ztexz
Active Member
Good afternoon, everyone --
So SWMBO surprised me with two nice, shiny new carboys -- only problem is they are 5g, not 6.5g. Since she bought them online, I don't want to go through the hassle of returning them if I don't have to. (I'm trying to sell them on Craigslist, but I live in a small town that doesn't have much of a homebrewing scene, so no takers yet.)
Assuming that I can't sell them and buy the 6.5g carboys, I've come up with the following options for using them. I was wondering what people think. (Note: I currently have one 6.5g carboy)
I'll probably dedicate one of the 5g carboys to EdWort's apfelwein. I can't get enough of the stuff, and it doesn't seem to produce any real kraussen, so head space isn't an issue.
With the other one, here's what I've come up with:
1) Do a regular 5g batch, and use a 1" blow-off tube. I'm not wild about this idea because I like to do very long primary fermentations and let everything settle back in. I feel like the blow-off method is based on some out-dated ideas about the value of kraussen and carrying away various proteins, tanins, etc.
On the other hand, this is probably the easiest way to put the 5g carboy into service.
2) High gravity ferment, then dilute. I thought of borrowing this technique from the big commercial brewers. Basically, I would use the ingredients for a 5-gallon batch, but only do a 4-gallon boil, figuring that about 3.5 gallons would be left. I'm guessing that putting 3.5g in the primary fermenter would leave enough head space in the 5g carboy.
My thought would be then to add de-oxygenated water (boiled then quickly cooled) to the batch -- probably at the same time I was racking it to the bottling bucket to ensure proper mixing of the two.
The danger here, as I see it, is having too much oxygen dissolve back into the water while I'm waiting for it to cool.
3) Go old school and use the 6.5g carboy to do primary ferments and then rack it into the 5g for secondary.
My problem with this is that I'm a firm believer that secondary is an unnecessary step, and I like to leave my beer on the yeast cake for a good long time.
So, I ask you, fellow Homebrewers, which of those 3 options would you recommend and why? (FWIW, I'm leaning toward Option 2.)
So SWMBO surprised me with two nice, shiny new carboys -- only problem is they are 5g, not 6.5g. Since she bought them online, I don't want to go through the hassle of returning them if I don't have to. (I'm trying to sell them on Craigslist, but I live in a small town that doesn't have much of a homebrewing scene, so no takers yet.)
Assuming that I can't sell them and buy the 6.5g carboys, I've come up with the following options for using them. I was wondering what people think. (Note: I currently have one 6.5g carboy)
I'll probably dedicate one of the 5g carboys to EdWort's apfelwein. I can't get enough of the stuff, and it doesn't seem to produce any real kraussen, so head space isn't an issue.
With the other one, here's what I've come up with:
1) Do a regular 5g batch, and use a 1" blow-off tube. I'm not wild about this idea because I like to do very long primary fermentations and let everything settle back in. I feel like the blow-off method is based on some out-dated ideas about the value of kraussen and carrying away various proteins, tanins, etc.
On the other hand, this is probably the easiest way to put the 5g carboy into service.
2) High gravity ferment, then dilute. I thought of borrowing this technique from the big commercial brewers. Basically, I would use the ingredients for a 5-gallon batch, but only do a 4-gallon boil, figuring that about 3.5 gallons would be left. I'm guessing that putting 3.5g in the primary fermenter would leave enough head space in the 5g carboy.
My thought would be then to add de-oxygenated water (boiled then quickly cooled) to the batch -- probably at the same time I was racking it to the bottling bucket to ensure proper mixing of the two.
The danger here, as I see it, is having too much oxygen dissolve back into the water while I'm waiting for it to cool.
3) Go old school and use the 6.5g carboy to do primary ferments and then rack it into the 5g for secondary.
My problem with this is that I'm a firm believer that secondary is an unnecessary step, and I like to leave my beer on the yeast cake for a good long time.
So, I ask you, fellow Homebrewers, which of those 3 options would you recommend and why? (FWIW, I'm leaning toward Option 2.)
