How to transfer to secondary with inky one carboy and primary was in carboy.

Hello there,

I have a barley wine fermenting and it's been 4 weeks now. It's time to transfer to secondary. However all u have is a 5 gallon carboy and that's what is in now. I have a racking bucket and a fermentation bucket.

Since it's a barley wine it needs to stay in secondary for 6 months right? So what should I store or in?

If I do the carboy, will it be a big deal to go to bucket, clean the carboy, then transfer back to bucket for secondary for 6 months? Is the only risk possibly oxygenating the beer?

I appreciate any help. I need to transfer tomorrow or Monday.

Thanks,
Lorne

Any suggestions? I'm transferring to secondary tonight.

Thanks!

Personally, I'd avoid two transfers for one move. Every time you move the beer you chance infection *and* you introduce oxygen. The right way would be to get another carboy, transfer it once to the new carboy, and be done.

I'm not sure what a 'racking bucket' is. If you bought a startup kit, You likely have a fermenting pail, a bottling pail, and a 5 gallon carboy for 'secondary' which is only needed for bigger beers like what you have, that you intend to bulk age for a time.

It's finished fermenting, so why not bottle it to age it?

Yooper that's a good point, but the instructions say secondary for 4-6 months. Then bottle for 6-12 months. Or something along those lines.

I assume secondary plastic bucket is a bad idea?

lorne17 said:

Yooper that's a good point, but the instructions say secondary for 4-6 months. Then bottle for 6-12 months. Or something along those lines.

I assume secondary plastic bucket is a bad idea?

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But won't the beer age in the bottle? I don't know why it wouldn't. I'm a winemaker, and I do bulk age in a carboy but that's because wine will drop sediment and wine crystals with temperature changes. If you've got a beer that's already been in a fermenter for 4 weeks, and you don't have an appropriately sized carboy for bulk aging, why not bottle it?

And yes, aging in a bucket with a huge headspace is a terrible idea!

Yooper said:

But won't the beer age in the bottle? I don't know why it wouldn't. I'm a winemaker, and I do bulk age in a carboy but that's because wine will drop sediment and wine crystals with temperature changes. If you've got a beer that's already been in a fermenter for 4 weeks, and you don't have an appropriately sized carboy for bulk aging, why not bottle it?

And yes, aging in a bucket with a huge headspace is a terrible idea!

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Hrmmmmm, you make a good point Yooper! Can someone please help shed some light on if I should bottole my BarleyWine or not? Here is the recipe kit that calls for secondary fermentation: http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/beerkits/BarleyWine.pdf

Thanks,
Lorne

I'd follow yooper's advice, bottle it and don't touch it for 4 months

Bottling will be fine. Just age it in the bottle longer.