 3 sessions.

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I had to laugh when I read this, I have 4 and I thought the same when I started but once I moved to BIAB they were almost always full, now I do 10 gallon batches and I need to buy more.

With BIAB since I was buying my grain in bulk I found myself brewing more often cause it was much cheaper than buying kits. Between buying my base malt in bulk and washing my yeast I could brew most 5 gallon batches for about $20.

I have four, don´t think I need more I brew almost every week, so i keep rotating them.

1 glass carboy
2 buckets

If I were to get another one and brew more I think the 4th might get shoved up my ass by SWMBO so I'm sticking with 3 at the moment. Which is enough to brew at least 2 times a month.

RIC0 said:

1 glass carboy
2 buckets

If I were to get another one and brew more I think the 4th might get shoved up my ass by SWMBO so I'm sticking with 3 at the moment. Which is enough to brew at least 2 times a month.

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Accidentally break the spigot off your bottling bucket and then replace the bucket because you need to bottle and the spigot isn't available locally and the bucket is. Then tell SWMBO that you need to replace the spigot so you don't have this problem again, put the spigot on the old bottling bucket (for storage purposes so you don't lose it) and suddenly you have a 4th primary. Just be careful that the spigot doesn't leak.

I literally emptied one last night and will be filling it back up today with a moose drool clone.

I guess I could sneak a 4th into my inventory without her knowing it's just the brewing process that I can't sneak and do. LOL

2 - 6.5 gal glass carboy primaries,
1 - 6.5 gal primary bucket
2 - 5 gal glass carboy secondaries
I sometimes use the secondaries just to free up a primary if needed. Though I have used a secondary for adding vanilla beans to an oatmeal stout.

4 - Buckets
1- 6.5 g carboy
3 -5g carboys

I rarely use the 5 g carboys, but occasionally for long term aging or brewing 4 gallon batches.

I have 3 6.7g buckets, a 6.5g carboy, a 6g carboy, a 5g carboy, and a 3g carboy. The 5g and 3g don't get used much, and usually for secondary, but I have done a few primaries in the 5 gallon, just cut the batch size down to maybe 4.5 gallons and used a blowoff the whole time. Max I've had in primary at any one time was 6 batches, but there's been a few times I've had 5 in primary and 2 in secondary.

I've got a 3 & 5 gal better bottle, a 5 gal glass carboy and 4 plastic buckets. All are occupied right now! The 3 gal (smoked porter) will be bottled manana. The rest are in various stages.

3 6.5G primarys
1 5G seconadry

I have 5 primaries.

Most of the time, just 1 or 2 are in use (for beer), but occasionally I'll do a batch of cider or wine (which uses another 2). The fifth one is just for insurance.

-a.

timduncan200021 said:

I haven't even put any secondaries on my wish list. I know that this is opening a can of worms but is it worth having one secondary just in case?

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I have 2 secondary, glass carboys. I bought them right off the bat, because I love IPAs. After being in the hobby for 6 months though, I wish I'd have spent that money on a 6th Keg. Kegs are great secondary vessels, and then when a spot opens up, it's as simple as connecting it. I purge them of oxygen and make sure to pressurize them at least every 2 days. By the time they are ready to go on tap, they are already 1/2 way there on carbonation. My next purchaseis definitely going to be Corny #6.

I ferment in kegs exclusively, so up to 8 with two on tap.

I have 3 6.5gal buckets, two 5gal carboys, and three corny kegs. I can secondary in the cornys if need be for lagers and cold crashing. The carboys do not see much use. Right now I have a cider, Oktoberfest, and Chocolate Milk Stout Going. Two empty cornys with the third serving Caribou Slobber.

3 buckets for primary. 2 better bottles for secondary (when needed). I also secondary and "long term" storage in kegs.

I hope to do some mead in about a month, and will probably purchase a new primary and secondary when I start just because of the longer term storage requirements.

I have over a dozen I guess, kinda stopped counting. I have 1 gallon glass jugs, a bunch of 3 gallon water jugs, better bottles and a mr beer fermenter for 2.5 gallon batches, at least 3 buckets, 1 glass carboy, 1 oak barrel, and I can't even tell you how many 5 and 6 gallon better bottles I own. I have wines and beers and meads and ciders of all different sizes usually going at any given time, spread out over my condo, my storage room in the basement, and when I had one, at my girlfriend's place, so it's kinda hard to keep track.

6 buckets, 1 bottling, 1 5Gal BB, 1 Water jug. Haven't yet had more than 4 buckets going at once with something in the BB, but I hope to soon keep many of them going.

I have 2 - 6.5 Gallon Primaries
1 - 6 gallon Primary
1 - 5 Gallon Secondary

I also have 3 kegs but one is reserved for filtering and I still feel like I don't have enough in my pipeline but I suppose only having fridge space for 2 kegs is also limiting at this time.

2 - 6.5 gal primaries
1 - 5 gallon carboy in its box somewhere, gonna have to drag it out for the Belgian Strong Ale i plan on making in a couple of months.
I might have to get a 3rd primary since everyone wants me to brew the Scotch ale again... I'm having a hard time convincing them it really isn't ready yet. Guess I should not have chilled that 6 pack.