Using two Carboys

Hi all,

I tried searching the forum but really wasnt sure what to search for so I figured I would ask here. I am new to brewing and for my birthday got a kit and two glass carboys. Somewhere I heard that after the original fermentation is complete in the first carboy, you could siphon the contents to a second sanitized carboy and let it sit for a few more days to help clarify the beer even more...does this sound right or is it unnecessary. I will be brewing a Bitter IPA, not sure if that helps or not.

Any insight would be appreciated.

the process you described is using a secondary fermenter. most people on here only use secondaries when adding fruit or dry hopping. otherwise we normally just leave it in primary for four weeks then bottle or keg.

so if you plan on dry hopping or adding any fruit you don't need the second carboy right now. but i would hold on so you have more fermenters to do multiple batches at once.

All a matter of personal preference. I like to go 3 weeks in primary and a week in secondary for extra clearing since I can be a klutz when I siphon. Either way, extra time is always good for your beer, so don't feel you have to bottle a few days after fermentation stops, whether you use a secondary or just a primary.

Thanks Tinga, thats what Ill do then unless I plan on dry hopping. Not planning on actually brewing till this weekend (waiting for my brew kettle to get here lol).

ChshreCat, do you keep the same temps as you did for the first fermentation as you do for the second?

temperature control is really only necessary during primary fermentation (the active foamy stage of brewing). after that you only need to keep it under 80F to help preserve the flavor.

Thanks for all of your replies. So in order Ill do:

Primary Fermentation until the hydrometer readings dont change after a few checks
Secondary fermentation for extra clarity and to age a bit longer
Then, Bottle conditioning.

When all is said and done, I will def post an update. Thank you again and if you have any more tips they would be highly appreciated.

Or you can make bigger batches and use both for primary.

What size carboys did you get?

SauceBoss said:

Thanks for all of your replies. So in order Ill do:

Primary Fermentation until the hydrometer readings dont change after a few checks
Secondary fermentation for extra clarity and to age a bit longer
Then, Bottle conditioning.

When all is said and done, I will def post an update. Thank you again and if you have any more tips they would be highly appreciated.

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Personally, I would let it sit in primary even after the hydro readings plateau. Even if fermentation is complete, the yeast will metabolize secondary compounds and "clean up" the beer. Don't move the beer off the yeast too soon. I like to let my beers sit in primary for at least 10-14 days (sometimes even longer), even if I'm at FG after only 4 or 5 days.

+1 on the longer primary. Yeast create byproducts when they ferment wort into beer. After the sugars are all gone, they eat up those byproducts as they go dormant. If you want good, clean tasting beer... longer time in primary is where it's at.

homebeerbrewer said:

What size carboys did you get?

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Theyre 5 gallon.

Ok thanks for the explanation. Im pretty excited to do this so I will let you guys know how it turns out. Thank you again for all the feedback.

SauceBoss said:

Theyre 5 gallon.

Ok thanks for the explanation. Im pretty excited to do this so I will let you guys know how it turns out. Thank you again for all the feedback.

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If you're planning on doing primary fermentation in a 5 gallon carboy, plan on using a blow off tube as well. You might also want to get a bucket large enough to hold the carboy, just in case. Usually, the krausen will try to escape, and in the 5 gallon carboy, it'll be closer to the top, making it pretty easy for it to do so. The blow off tube will direct the krausen unto the container at the other end, and just in case the stopper comes off, the bucket holding the carboy will catch what falls to the floor. Neither will protect your ceiling if the stopper comes out with some force, but a blow out like that is less likely if you have the tube in place.

You should consider getting a 6.5 gallon carboy or two.

I am just getting back into brewing after a 10+ year hiatus.

I still have all of my original equipment, 2 carboys (a 7G and a 5G), wort chiller, 33qt stock pot and propane burner among other things.

I recall using the 7G first and then the 5G. I believe I did this for the clarity reason.

I like the idea of doing 4 weeks of primary in the 7G and not worrying about the 5, but it is good to know that I have the 5G ready to go if I "ChshreCat" the siphoning.