Allow me to ask some stupid questions...

[cdub2103]

Hey all. My second batch is underway, and so far I've been working off some salvaged equipment and a few cheap buys to get me up and running. I'm starting to think about how to expand/upgrade my brewing equipment. Currently I am only set up for 1 gallon batches, so my first step is to expand to 5+ gallon. A couple of questions...

With the 1 gallon batches I've typically started with about 1.25 gallons of water, so I had to use a pot to handle the starting volume (plus a little extra room for stirring and boiling without making a mess). If I'm going to brew 5 gallon batches, what size brew pot should I get?

I'm working in a tiny apartment kitchen. Given the capacity of standard stove tops, should I think about splitting the mash and boil between two pots? Rather than one big one?

When I get to brews that require a secondary fermentation, ideally should that secondary fermenter just be another carboy? I always see it done in plastic buckets instead and I'm a little confused about this.

On the northern brewer website I only see a difference of about $25 between a 6.5 gallon bucket and a 6.5 gallon glass carboy. Is there some advantage to using a plastic bucket for secondary that I'm missing?

And for that matter after primary fermentation is complete,why can't I just transfer my fermenting wort to a sanitized pot, clean out my primary fermenter and use it as my secondary fermenter, and add the fermenting wort back in?

Be gentle. Thanks folks.

 

[jiggs_casey]

As far as the 6.5 gallon carboys, if you are thinking about going that route, look into 'Better Bottles'. I have seen them recently a lot cheaper than glass carboys. They serve the same purpose. But, you could use buckets as well.

If you want to do 5 gallon batches, look into a pot that is at least 8 gallons in size. This will help you a LOT when it comes to avoid boilovers and having to clean all the crud off, in, and around your stove top. You will also need to take into consideration whether or not your stovetop can get 7 or so gallons to boil. You could always step up from 1 to 3 gallon batches as well!

As far as secondaries go, it's really up to you. There is a ton of debate on here as to whether you should use them or not. Even for kits that call for them. You don't HAVE to use them. I would risk exposing your beer by transferring it to a pot then into a secondary vessel. Just let it sit.

 

[Arneba28]

OK, So for a 5 gallon batch you will need no less then a 6.5 gallon pot.

Also, plastic or glass, not enough of a difference for me to pay the extra money anymore. The upside of glass is is doesnt stain when your doing stouts or browns if your aging for awhile.

And you do not want to be transfering your beer from your primary to a pot then back to your primary, #1 your exposing it to more air and risk oxidation from splashing it all around like that.

Also, with the stove top stuff. I could never get my 5 or 5.5 gallon batches to boil on my electric stove top. I always did a 3 gallon boil then just topped off. Or on occation I would just do 2, 2.5 gallon boils.

 

[seabass07]

I wouldnt get a pot smaller than 8 gallons for full boils.

As for secondary, the point of using a carboy is the lack of head space. Transferring to another bucket will leave too much o2 in the headspace. You want as little air in the head space as possible.

 

[seabass07]

Btw, 8 gallon canning pots are wide enough to fit on two burners. I can easily boil 7.5 gallons with just the stove.

 

[twalte]

And you do not want to be transfering your beer from your primary to a pot then back to your primary, #1 your exposing it to more air and risk oxidation from splashing it all around like that.

Also, with the stove top stuff. I could never get my 5 or 5.5 gallon batches to boil on my electric stove top. I always did a 3 gallon boil then just topped off. Or on occation I would just do 2, 2.5 gallon boils.

I have a fairly heavy duty gas stove, and I can get no more than 4 gallons to a boil (and it is barely boiling...not a good boil). If you can get the pot over more than one burner, you may have a better opportunity than I do.

I do 5 gallon boils on a propane burner, and I use an 8 gallon brew kettle. I wish I had done 10 gallons in hindsight due to the risk (and occurrence) of boilovers. Also, if you are looking at doing BIAB, it gives you more space for the grain.

I do not do secondaries and I agree that you should just leave it in the primary for an extended time. (Secondaries are usually used for big beers that are going to age for months, or where fruit/oak additions are being added) Much safe to do the primary and avoid oxidation. There is a lot of discussion on this site regarding the debate over secondaries.

