Can you fill a 5gal secondary half full?

The reason I askl is I may want to do a 1/2 adjunct and half Straight division of the latest beer I brewed. I made a Robust Porter that I want to divide up and pit some in secondary on some vanilla beans to make a Vanilla porter. Can you do that? Or will there be too much headspace -> oxidation.

Sure, you have full control. I have played with other yeasts this way too.

well... it's fine to use a 5 gal fermenter and not fill it all the way, I do this and don't secondary so my ales are in primary for 3 or 4 weeks (no autolysis issues yet and if you move 'em someplace chilly after the active part is over they come out really clear). BUT the reason I am safe is there is there is a CO2 layer over my beer from the big ferment activity. If you are racking to secondary you would not have that.

I'd say in the future, get two yeast packets (dry is cheap) and pitch into two separate primaries, wait until active is over, and then chuck your beans into one of the two and leave it a few weeks.

I don't know what would happen if you just went for it and split your current batch up, I've never tasted secondary-osidized beer and I don't know the danger level. If you wanted to be anal about it you could find a co2 source and purge the headspace in your secondary before closing. An easier idea might be to just do it all in one secondary, then at bottling time, prime and then bottle/keg half, then add some vanilla extract before bottling the second half. Only issue is does the vanilla extract have fermentables in it... might want to know that to avoid grenades.

Thats good to know.

I have been searching like mad for a store that sells vanilla beans locally and I think I finally found a place that I will visit tomorrow. I can't wait to get this into secondary on the beans. I absolutely love Vanilla Porter. Easily my favorite beer. God Bless Breckenridge.


EDIT: According to what I have read so far, vanilla extract is not to be used to as an adjunct. The Vanilla beans do a better job at imparting the taste to the beer. And I would assume that vanilla extract would have fermentables, although I am not certain about this.

2nd edit: Doesn't look as if there are any articles online that tell what compounds are in extract. Although there are 2 types of extract, and this seems to be the reason most people say don't use extract. :shrug:

If you have a CO2 tank and regulator available, you can purge your secondary with gas, thereby blanketing your beer with protection from O2 exposure. Or you can use Argon sold at most LHBS shops.

Salute!

RedIrocZ-28 said:

Thats good to know.

I have been searching like mad for a store that sells vanilla beans locally and I think I finally found a place that I will visit tomorrow.

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I dont know if you have access to a Costco or Sams Club etc but they are carrying whole Vanilla Beans now. We saw them over by the seasoning section just the other day. Plus they're club stores so you get a whole lot for not too much money

Whole Vanilla Beans are very expensive, I'm curious as to what you end up paying for them. Please post!

Slipgate said:

Whole Vanilla Beans are very expensive, I'm curious as to what you end up paying for them. Please post!

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QFT. The typical jar at the grocery store is two beans for $10-$12 bucks. Beanilla Vanilla used to advertise here, the next vanilla porter I do I'm probably going to order there, unless Sam's Club has a good deal (thanks for the tip burns629)

The last vanilla porter I made I scraped the insides from two beans and put it in a few tablespoons of vodka while the primary fermentation was going on. After fermentation I just dumped the stuff in the fermenter and waited another week.

Traditionally, pure vanilla extract if just vanilla beans soaking in a high proof alcohol. If you want to make your own extract, put a few cut and scraped beans into vodka and leave it airtight sealed and covered for at least a month. You can also use other liquors to impart different flavors, I've heard rum adds an interesting profile. Also, the more beans you add, the quicker it will absorb the flavor, and the less you use and the longer you will have to wait.

Also, I have used beannilla, but I have found better prices online if you look around a bit.

Slipgate said:

Whole Vanilla Beans are very expensive, I'm curious as to what you end up paying for them. Please post!

Click to expand...

I paid $9 for 3 - ~8" long Bourbon Vanilla beans at a specialty market. The package was marked $12.99 though. I don't know, maybe the cashier thought I was cute or something and wanted me to ask for her number.

A question about this, since I just transferred to secondary (for the first time ever) I noticed that there was quite a bit of headspace. There was a full 5 gallons in the Primary (maybe a little more) and I lost very little to trub, probably less than 2 quarts of trub/beer.

Why is there so much headspace in my Secondary? the 5 gallons only comes up to the point where the glass carboys sides begin to arc.