I am just starting brewing (still waiting for my first batch to condition in bottles) so I have naturally been doing a decent amount of research as far as best practices go. I went to my local brew shop the other day to pick up a carboy, and the owner of the shop gave me a few pieces of information that I hadn't read before, and I wanted to see what you all think. He said:
1) "If you are brewing 5 gallon batches of beer it is best to have a 5 gallon carboy instead of a larger one, so that the krausen is removed via a blow-off tube. Otherwise, it will fall back into the beer potentially causing off-flavors."
Is there any credibility to this? I have obviously read about blow-off tubes and such, but I haven't heard that it is better to ferment in a 5 gallon vs 6.5, and that the krausen can contribute to off flavoring.
2) "Instead of pitching the yeast immediately after the wort is cooled and in your primary fermentor, it is better to let it sit in a carboy for about an hour so all the sediment sinks to the bottom, then rack it off into another carboy and pitch the yeast."
One of my friends seemed to think this was not only not necessary, but dangerous since it would increase the chance of contamination. I did this anyway since it seemed like a good way to aerate the wort (I have a plastic piece on the end of the siphon hose which turns the wort into droplets as it siphons). I also wasn't too worried that an hour in a sealed sanitized container would increase the risk too much.
So, what does everyone think? Is there any credibility to any of this, should I ignore this information, or does it even matter either way?
Thanks in advance for your input!
1) "If you are brewing 5 gallon batches of beer it is best to have a 5 gallon carboy instead of a larger one, so that the krausen is removed via a blow-off tube. Otherwise, it will fall back into the beer potentially causing off-flavors."
Is there any credibility to this? I have obviously read about blow-off tubes and such, but I haven't heard that it is better to ferment in a 5 gallon vs 6.5, and that the krausen can contribute to off flavoring.
2) "Instead of pitching the yeast immediately after the wort is cooled and in your primary fermentor, it is better to let it sit in a carboy for about an hour so all the sediment sinks to the bottom, then rack it off into another carboy and pitch the yeast."
One of my friends seemed to think this was not only not necessary, but dangerous since it would increase the chance of contamination. I did this anyway since it seemed like a good way to aerate the wort (I have a plastic piece on the end of the siphon hose which turns the wort into droplets as it siphons). I also wasn't too worried that an hour in a sealed sanitized container would increase the risk too much.
So, what does everyone think? Is there any credibility to any of this, should I ignore this information, or does it even matter either way?
Thanks in advance for your input!