secondary in a bucket?

[Opivy]

I've got a batch going now that calls for a secondary (actually supposed to rack today) but don't have the means to do so.

Was gonna go and pick up another plastic bucket fermenter anyways ( just so I can have 2 batches going at once) when I started thinking about all the picture I've seen of secondary fermentation.

Always done in the bottle type of fermenters -

Is there a reason for this?

I asked the guys at my LHBS (and they never seem to know what they're talking about) and he they told me it's "Just so you can see it".

Money is always tight, and I'd love to be able to get away with just getting a couple more buckets -

so what's the deal with secondary?

 

[Dunerunner]

Doesn't matter. Use the bucket.

 

[ryandlf]

Technically buckets are not great secondary fermenters because of the headspace they leave on top of the beer. For a 5 gallons batch you typically want a 5 gallon carboy for a secondary so its nice and full.

But besides that point, a lot of people these days are skipping secondaries all together unless you plan on aging the beer in the fermenter for more than a month. Otherwise its actually better to let the beer sit on the yeast for longer so it can clean its mess so to speak. Just something to consider.

 

[ElDuderino]

There aren't many beers you need a secondary for, and using one just increases your chances of infecting and oxygenating the beer. Keep it simple.

 

[KevinW]

I've got a batch going now that calls for a secondary (actually supposed to rack today) but don't have the means to do so.

Was gonna go and pick up another plastic bucket fermenter anyways ( just so I can have 2 batches going at once) when I started thinking about all the picture I've seen of secondary fermentation.

Always done in the bottle type of fermenters -

Is there a reason for this?

I asked the guys at my LHBS (and they never seem to know what they're talking about) and he they told me it's "Just so you can see it".

Money is always tight, and I'd love to be able to get away with just getting a couple more buckets -

so what's the deal with secondary?

Well I think besides "just so you can see through it" a glass fermenter will not absorb any flavors/odors like plastic can and glass does not scratch as easy as plastic.

Of course glass is heavy, expensive, and can break fairly easily.

Any chance of finding a better LHBS? LOL jk

 

[C-Rider]

Doesn't matter. Use the bucket.

Home Depot sells food quality buckets for less than $4. They are 5 gallons and should eliminate the Head Space problem. Dont know if y ou'll need a cover w/a rubber seal or can just use the HD cover.

 

[Opivy]

wow I didn't know home depot had food quality buckets!

I'll just have to buy a lid and ferm lock =0

I asked a different LHBS about buying buckets at home depot and he just told me that they're not food grade.

 

[C-Rider]

wow I didn't know home depot had food quality buckets!

I'll just have to buy a lid and ferm lock =0

I asked a different LHBS about buying buckets at home depot and he just told me that they're not food grade.

I believe it's the white buckets you want. There is printing on the outside that says food quality. The orange ones are NOT. I'm using two orrange buckets, one for cleaning and one for sanitizing. I think that's save.

 

[Opivy]

but I don't see how that will eliminate head space - as what I'm using now as a primary is a bucket.

 

[C-Rider]

but I don't see how that will eliminate head space - as what I'm using now as a primary is a bucket.

Most primary buckets sold at LHBS are 6.5 gal I believe. Cutting 1.5 gal of space should reduce "head space".

Of course I'm just a NEWB!

 

[RM-MN]

While you brew is in the primary bucket it has a layer of CO2 on it, the product of fermentation. When you rack this to secondary you lose this cover and expose the surface to the oxygen in the air which will be absorbed into the beer and cause oxidation.

By racking into a carboy that is smaller than your primary bucket you will hopefully fill it to the neck which will limit the exposure to air to just that small diameter neck. That's why racking to secondary is to a carboy instead of a bucket.

Unless you can tell us just why your particular beer really, really needs secondary, just leave it in the primary until the yeast are done cleaning up the byproducts of fermentation and have settled to the bottom. As mentioned above, this eliminates the chance of infections due to transferring and limits the chance of oxidation at the same time.

 

[Yooper]

I wouldn't rack to a bucket until I absolutely positively had to. The reason is two fold- one, each time you move the beer you run the risk of oxidation and/or contamination. That's a small risk, though.

The thing about the headspace is important. Now, it doesn't matter if it's a 7 gallon bucket or a 5 gallon bucket. The headspace is the width of the bucket, not just whether it's two inches or 5 inches from the top. Does that make sense? The bucket is, say, 13 inches wide. That's a wide headspace. A carboy would ideally come up to near the bunch, and it's about 2 inches across. That's the amount of headspace the beer would be exposed to.

In primary, using a bucket is absolutely fine. That's because during active fermentation, co2 is produced and "blankets" the beer. That blanket isn't permanent, but it's heavier than air so it'll help protect the beer as long as it's in primary. Once the beer is racked/moved/opened, though, that co2 disipates. That's when protecting the beer by reducing headspace is important if doing a secondary.

If it was my beer, I'd leave it in the bucket it's in, and not rack to another bucket! Just start another beer in a new bucket and skip the "secondary" altogether.

The "secondary" is a misnomber anyway, held over from winemaking techniques. In a pro brewery, the vessel that holds the beer after fermentation is the "bright tank". It's a clearing vessel used after fermentation so that another beer can be started while the first one clears a bit.

 

[Indyking]

I don't secondary my ales, but I have lagered in plastic buckets before with no problem whatsoever, although I have to admit I always prefer lager in my glass carboys, but they are not always available.

There is much discussion about protecting beer from air, but honestly, I have heard so many stories about how people handle their beers with much less care about aeration and yet their beers turn out great. So, I think in a typical homebrew set up and considering how fast that beer will be consumed anyway, it doesn't really matter if you secondary in a carboy or a bucket.

 

[CortexBomb]

The main reason why glass is used as a standard secondary to me has less to do with aesthetics or any of that junk, it has a lot more to do with concerns about plastic's porousness to oxygen. On a short, month or two timeline, that won't matter. For long secondaries, it will. I don't think most homebrewers are doing long secondary-requiring brews, but for those, glass is superior because it will not let air in.

 

[jetmac]

The main reason why glass is used as a standard secondary to me has less to do with aesthetics or any of that junk, it has a lot more to do with concerns about plastic's porousness to oxygen. On a short, month or two timeline, that won't matter. For long secondaries, it will. I don't think most homebrewers are doing long secondary-requiring brews, but for those, glass is superior because it will not let air in.

Bingo!

 

[KoedBrew]

Don't even bother with Secondary!!

Unless it is something special that you need to move it...I wouldn't recommend secondary container just leave it in the primary for the time you would secondary!

 

[kingmatt]

Whenever I secondary (which is rare) I try to use my 5 gallon better bottle to minimize the chance for oxidation (which has been discussed here already).

I am about to transfer my wheat ale to a plastic bucket onto 6-8 cups of fresh watermelon juice on Friday however.

I am not worried about it because a) that is the only open vessel I have right now, b) it will only be in the secondary 7 days before I bottle, and c) the watermelon juice will actually cause a "secondary fermentation" as the yeast consume the sugar in the juice, so they will be producing an additional layer of CO2.