A Couple of Quick Questions

Hello everyone! I am new to the hobby and the message board. I have two ales under my belt but I still have a couple of questions. I hope someone can help me out!

1.) I used a plastic bucket for my fermentation however; I was reading that a glass carboy can be used for secondary fermentation. When do you do a secondary fermentation? Is it only for certain styles of beer or am I skipping a step that would help me produce better beer?

2.) I have been brewing 5-gallon batches however; I wanted to make some smaller batches so that I can experiment with different recipes. What is the best way of scaling down recipes?


Thanks everyone! I am sure I’ll have a few more questions in the next few days.

Secondary fermenters are only truly neccesary for lagers and high gravity beers, but are highly recommended no matter the style. My beers became a whole lot better when I started using a secondary fermenter. Usually I rack to secondary when the krausen (foam) has fallen. For smaller batches you can use a 3 gallon carboy and make 2.5 gallon batches in that.

You use a secondary fermentation to age the beer and let it clear while removing it from the yeast and trub. This is done after the primary fermentation is complete. Usually after the beer has been in the primary for at least a week. It's not necessary, but you can end up with better beer. Some styles like hefeweizen it is not really necessary because it's naturally cloudy and aging is not really an issue. Big beers usually require it just to let the beer mellow out a bit.

To scale down a recipe, just do it proportionally
If you normally do 5 gallons and want to do 2.5, just cut the amount of everything (except the yeast) in half.

Remember, though, it's just as much work to brew 2.5 gallons as it is to brew 5. We all love the process, but it still bites to do a small batch and only net out a case. One thing I did was split a 5 gallon batch into a pair of 3 gallon carboys for secondary fermenation, at which point I did some experiments (adding fruit, maple syrup - you could also play around with dry hopping, or if you split going into the primary you could experiment with different yeast strains).

What I figured out, though, is that there is plenty of time to brew plenty of beer, so find some buddies who like what you brew and be generous! 5 gallons goes a lot quicker than you might think...

Why not split the amount of yeast in half as well?

Unless you are making a starter you are probably under pitching or at least pitching on the lower end of the recommended amount. Even if you end up over pitching a little it won't be by much.

If you are making a starter then by all means go ahead and calculate the proper starter size for your batch.