Brewing qestion

[fuzzyguy1978]

Im looking into brewing my first beer. I have been looking around for a beginners brew kit and reading about it a lot. The kit i was thinking about does not use carboys, just the buckets. Its cheaper to start out. i have been reading the complete joy of home brewing. In this book he walks you though your first brew. His used just one fermenting stage and then bottles. About 14 days fermenting and the same in bottles. In this he talks about the sediment at the bottom of the bottles.

Here is what i do not understand and maybe someone can help me. I think he said something about needing a carboy to do a second fermenting stage. I would rather do two stage fermenting and have a cleaner beer then all the sediment in the bottles. Can i do two stage fermenting in buckets with lid and air lock? One is a bottling bucket. Thought i would start first stage in bottling bucket, second stage in non bottling bucket so when i bottled i would have the bottling bucket for bottling. This would give me the time to clear bottling bucket. Would that work?

 

[Scooby_Brew]

Yes that would work. I would go with one week in the primary fermentation and two weeks in the secondary. Just make sure your bottling bucket doesn't leak.

 

[prrriiide]

Im looking into brewing my first beer. I have been looking around for a beginners brew kit and reading about it a lot. The kit i was thinking about does not use carboys, just the buckets. Its cheaper to start out. i have been reading the complete joy of home brewing. In this book he walks you though your first brew. His used just one fermenting stage and then bottles. About 14 days fermenting and the same in bottles. In this he talks about the sediment at the bottom of the bottles.

Here is what i do not understand and maybe someone can help me. I think he said something about needing a carboy to do a second fermenting stage. I would rather do two stage fermenting and have a cleaner beer then all the sediment in the bottles. Can i do two stage fermenting in buckets with lid and air lock? One is a bottling bucket. Thought i would start first stage in bottling bucket, second stage in non bottling bucket so when i bottled i would have the bottling bucket for bottling. This would give me the time to clear bottling bucket. Would that work?

Yeeeeaahhh....it'll work...

but I don't think I would. The ball valve in the bottling bucket is a good place for nasties to hide out and get into your bottles. Remember that when you finish primary, you will have an inch to an inch and a half of trub, yeast, hop sludge and stuff in the bottom of the fermenter. If that gets into that valve, it'll be a PITA to clean out completely. If you want to avoid the carboy, a second ferm bucket and lid are pretty cheap...<$15 from my LHBS. It's worth that to me to not have to worry with getting crap in the bottling valve. And then you have two buckets.

But aside from that, your beer can be every bit as clear from a single-stage ferment as from a secondary. If you are going to bottle-condition, you ARE going to have stuff in your bottles. No way around it. It is necessary to achieve carbonation. What that sediment is, is yeast that has been suspended in the beer. It has eaten the priming solution, peed alcohol and crapped CO2. Then it goes dormant in the bottom of the bottle. But without it, you will not get carbonation in the bottles unless you force-carb from a CO2 tank.

What you can do, is to have a long primary fermentation - 4 weeks at least in the bucket. It won't hurt a thing to leave it on the yeast that long. At the end of that time, cold-crash it. Knock the temp down into the low 40s or upper 30s for a couple of days. Then let the temp come up to room temp slowly, and bottle. It'll be just as clear as if you used a secondary, and you don't need 2 buckets.

As a matter of fact, I am doing my first secondary (out of quite a few batches) right now, simply because I added some watermelon essence to the beer and need it in a secondary to get happy with the added flavor. But all of my other batches have been single-stage and all but two have been as clear as you please.

 

[fuzzyguy1978]

I see now. So the beginners kit is just a 1 stage brewing kit. If i want to get into a second fermentation then i should get a second bucket or carboy.

 

[KevinW]

"Secondary" is kind of a wrong term for what you are talking about. What you are talking about is "clearing" and you really do not need to do this. When you bottle your beer it will have to condition for a week or so to carbonate and after you can just chill the bottles down to regular fridge temps for a few weeks and they should be just fine.

