1st 10 gallon - process advice

Okay, I'm getting ready to brew my 1st 10 gallon all-grain (OktoberFAST clone) this weekend.

For 5 gallons it's pretty obvious - ferment in a 6-gallon plastic primary, rack and secondary in 6-gallon glass carboy, rack into corny keg and carbonate

I have available 1/2 barrel keg, 1 corny keg, 1 6-gallon glass carboy, and 2 6-gallon plastic primaries.

Would experienced 10 gallon brewers suggest:
1) ferment split into 2 primaries, skip secondary in favor of a long primary, and combine in the 1/2 barrel to age/carbonate

2) ferment in the 1/2 barrel - rack into 2 plastics for secondary - rack back into 1/2 barrel and carbonate

3) ferment in the 1/2 barrel - rack into 2 plastics, clean 1/2 barrel, back into 1/2 barrel to carbonate (again skipping secondary)

4) other?

Until I get a 2nd 1/2 barrel options are limited so I'm wondering what people have found to be the least hassle. THANKS.

Since you are talking about carbonating in the sanky, I'm assuming you have the Tapper to go with that. How do you clean your 1/2 barrel? I have fermented in a 1/2 barrel before. You just need to remove the grip ring and take the dip tube/sanky guts out. Your local brew shop should have a drilled stopper for your airlock. This of course is a lot of fussing with your 1/2 barrel.
Then again.. I'd look into picking up another 5 gal corney. Ferment in your 2 plastic buckets or better yet get another 6 gal carboy and ferment in those. I know you probably didn't want to spend the money on equipment right now, but given the list of equipment you listed as having on hand, it's not going to easy to do 10 gallons without a lot of jacking around.

I would ferment the whole shebang in the 1/2 barrel and pick up a drilled stopper for an airlock for it or just cover with some sanitized foil pressed around the neck. I usually skip a secondary and just do a month in the primary unless I'm being impatient. than just rack into your sanitized buckets for the cleaning of your keg, wich some scalding hot oxyclen will have it cleaned in a half an hour or so... and than rack back in the keg and serve up. I have done this exact method before I got more kegs and It works great. or to save all the racking just split the batch in the buckets with no secondary and rack to the sanky for serving...

I'm be tempted to ferment in the 1/2 barrel and rack to 2 cornies when it finishes a long primary. You would have to pick up a second corny but you are gonna do that later anyway aren't you?

looks like it depends on how you are dispensing.. since you have 10 gallons but only 5 gallons of corny to serve with, you could dispense with the 1/2 barrel.. the logical solution there would be to ferment in the 2 buckets, skip secondary, then just rack into the 1/2 and carb up..

I already have a 2nd corny, but as of this Friday it will be full of a Double Red IPA so I didn't list it as available. And for some reason the price on used corny's locally shot up from $19.95 to $39.95 recently.
But, that's still as cheap as another glass carboy (and easier to clean).

Anybody ever used a corny for primary? Does the small surface area make foaming out the airlock more of a problem? I'd think the same gas out of a smaller area is going to yield a taller krausen. Just thinking that might be a solution (plus storing multiple cornys in the fridge is easier than stacking 2 plastic buckets)

johngaltsmotor said:

I already have a 2nd corny, but as of this Friday it will be full of a Double Red IPA so I didn't list it as available. And for some reason the price on used corny's locally shot up from $19.95 to $39.95 recently.
But, that's still as cheap as another glass carboy (and easier to clean).

Anybody ever used a corny for primary? Does the small surface area make foaming out the airlock more of a problem? I'd think the same gas out of a smaller area is going to yield a taller krausen. Just thinking that might be a solution (plus storing multiple cornys in the fridge is easier than stacking 2 plastic buckets)

Click to expand...

I use unmodified cornie's for primary. I do 12gal batches and split it between three cornies. I just unscrew the pressure relief valve and a piece of bev tubing will "thread" into the relief valve hole and an airlock fits right into that. or just use a longer piece of tubing and have a blowoff.

I know of people who ferment five gallons in them just fine as well with fermcap s but I just split it 4 4 4

after fermentation, "I usually don't secondary" I'll just crash cool and than hook up the cobra tap and blow out a nice yeast sample into a sanitized mason jar until the beer runs clear and than hook up to a liquid to liquid jumper and transfer under pressure.... around 5psi to my serving keg.

Then you are ready to harvest any more yeast you may want to or just dump and clean out the keg. Just rinse and fill with oxyclean and let sit for a day and rinse again. done!

I brewed and 11 gallon Kolsch recently and did everythng in two buckets to include two week lagering.

I then naturally carbonated (corn suger) with half a packet of dry Hefe yeast in each (re-yeasting); it is a great beer.

In my humble opinion any beer that can be bottled or kegged in 5 or less weeks can stay in PLASTIC.

I usually keg in 4 weeks and any other conditioning can occur in the Keg. (I brew ales, usually Low Gravity)

So I guesss I like number one "1) ferment split into 2 primaries, skip secondary in favor of a long primary, and combine in the 1/2 barrel to age/carbonate."

Thanks Cruzn, I think that may be my new default. I'll just pickup an extra set of gas disconnects for the ball-lock fittings and put on long hoses to go into a blowoff jar. Then I can transfer right into the 1/2bbl to dispense.

I really like the ability to get my arm into a corny to clean it compared to just brushing the surface of the carboy (or the plastic fermenters getting scratched and being possible nooks and crannies for bacteria to hide). Plus using them as fermenters and dispensers as a multi-tasker means less equipment to store. I picked up some Fermcap-S last week to be safe (both in the fermenters and in putting 13.5gal in a 1/2bbl to boil).

cool. I hope it goes well for ya. I have never turned back from fermenting in kegs. I get great results and no problems or worries. good luck and have a cold one for me!

How likely is it that a less than stellar keg sealing affects things? most of my kegs when I pressurize need 10-15PSI to seal the o-ring, below they initially hiss. I would think that as long as there is no huge gap this won't let enough wild bacteria in to affect quality, similar to if your plastic bucket lid doesn't seal well enough to make bubbles in the airlock.

Once your fermentation starts the vessel will have a nice co2 layer on top of the fermenting beer. It's not likely you will have a problem.. However, if you plan to keg in that cornie after your fermentation is done, get new O rings. A leak like you discribed will drain a 5# co2 bottle in no time. If your using natural carbonation, it will never really carbonate.

Thanks MrBrew, I was figuring I'd just use a washer or something to make the cap lever squeeze a bit tighter but a new o-ring is likely best. That keg was a recent purchase so I wasn't sure if it was an old o-ring or somehow the mouth was actually deformed.

(Translation: I was excited to brew 10gal and didn't verify that everything was in prime working order so I had to wing it)