BBFCreatureFM
Active Member
This weekend (August 7), I plan to start my X-mas brew, a bourbon barrel porter. The thing is, I am moving in mid September. Only about an hour away. By that time, it is possible that the beer will still be fermenting and not yet bottle conditioning. It would be in a secondary.
I've read some threads that imply others have moved fermenting beer by car without issues (i.e. RDWHAHB):
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/transporting-fermenting-beer-247024/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/transporting-fermenting-beer-help-189637/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/transport-primary-fermenter-car-during-fermentation-184436/
But the comments in those threads suggest that the best time to transport is during active primary fermentation. With my schedule, the move would be well into the secondary fermentation.
I don't have time to wait until after the move to do the brew, because everything I've read about this beer (which I need for the holidays) says that the longer it sits, the better it gets.
My options are to (1) carefully move the fermenter (covered from light, air conditioning blasting, kept as unstirred as possible by the car), or (2) potentially cut the secondary fermentation a little short and bottle early (3 weeks in primary, probably 2 in secondary).
I'm leaning towards the latter because it isn't really that short for a secondary fermentation. What I'm really concerned about is trying to fit a bottling session in while the house is in chaos and I'm about to move. If I don't find the time to bottle, will I mess up the beer by transporting during secondary fermentation?
I've read some threads that imply others have moved fermenting beer by car without issues (i.e. RDWHAHB):
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/transporting-fermenting-beer-247024/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/transporting-fermenting-beer-help-189637/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/transport-primary-fermenter-car-during-fermentation-184436/
But the comments in those threads suggest that the best time to transport is during active primary fermentation. With my schedule, the move would be well into the secondary fermentation.
I don't have time to wait until after the move to do the brew, because everything I've read about this beer (which I need for the holidays) says that the longer it sits, the better it gets.
My options are to (1) carefully move the fermenter (covered from light, air conditioning blasting, kept as unstirred as possible by the car), or (2) potentially cut the secondary fermentation a little short and bottle early (3 weeks in primary, probably 2 in secondary).
I'm leaning towards the latter because it isn't really that short for a secondary fermentation. What I'm really concerned about is trying to fit a bottling session in while the house is in chaos and I'm about to move. If I don't find the time to bottle, will I mess up the beer by transporting during secondary fermentation?