5 gal carboys

[Bombeque]

Hey all, Ill be brewing my first 5 gallon extract batch soon and was wondering what size carboy to use? My grandfather had 9 5 gallon carboys left from wine making. He since passed and I was thinking great for secorndaries! But if Im doing 5 gallon batches+fermentation space, would they be ok as secondaries or just a tad too small?

Tim

 

[medusa1066]

Most fermentation should be done by secondary. Also, you will be leaving behind a quite a bit of yeast in the primary. So as long as you are not planning on adding a bunch of fruit, I think these will work fine for a secondary.

Hell, I would even try to find a way to use them for primary (scale down, blow off tube, etc...)

 

[jester5120]

that size will do fine. just make sure you use a blow off tube in case your fermentation gets out of control.

 

[Hammy71]

I use 5 gallon carboys to secondary (when I rarely do). Never a problem.

 

[ACbrewer]

1, no they should work fine for a 5 gallon batch after it has finished the first week - assuming you want to rack. I don't bother anymore for most of my beer. (wine and mead are a different story).

if you make a standard 5 gal batch, then it will be about 5gal or beer and .25-.5 gallon of seddiment when you rack. Fill up to the neck and put the airlock on. Exception - if you add more sugars. (malt, fruit, honey, etc). Dry hopping shouldn't cause more fermentation/head space needs.

2. you and I are local - I've no idea what good that is... Although maybe we can do a beer swap. I presume you know where the LHBSes are.

 

[Bombeque]

I've no idea what good that is... Although maybe we can do a beer swap. I presume you know where the LHBSes are.

What is LHBS? Im currently getting my supply from Roxbury Farm and garden. Do you do all grain or extract?

 

[ACbrewer]

LHBS is Local HomeBrew Supply.

Roxbury is ok, and the other option is The Natural Path. Of the 2 NP often has a little better price, but >shrugg< if you really want price you do internet. I will use both because of well price isn't always best at one, and sometimes I need a lb of X malt or an once of Y hops and only one of them has it on hand.

I do extract brewing with some steeping grains, mostly wines from kits - although I've done a few from straight juice, and I do mead. In terms on bulk honey locally, go to I think the name is Health Way on 3 in F'burg. they sell local honey for about $4/lb. After a bad experience getting 12lb of honey that had a plastic flavor to it (which came into the mead) I like to get a little taste first, and they let you sample before you buy, esp if you buy >12lb (about 1 gallon btw).

 

[beergolf]

I use my 5 gallon carboys for 4 gallon batches.

I rarely secondary so they sit unused most of the time. I figure by doing 4 gallon batches I can put them to good use.

 

[Bombeque]

Thanks for all the replies! ACbrewer, I actually stumbled upon Health Way looking for the organic apple juice to make cider. While I was there I saw the honey and took advantage. Bought 3 lbs to put in my 3 gallon batch fermenting now. Think I over estimated the sugars I put in though and the alcohol will be a bit overwhelming, but no complaints here! I couldnt take a SG because I didnt have hygrometer at the time but after a week of active fermentation, it was sitting at 1.050, and 3 days after that it was at 1.030. Going to bottle and pasturize this weekend to keep a bit of the sweetness. Ill have to check out the Natual Path. I ordered an all grain starter kit from the internet, but still want to ease into it all with an extract kit.

 

[ACbrewer]

Bombeque - well you can figure it out.

Basically everything has a pretty standard sugar value. It is described as 'points per pound gallon or gallon pound' pppg? ppgp? basically if you take 1pound of thefermentable (sugar) and put it in so you have 1 gallon of mixture, you have the ppgp. Sugar(table, brown, etc) is 45 points, honey is about 35 points lme is 37 and dme is 43.

In your case you said you mixed 3 lb of honey (so 3*35 =105) and 1.5lb of brown sugar (1.5*45=67) with the juice, which is typically from 1.040 to 1.050, I'll use 46. So if the juice was a 1.046 on its own, then it had 46 point in 2.5 gallons or 46*2.5=115 points of sugar. total sugar points by the calculations - 105+67+115=287 pointsthen normalize to the per gallon is 114.8 ->or about 115. so you can have a reasonable OG of about 115. With a Gravity of about 1.030 now, you've had 85points converted or about 11%. Depending on your yeast, this could go abit further.

 

[Pie_Man]

Sorry about the passing of your Grandpa, that's pretty cool he used to make his own wine. The five gallon carboys will be fine for secondaries, although I've never actually used a secondary. I would think they would work for 5 gallon batches, but you'd probably want to use a blow off tube until fermentation settles down.

Personally, I haven't used a secondary fermentation. To me, it's too much extra work, extra cleaning, you risk oxidation, you risk exposing your beer to nasties. You could also transfer the beer too soon before fermentation is completed. It's a lot of extra work and risk for very little (if any) gain. My two cents.

