Carboy question

Hello all!
I just brewed my first batch this past Sunday and I have a question regarding the 5 gallon carboy that I have. After going through many posts on this site, it sounds as if I don't want/need to transfer from the plastic primary the brew is in now to the carboy. So I am wondering, is the 5 gallon carboy large enough to work as a primary when brewing 5 gallons? What modifications, if any, will I need to make? I am not even a week in and I want to brew again!

You'll get both answers here I think but I feel like it isn't necessary to transfer to a secondary for standard non-high gravity beers. If you are aging on fruit, oak, dry hop (I actually do this in primary now also) than you want to use a secondary.

Your second question- no a 5 gallon carboy is not big enough for a 5 gallon batch if you actually pour a total of 5 gallons into it. It will work but it will probably be a mess. Use a blowoff or scale your recipe down to 4.5 gallons to leave a little room.

Welcome to the addiction!

Fermenting buckets with lids are cheap enough to have 2. Midwest Supplies and Northern Brewers have them for under $15. Much better than a carboy that is too small.

+1 to the 5 gallon carboy being too small for 5 gallon batches of beer. Now, 5 gallons of Apfelwein, that's a different story. Might as well make use of the empty carboy.

I ran into the same situation. The five gallon carboy isn't a waste of money: you can still use it to secondary if you're going to add fruit or dry hops. And I'll often brew three gallon experimental batches in it.

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I will be getting another bucket!

From trial and error, tasting etc, carboy brews have a lower pH since more CO2 retained. Lower pH kills many bugs. Depends on strength and length of fermentation of beer I guess. Weaker short brews don't matter.

I have used my 5 ga carboy as a primary with a blow off.....kind of a mess and a pain to clean out. The buckets are easier to use, and clean up afterwards.

Save the carboy for when you want to lager, or something along those lines.

Ive read that a 5 gallon carboy is perfect for 5 gallon secondary...Least amount of headroom the better

I've used 5 gallon carboy's for secondary so far, and a 6 gallon PET carboy for my primary (beside the one time I used the bucket)... I have mead inside my glass 5 gallon carboy (since the start) and used a blow-off tube setup on that to save myself from messes in the kitchen. I'll end up getting another blow-off tube setup for the PET carboys so that I can run more than one primary at the same time (already planning to brew another batch either this weekend, or start it some time next week)... I might pick up another 6 gallon PET carboy for a primary, but probably not for a while.

As for the capacity of the 5 gallon carboys... In the ones I have, you have at least some space left when filling them with 5 gallons. Pretty much once you get to the point where they just start to slope inwards, you've already hit 5 gallons.

Every time I get a new carboy (or first time I get a different make carboy) I fill it with the target volume and mark it. That way I know, without any doubt, where that level is. I'm also getting into the habit of marking them every gallon, so that I can adjust the volume as needed.

If you're over-concerned, then formulate the recipe for either 4 or 4-1/2 gallons for the 5 gallon carboy... If you're using software like Beer Smith, you can set your target volume so that you'll be able to adjust everything else. I don't think you'll need to adjust much if you're dropping the volume to that level. Play with the recipe on the software and see what you need to do to the quantities of the ingredients... I'm liking what Beer Smith lets you do to recipes...