Fermenter Size

Is a 10gal conical fermenter to big for a 5gal batch, is there to much head space or am I worried about nothing? Thanks

Nope, it'll be just fine. You're CO2 will fill up that head space pretty quickly after fermentation kicks off.

On another note, it's too small for a 10 gal batch obviously.

It's also bloody expensive. What is the attraction to conicals?

I've been reading some of the threads the DIY forum and US Plasitcs have some that can be fitted out with the right valves for around $100. No racking to secondary, easy samples etc... The 10 gal also is a nice size to set up in a cooling chamber to attempt lagering without a major refit. But your right much more expensive than the better bottle and buckets I use now.

Why do you need to rack to secondary? I can do almost anything I need to in the primary, with the exception of bulk aging past a few months and racking on to fruit.

wyzazz said:

Why do you need to rack to secondary? I can do almost anything I need to in the primary, with the exception of bulk aging past a few months and racking on to fruit.

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I also don't use a secondary.

I'm an ale brewer so I don't really know. But with lagers it may be an advantage to get the beer off the trub.

I have no idea about Lager at all or how the trub would effect it. The dimensions just made for a nice fit for cold fermentation.

When I was taught how to brew a couple years ago "they" said secondary was good to clear of the beer and get it off the trub due to off flavors. I've been reading lately that it's really not necessary but I haven't investigated far enough.

Other than that some dry hopping and fruit. Admittedly I haven't done much of either of these.

Mose said:

I have no idea about Lager at all or how the trub would effect it. The dimensions just made for a nice fit for cold fermentation.

When I was taught how to brew a couple years ago "they" said secondary was good to clear of the beer and get it off the trub due to off flavors. I've been reading lately that it's really not necessary but I haven't investigated far enough.

Other than that some dry hopping and fruit. Admittedly I haven't done much of either of these.

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You will not get off flavors in an ale from trub in the primary. I don't do lagers so I don't know about those. Beer will clear very well in the primary. Dry hops can also be done with no problems in the primary. I don't do fruit and I don't do secondary.

There is a lot of science and style that goes into this decision.

Don't criticize a secondary for ales. There are a lot of great reasons to use a secondary based on the combination of the science and personal style. There are just as many reasons to not use a secondary as there are to use it. We all balance our style with the science to achieve the outcomes we desire. No process is wrong. More importantly, no process is right. They are just different. Even the lame Mr. Beer instructions produce beer.

Based on your style and the science that fits, a conical can be advantageous. It makes it very easy to do a long fermentation with the convenience of not transferring to another vessel. As we all know, autolysis will set in after a while and you want to get those yeasties off the bottom. Conicals are designed to have just the right slant for the trub to come out in a nice plug.

If it matters, I have been racking to a secondary for over a decade and it works very well for the way I brew. When I'm really rockin' and rollin', I have 5-10 beers in fermenters or conditioning behind the ones that are currently on tap. Using secondaries is all part of my beer pipeline process that works well for me. For others, it's a PITA with no gain. I tend to brew big ales that need a long time to ferment out, and to condition. For this reason, I do a series of batches (3-5) that rely on the same active yeast cake. My first batch is a small ale that is effectively a starter to get a kickin' yeast cake for the following batches in the series. This works wonderfully with secondaries. But that's my style, that works with the science, and the outcome that I like with long fermentation and long conditioning. If you're into lawn mower beer, bottle, and brew once a year.. secondaries and conicals aren't going to help.

Cheers,
Scott

Well then...I guess I'll do some more reading, save some sanitizer and steam ahead. I guess I'll set aside the conical fermenter project and concentrate more on the temperature control issue and fine tune that area of the process.

I take it you do your primary until you hit your desired FG and rack to bottle bucket or keg? I've done it that way but I thought I was skipping a step and rushing things.

Thanks for word.

Scott,

Thanks, I don't do the lawnmower beers but I don't regularly do Imperials either. Though I will be trying my hand at a Bourbon Oaked Russian Imperial Stout in a week or two.

Most of my stuff comes out around the 6% ABV so nothing huge.

I haven't started harvesting yeast either, I'm not brewing that often yet, only 20 batches or so in the last two years. My overall upgrading is with the goal of brewing more often with less hassle and more accuracy.

I think with that I can stick to my current system, focus on temperature control and readdress the conical issue later. I guess I have fermenters, but not good temperature control so why create a redundancy here when it's not absolutely necessary and there are gaps in other areas of the process.

Thanks agian, I'm new the forum and much to my wife's dismay I'm becoming a bit obsessed with projects.

Thankfully, no matter what you do, you end up with beer.

I've been brewing for 16 years, and my methods have changed greatly over that time. My recommendation is to keep your gear as cheap and simple as possible until you find your groove. I've found my groove and it's been working for me for a long time.

Scott

scottlindner said:

Don't criticize a secondary for ales.

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Nobody is criticizing. I was just sharing my method.

Mose said:

Well then...I guess I'll do some more reading, save some sanitizer and steam ahead. I guess I'll set aside the conical fermenter project and concentrate more on the temperature control issue and fine tune that area of the process.

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IMHO, After sanitation, temp control and yeast handling are the 2 biggest improvements you can make in your brewing. A good fermentation will cure lots of problems. Pitch the proper amount of good healthy yeast and control the temps.

Mose said:

I take it you do your primary until you hit your desired FG and rack to bottle bucket or keg? I've done it that way but I thought I was skipping a step and rushing things.

Thanks for word.

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Kind of. What I look for is flocculation. When the yeast are done they will all fall to the bottom. Hopefully at this point you have also reached your FG. Cause once the yeast drop out it's very hard to get things going again. So once they drop I keg and call it beer. For stronger beers I will age them in the keg for several months. For smaller beers I drink them straight away. Also, hoppy beers and wheat beers I always drink very fresh. Hoppy beers and wheat beers are WAY better fresh. Something 8% or more I will let sit for a few months or more to mellow out.