Getting started

My kit comes with a 7.8 gallon bucket and 6 gallon glass carboy. Do I start my beer in the bucket and then transfer to the carboy? Or just use the glass carboy and use the bucket for bottling only? Thanks for your help.

Does your bucket have a spigot at the bottoms you need one to bottle. As for the primary you can use either one. I have both and use both all the time unless I need to secondary then I use the Carboy as the secondary which is pretty rare. If you don't have a spigot you should either buy a bottling bucket already made or buy the spigot and do it yourself it's much easier with the spigot then with out.

Does the bucket have a spigot on it? If so, it was probably intended as a bottling bucket, but it could still be used as a fermenter. I wouldn't bother transferring to a second vessel, unless it's a bottling bucket. Just let your beer sit in the main fermenter for two or three weeks to condition and settle.

Ha, we both posted at almost the same time.

Yes it does have a spigot on it so I'm assuming it is meant as a bottling bucket. You would use the glass carboy as the main fermenter and then transfer to the bottling bucket after a few weeks?

Exactly you should get a hydrometer if u don't already have one after a couple weeks take a reading and then a couple days later take another reading and if they're the same ur done fermenting. I usually give it 3-4 weeks in primary.

Go to the book store and pick up how to brew by John Palmer. I learned everything using that book and this website. They're both great.

mikerock said:

Yes it does have a spigot on it so I'm assuming it is meant as a bottling bucket. You would use the glass carboy as the main fermenter and then transfer to the bottling bucket after a few weeks?

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Yes, transfer right before you are going to bottle. It doesn't need to sit in the bottling bucket for any more time than it takes to bottle it.

Great! Thanks everyone...this site is really useful to a first time brewer such as myself. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions and poking around the other threads for more info.