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1st and 2nd fermentation containers?

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brewpastor1

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I hear and see lots of people ferment first either in a carboy or a bucket, and then the second ferment is in a carboy. Why is this? Does it really matter if your first and second fermentation is in a bucket? Do you really need to ferment in a carboy at all? Any thoughts please.
 
People generally do secondary fermentations in a carboy due to headspace. Carboys have less headspace than buckets, and for the secondary fermentation, that's a good thing, as too much headspace can lead to oxygenation of the beer and off flavors.

Do you need to ferment in a carboy at all?

No. I for one don't. I use buckets, but then again, I've never done a secondary fermentation.
 
There generally are two schools of thought. Secondary is a waste of time and that secondary is not a waste of time. Honestly, you'll get as many different answers on why as you'll have posts in this thread.

I do primary in plastic buckets, because they are cheap, easy to handle and don't break and cut my leg open. I do use glass carboys for secondary though, but only if I'm going to dry hop or need some extended storage to free up a bucket. Main reason I use a carby being, my carboys are 5 gallons, I purge with CO2, then fill with beer and put an airlock on it. The 5 gallons allows for very little headspace, my hope is, with purging with CO2, that I get most of the oxygen out and don't have to worry about that.

That being said, my pipeline is such that I usually primary for 3 weeks, then go right into the keg for my normal beers. I guess in a way that acts as a secondary, as it sits, waiting for a space to open up in the fridge.

Honestly, I don't think there is a right or wrong way to do it, but I've found, by searching this site, the general consensus is that always racking to another vessel for secondary fermentation, is an outdated, unnecessary method. A lot of people on here, I have found, even keep the beer in primary for dry hopping or fruit additions.
 
I just recently started using a secondary after an IPA I brewed came out with a lot of "floaties". It came out with an off-putting appearance and even odd taste. Since then I found that using a secondary allows for a clearer brew when I go to bottle. There is not as much gunk in the secondary to suck up when bottling. Plus it opens up my primary fermenter so I can start the next batch. I use a glass carboy for the primary mainly because I use the homemade chilling (wet towel/fan) to lower the temp and the glass seams to stay cooler longer.
 
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