Transferring after primary fermentation
- Thread starter Garmoni
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Why not air-tight, doesn't it have a gasket in the lid?
Leaving it be where it is, is best for most beers.
IOW, transferring to a secondary is generally not better than leaving it in the current, "primary" one. Unless it needs a long(er) time of bulk aging.
BTW, what is the actual (maximum) volume of that fermenter? Is it 15 gallons perhaps, with 12 gallons at your top marking?
NSMikeD
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I went to the mini brew site. It looks like you are using the hot liquor and mash tun buckets converted to function like a conical fermentor. I cannot tell if the original connections in the lid are airlocks or not. So first things first, if that lid is not air tight, and you don't also have some sort of air lock to let air escape and not enter, it's not useful as a fermentor. If you already have carboys, then either modify your "fermentor" to serve that purpose or put an airlock on a carboy and use that instead.
Given that initially you have air steadily exiting, it's possible that your beer is ok and thus get it in a carboy now (usually undesirable but lesser of your two evils). The longer you wait, and if temps drop, O2 and all the microscopic bugs will find their way into your beer
Given that initially you have air steadily exiting, it's possible that your beer is ok and thus get it in a carboy now (usually undesirable but lesser of your two evils). The longer you wait, and if temps drop, O2 and all the microscopic bugs will find their way into your beer
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Thanks for the replies. The lid does not have a gasket. It fits snug but obviously not air tight as I ferment in it without airlocks. There are ports in the lid where I could add an airlock but it doesn't seem needed. I could ferment in carboys but with a volume over 10 gallons it just seems easier to ferment in one vessel.
Yeast was pitched on Sunday and activity has slowed significantly so guessing fermentation is almost or complete. Sounds like I should plan to transfer to carboys this weekend and let it age and settle there.
Yeast was pitched on Sunday and activity has slowed significantly so guessing fermentation is almost or complete. Sounds like I should plan to transfer to carboys this weekend and let it age and settle there.
NSMikeD
Well-Known Member
you may want to rethink why fermentors are air tight aside from an airlock that allows one way airflow.
NSMikeD
Well-Known Member
I 100% disagree. He has two open ports on that lid. Equilibrium will dissipate any CO2 blanket very quickly. If the temp drops at night that will accelerate that.
The ports don't look open to me, but if it's not air-tight it's not air tight. If he doesn't need an airlock or blow off tube then air is getting in, especially once active fermentation is over.
NSMikeD
Well-Known Member
He is using a hot water bucket and a mash tun bucket that was converted to a conical fermentor. Those ports were originally intended to hook up water lines and are originally open. From the explanation, we know he didn't use air locks on the ports and there wasn't an indication that he plugged them. My bet is that air is getting in now.
I see plastic pieces screwed into the ports in the photo, but there's no top-down view so I can't tell if those are bolts or bushings. I've never actually laid eyes on one of these things, so if you're saying that you know they're bushings I'll take your word for it.
NSMikeD
Well-Known Member
could be closed. I do see what you mean that it looks like they were sealed up with plastic screw plugs. The lid doesn't look like it came with the original buckets (which have ports) nor the lid that comes with their fermentors (which has a bung and airlock). So who knows what's going on with it.
Found one on Ebay--$100.00 No Idea how much of a seal it has
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A milk stout isn't very hoppy at all. So less of a concern for oxidation I'd think.
I wouldn't be worried about any air that might be leaking into the headspace. Though it likely will mix quickly with the CO2 in the headspace.
You'll probably get more oxygen mixed into the beer via all the pitfalls one encounter with transferring it. So unless you are transferring to a keg that you intend to serve it from, I'd just leave it be.
I wouldn't be worried about any air that might be leaking into the headspace. Though it likely will mix quickly with the CO2 in the headspace.
You'll probably get more oxygen mixed into the beer via all the pitfalls one encounter with transferring it. So unless you are transferring to a keg that you intend to serve it from, I'd just leave it be.
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