As stated previous, a 4 week primary is probably all you will need clear the beer. When you transfer to bottle just leave as much sediment in the fermentor as possible.

3-4 weeks primary, 2-3 weeks in the bottle is the formula I use and I do just fine!!

"Secondaries" are better for dry hopping, adding fruit/spices, or long term conditioning like for barleywines and the like!

 

[DannyD]

and then you can always add gelatine finings 3 days before bottling to make it super clear

 

[AdamPag]

Honestly.... I rack so tight off the primary my bottles have barely a light dusting on the bottom. If you dont have an auto siphon, get one. If you're really concerned about clarity, cold crash your primary for like 12-18 hours at around 38*

That being said, I dont cold crash and get rather clear brews with very little sediment even after about 18 days. Secondary isnt necessary unless you're dry hopping, fruit additions, or oak aging etc. Dont Bother.

 

[RM-MN]

With the money you save by not buying a carboy to do a secondary that isn't necessary you can buy 2 more fermenter buckets and have 3 batches going at once. With that much going on you won't be stressing about waiting for that first beer to be ready to drink and you will have a pipeline full of beer in no time. I leave most of my beers in the primary for 3 weeks and the beer has very little sediment layer in the bottle. Besides, I can save you a bunch of money on dietary supplements by avoiding buying brewers yeast and just getting a little yeast from your bottles.

 

[stevo155]

I'd be careful about doing a second stage in a bucket since there will be a lot more headspace and risk of oxidating your beer. With a primary, you need that headspace for krausen and it's protected by a layer of CO2. When going to second stage, the fermentation isn't as active and excessive headspace could possibily cause oxidation.

I use 6 gallon Better Bottles for primary with blow off tube and Fermcap-S. If I ever need a second stage ( oak, spice, or I want to reused the yeast ), I transfer to a 5 gallon BB with an airlock.

 

[lonesome_oak]

I bought a starter kit back in September, and so far I agree with the pro-bucket crowd. I have two better bottles that sit unused for the most part. My fermenting bucket on the other hand has probably gone unused a grand total of 2-3 days since I purchased it. I did find it useful to have a carboy for making apfelwein without tying up my bucket for a few months, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over not getting a carboy if you are trying to start on a budget.

As far as clarity goes, let it clear in the primary for four weeks like everyone mentioned, and you'll be just fine. Adding some rehydrated Irish moss at the end of your boil also really helps. My LHBS gives it away for free with every purchase, but I don't know if that's common practice.

 

[kh54s10]

I have two 6 gallon Better Bottles, one 5 gallon Better Bottle and a bucket. I use them all. I prefer the Better Bottles because I can see what is happening.

I rarely do a secondary any more. I primary ferment for 3-4 weeks. By then all the sediment has settled to the bottom and my beers are very clear.

I use the 5 gallon better bottle for 3-4 gallon test brews.

If you use carboys I suggest the Better Bottles. They are a LOT lighter and MUCH safer. No shattered glass to worry about.

 

[unionrdr]

I def have to say that more than 1 week in primary is needed to get down to a stable FG & the beer to settle out clear or slightly misty. & the beer may carbonate ok in 2 weeks,but 3 weeks minimum for carbonation,4-5 weeks for conditioning. Melding the flavors always seems to take longer than carbonating.
I leave the brew in primary till a stable FG is had,however long that batch takes to get there. Than another 3-7 days to settle out clear or nearly so. In that amount of time,it'll also clear up any average level off flavors.
They usually get crystall clear in bottles the first couple of days with a slight dusting on the bottom. Can't avoid that,as was mentioned.

 

[venquessa]

I'd KISS.

1 Bucket.
1 set of bottles.
1 syphon

Leave it at least 2 weeks in primary bucket. Syphon to bottles, prime and leave for 3-6 weeks.

The sediment in the bottom of the bottoms is minimal and not worth worrying over. Just pour the last 1/4 of the bottle gently and it will barely haze the last pour of beer.