Fermenter size

[ProfSudz]

I've been looking through the pellicle thread and have become quite intrigued.

It seems like almost all of the pictures have a fair amount of headspace. Are you guys using 6 gallon glass carboys for secondary fermenters? Is 5 gallons too little (assuming 5 gallon batches)

Please give me your wisdom, as I am planning on buying some new dedicated equipment for this endeavor.

Cheers

 

[spenghali]

Its better to use a 5 gallon carboy for the secondary for a 5 gallon batch, it will minimize the head space and exposure to oxygen.

A lot of the pellicle photos are in buckets or 6 gallon carboys because they have more head space, or in the case of plastic, a higher rate of oxygen transfer, so the pellicles form more readily in these containers.

 

[ProfSudz]

Its better to use a 5 gallon carboy for the secondary for a 5 gallon batch, it will minimize the head space and exposure to oxygen.

A lot of the pellicle photos are in buckets or 6 gallon carboys because they have more head space, or in the case of plastic, a higher rate of oxygen transfer, so the pellicles form more readily in these containers.

So let's say you have a 5 gallon brett beer in a 5 gallon glass carboy that is filled to the neck- will a pellicle simply not form due to the lack of space, or would it grow and come out of the airlock?

If its growth is inhibited, does this slow down the funkifcation of the beer?

 

[dcp27]

So let's say you have a 5 gallon brett beer in a 5 gallon glass carboy that is filled to the neck- will a pellicle simply not form due to the lack of space, or would it grow and come out of the airlock?

If its growth is inhibited, does this slow down the funkifcation of the beer?

a pellicle doesn't need space to form, its just a membrane. if theres a surface & oxygen, it can form. a great sour or brett beer can be made entirely without a pellicle, it's just a sign of oxygen, it has nothing to do with funkification

 

[Calder]

So let's say you have a 5 gallon brett beer in a 5 gallon glass carboy that is filled to the neck- will a pellicle simply not form due to the lack of space, or would it grow and come out of the airlock?

A lot of mine go into 1 galon glass carboys and 3 gallon HDPE containers. It helps with storage in the crawl space and leaves my larger fermenters for regular ales.

I fill the glass carboys to the neck (probably about an inch between the beer and the rubber stopper). I always get a pellicle in them, and it never reaches the stopper. I use the drilled solid rubber stoppers.

The HDPE containers are not cylindrical, and have a flat (ish) top; I leave a much larger headspace in them, and never get a pellicle. Beer from the same batches (7 gallons usually), goes into both types of containers.

I've not noticed a difference in the souring between the two.

The only explanation I can think of that may cause the pellicle in the glass containers is that the rubber stopper is more porus than one might expect. The HDPE containers use hard plastic screw caps with rubber gaskets, and a hole with a grommet (seal) for an airlock. Once I move the beervtonthese containers, I never open them until I bottle or move to fruit, so frequent opening is not the cause.