Secondary Conditioning

I use a 14.5 gallon conical fermenter, which I fill with 12.5 gallons of wort everytime I brew. So, far everything is hunky dorie.

I have given thought to using a 15-gallon cornelius keg as a secondary.

Here's my theory...

Primary fermentation of 2-3 weeks depending on gravities.

Transfer to secondary (cornelius keg), bump it with gas to get a positive seal the keg, and let it rest for 2-3 weeks.

Check for carbonation and if neccessary bulk prime with sugar or malt and/or hit with gelatin. And, give it another week or so....


...then transfer the contents to bottles, and 5-gallon cornies.



any thoughts?

you have a conical, there is no need for a secondary, just give time for the yeast to fall and dump it out of the cone until it's clear.

+1, what he said. No need for a secondary.

15 gal cornies are $$. I am just going to buy more 5 gals. Why not 'secondary' them in your 5 gals. That way your already done if you determine you don't need a secondary. If you do, transfer.

I think the term "secondary" here is misleading, I'm thinking the OP wants to "bulk age" his brew. There are several benefits to this, one being that the beer will age faster in bulk.

I'd probably use a 1/2bbl Sankey to do this in as the cornies are a lot of dough. I don't know that I'd even hit it with CO2, just slap an orange carboy cap on it and call it done for a while.

wyzazz said:

I think the term "secondary" here is misleading, I'm thinking the OP wants to "bulk age" his brew. There are several benefits to this, one being that the beer will age faster in bulk.

I'd probably use a 1/2bbl Sankey to do this in as the cornies are a lot of dough. I don't know that I'd even hit it with CO2, just slap an orange carboy cap on it and call it done for a while.

Click to expand...

Indeed, doing anything in bulk has it's advantages.

General consistency is what I am after and this is more efficient to achieve it in a what I guess I could call a bright tank. I am going to try it on a 5-gallon cornelius before I sink in the $300 for a 15-gallon cornelius.

The 2 to 3 gallons of headspace in a 15-gallon cornelius should provide ample room for the brew to generate enough CO2 for carbonation. I do realize I can lock up the conical until it hits 3 psi. My preference is to keep the conical busy doing what it does best, and that primary fermatation, trub dropping, and sample draws.

This much I do know: If I use a corny as a secondary the atmospheric pressure will invariable carbonate the brew. And, upon transfer to 5-gallon cornies and bottles the brew will retain a great deal of the carbonation.



Thanks guys.
Could use some more input.