Covered Carboy's

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AleHole

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Does anybody know if there is any real advantage to covering your carboy's when fermenting? I have always covered them and find it is kinda becoming a hassle. Well maybe not a hassle just more of annoying more than anything. I keep them in a relatively dark corner and they are never exposed to direct light. So anyways is the extra trouble really worth it?
 
Palmer's take is as follows:
"Secondly, if you are using glass, sunlight will cause a photochemical reaction with the hop compounds and skunk your beer."
 
Plus, if you live someplace where the temp swings at all during the day, then covering them will provide some insulation and resistance to heat change, assuming you use something that is thick enough to provide insulation.
 
I wrap a towel around mine if it is going to be in an area where it might get exposed to sunlight. But during secondary fermentation I place them in a storage area under my model train layout that is very dark and has a relatively stable temparature. I never cover them once they're placed there and I've had no ill effects.
 
I have a hard time thinking that covering your beer will have an insulating effect. A few batches ago I kept one carboy covered with an old insulated Army jacket and one carboy uncovered. I have those adhesive thermometers attached and they both read exactly the same everytime I checked at various times throught the days and nights they were in there. Also I had temperature flucctuation from about 60 F at night to 70 F in the day.

Also, I would never store my beer where it had direct contact with sunlight. However if the beer is stored (in my case a dark corner) with minimal light and absolutely no direct light would that still skunk it? Or is absolutely no light at all desired? I have noticed my LHBS does not keep there beer covered when fermenting in a carboy.
 
I kept my first five batches in my guest bathroom with the doors closed and the lights off, without any covering, and they came out fine. Since I've had them either in the bedroom or back patio, I've kept them covered. The towel definitely has saved me from disaster a couple nights when I was at work and the temp dropped into the 40s. I came home to find the beer in the low 60s, but still okay. I keep all my carboys towelled now. I dunno how that will change once it gets too hot to keep them outside for fermenation though.

If you keep them indoors in the dark, with minor temperature variations, the towel is unnecessary.
 
I got mine in a closet and I can't hardly get my old lady to keep the light off when she closes the door, but they have all come out fine.

Cheers
 
Mine sits under a cardboard box, in the pantry just in case someone leaves the light on.
 
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