6.5 gallon carboys for secondary w/ 5 gal. batches

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gubby

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Have you guys ever had problems with oxidation by using a 6.5 gal. carboy for secondary with 5-5.5 gal batches? Places I've read seem to warn against it, but I would like to get feedback from any of you who have done this.
 
I have never done it but I would imagine it would give you some oxidation. If you have the capability you could always purge the head space with CO2.
 
I think people are super critical over oxidation. As long as you are not shaking the carboy or aging for extended periods of time, you won't even notice.
 
Headspace is generally not a huge concern when bulk aging beer (mostly due to continued fermentation and off-gassing). Unless you plan on conditioning your beer for longer than 6-9 weeks, the bigger carboy is fine.
 
I think people are super critical over oxidation. As long as you are not shaking the carboy or aging for extended periods of time, you won't even notice.
Any idea on just using an HDPE bucket for a secondary? I'd guess you could go a month or two without worrying, but I wonder if anyone actually knows the permiability of HDPE or has a handle on how long you can leave something in HDPE before worrying about oxidation.
 
Any idea on just using an HDPE bucket for a secondary? I'd guess you could go a month or two without worrying, but I wonder if anyone actually knows the permiability of HDPE or has a handle on how long you can leave something in HDPE before worrying about oxidation.

I hate using glass because I hate cleaning it. The only thing I use glass for is apelfein because I dont wanna sacrifice a bucket for it and it remains in there for months. I generally don't let beer sit around in a fermenter for longer than 2 months because I like to drink it. I have never noticed any problems. Sorry I can't really help you.
 
I'm moving from 2.5 gallon to 5 gallon batches for my next brew, and I plan on getting the 6.5 gallon carboy. I'm not worried about oxidation at all, like yuri said the beer will let off more co2 in secondary to blanket the beer. Also I've seen plenty of 5.5 gallon recipes so in that case a 5 gallon carboy wouldn't quite cut it.
 
Also I've seen plenty of 5.5 gallon recipes so in that case a 5 gallon carboy wouldn't quite cut it.

Yes, it will. There won't be much room, but it will fit.

As for the OP, the less headroom, the longer you can leave it in there. I would just adjust your times accordingly.
 
Yes, it will. There won't be much room, but it will fit.QUOTE]

+1. I put 5.5g of APA in a 5g carboy, right up to the neck! I think the 5g mark is just above the shoulder of the bottle.

I'm with those who think oxidation is much ado. I once bulk aged 2.5g of pumpkin ale in a 5g carboy for about 6 weeks with no ill effects.
 
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