You can still do 5 gallon batches, but they won't be full boil. I have not done these, but I have seen recipes where a smaller batch is brewed and then topped off with water to achieve 5 gallons.

I like my 6.5 gallon glass carboys, but I see a lot of respected brewers on this site that use buckets too. I like being able to see the cloudiness of the beer, but you also need to make sure you protect the beer from light using a carboy.

Good luck with your move to larger batches!

 

[flars]

A lot of my brews are made from extract or partial mash kits. Target volume for fermentation is 5 gallons in the primary. I typically boil 2.5 to 3 gallons of water in a 5.5 gallon stainless steel pot on the stove to create my wort. Before adding the cooled wort to a 6 or 7.5 gallon glass primary I will add 2.5 or 2 gallons of cold water. Then top off with cold water to make up for volume loss in the boil. I'm old school. I use glass for my primaries and secondaries. Your secondary for 5 gallons of fermented wort would be 5 gallons. Reduces headspace and contact with oxygen.
Some people use plastic buckets for both primary and secondary. Look up the threads on this and then decide.
Number one concern for your situation is; how much water will your stove bring to a full boil in a reasonable amount of time?
Pot size versus volume. A pot half full of wort is easier to keep from boiling over than a pot three quarters full.

 

[cdub2103]

Thanks for the responses guys. Sounds like I shouldn't worry too much about secondary just yet. I'm working on a gas stove, so I'll just have to see how much it can handle.

For those working with 5+ gallon glass carboys, do you find any logistical issues with these that I should prepare for? Like aerating such a heavy container, or moving from point A to point B.

 

[brewinchef_fairfax]

When it comes to doing boils on my gas stove I will split a 5 gallon bottle of spring water between 3 pots. 3 gallons in the boil pot and a gallon in each of the other two. I boil them all for roughly 5 minutes at a high boil - then cool the other two smaller pots to 70 degrees for top off water.

Once I am done with my boil I cool the large pot down to 70 - 73 degrees and use the other two pots to bring the wort into temperature spec. this allows me to have a lot of control over the final temp. If the wort is a little too hot I can always use the cooler top-off water to bring the boil into spec. Then I transfer everything into the primary and pitch the yeast.

As far as transferring into to a secondary I use an auto siphon and it makes the job very easy. A 5 gallon secondary is fine for secondary. The primary should be a 6.5 at least. One trick I use to oxygenate the beer is the wrap the end of the siphon hose in sanitized cheese cloth and then start the siphon into a funnel. I hold the cheese cloth over the funnel - which has a fine mesh screen in it - at about 5 inches. This allows the beer to splash on the way into the funnel and gets it to mix with a lot of air on the way in.

 

[eyebrau]

If you're using a siphon to move from kettle to primary, just make sure the end of the hose that's in the fermenter has about 8 or more inches to the bottom - just the falling of the wort from the hose end to the bottom of the fermenter will aerate the heck out of it. I use a funnel with a mesh screen as well, and little by little pour through the funnel/screen right into primary - the end of the funnel being either in the neck of the carboy or the funnel hanging from the side of my 6.5 gallon bucket - either way there's plenty of aerating being done via splashing as gravity does it's work.

The only time I use a secondary is if I'm adding oak or fruit or the like (often use a second bucket), OR if my primary is in a bucket (as is the case 99% of the time now after one too many blow-outs of high gravity beers fermenting wildly in a carboy), and if I'm looking for SUPER clarity in the beer, I'll rack to a glass carboy so I can watch it clarify and decide when it's clear enough for me.

 

[twalte]

A 5 gallon secondary is fine for secondary. The primary should be a 6.5 at least. .

This is key. Even with a 6.5 gallon carboy, I have had the kreusen from a 5 gallon batch spill over into the blowoff tube. A 5 gallon carboy would be an absolute mess for a 5 gallon primary.

Here's living proof...
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/im-tired-losing-gallon-beer-during-fermentation-383823/