 

[BigUgly]

I've used my 5-gallon carboy for primary a few times on lower gravity ales. As long as you have a blow-off you should be fine.

Or, you can sell some of them and buy some 6.5ers!

 

[Pie_Man]

Or, you can sell some of them and buy some 6.5ers!

Very true, nine five gallon carboys is quite a lot.

 

[RM-MN]

I think I'd find a sucker, uh, I mean buyer for the 5 gallon carboys and replace them with plastic fermenter buckets. The buckets will give you more head room, cost less, store easier, and are safer if dropped (which you won't since they have a nice handle). I can buy 2 buckets with lids and airlocks for the price on one 6 1/2 gallon carboy.

 

[BigUgly]

I think I'd find a sucker, uh, I mean buyer for the 5 gallon carboys and replace them with plastic fermenter buckets. The buckets will give you more head room, cost less, store easier, and are safer if dropped (which you won't since they have a nice handle). I can buy 2 buckets with lids and airlocks for the price on one 6 1/2 gallon carboy.

So only suckers use glass?

Hunter

 

[OG2620]

I think I'd find a sucker, uh, I mean buyer for the 5 gallon carboys and replace them with plastic fermenter buckets. The buckets will give you more head room, cost less, store easier, and are safer if dropped (which you won't since they have a nice handle). I can buy 2 buckets with lids and airlocks for the price on one 6 1/2 gallon carboy.

He's not buying anything. Plus you can support the glass carboys with a milk crate or use a brew hauler. That's just $0.02 from a "sucker."

Are we really going to start the plastic vs. glass debate?

 

[phenry]

Just throwing this out there, I ferment my witbiers and other ales that use pilsner malt for a majority of the grainbill in my 5 gallon carboy. I just mash/sparge like normal, but do a 1.5 hour boil to drive off the DMS, leaving me with about 4.5 gallons final. And it fits just perfect in a 5 gallon carboy with plenty of room for krausen.

 

[Bombeque]

Thank you all for the replies! I actually started a thread a few weeks back about my cider but didnt get a lot of response until I mentioned it here! Great info. I plan on making 2-3 beers one right after the other, while I have the time. That way I will have a few on hand. I think from the info here I will use the carboys as all primarys and then just rack to the bottling bucket when its time. Just as an fyi I bought a Russian Imperial stout kit and a Holiday ale kit. Both around 8% so Im guessing Ill def need a blow off on these. Ill aslo have a 6.5 gal bucket and lid from the kit Im getting. I ordered the all grain kit from Home brew adventures (think thats the name) with the 10 gal mash tun.

 

[RM-MN]

So only suckers use glass?

Hunter

I apologize. I just find that the advantages of the plastic buckets are so great that I wouldn't want that much glass in my house. There isn't anything wrong with brewing in glass but I think that the 5 gallon carboys would be better suited to someone making wine where you have the wine fermenting for months and don't have to deal with the head of krausen.

 

[Bombeque]

No, I completely understand. I just figured I could make use of what I have. The buckets are ok, but I prefer being able to see the fermentation at all times, so I would go plastic carboy if anything. For now though Ill be utilizing what I have and try to make it work. Trying not to break the bank in equipment. Too many hobbies!!

 

[BigUgly]

I apologize. I just find that the advantages of the plastic buckets are so great that I wouldn't want that much glass in my house. There isn't anything wrong with brewing in glass but I think that the 5 gallon carboys would be better suited to someone making wine where you have the wine fermenting for months and don't have to deal with the head of krausen.

I understand the argument for plastic completely, trust me! I just don't trust plastic, and I don't want to buy ANOTHER fridge/freezer (I have 4) to hold a conical. My wife tells me I'm stubborn, I say I'm hard to persuade...

 

[Bombeque]

I know this is off topic from the thread, but I thought I throw an update in about the cider. I currently do not have all the correct materials to properly rack the cider into bottles, so I made due with what I had. Just the siphon, sat it in the carboy. I know, lots of sediment. But until after xmas, this is my only option. I took a gravity reading yesterday before bottling and it was sitting right at 1.010. So from what ACbrewer and a few others have estimated, its a pretty stout cider(wine). Personally I love it. But, other tasters notice that it has a very pronounced alcohol note to it. Im guessing that will mellow out after a few months? After putting it in 7 1 liter growlers (easy top), I added 2 coopers carb drops and capped up. I let them sit for a few hours and they are now in the fridge. Last night before I referigerated them, I opened one just to see how the carbonation was. It fizzed over! So I figured Id better put them in the fridge asap before I get bottle bombs from continued fermentation. Gonna try it again tonight.

 

[ACbrewer]

I had a ice wine that finished with pronounced alcohol flavors. It has finally mellowed after about a year - well maybe 6 months. So yes the hot flavor shout come out with enough time. Could be months or longer.

 

[Bombeque]

Well, I cracked a bottle open tonight! I have to say Im pleased. The ones in the fridge are much clearer and all the sediment has fallen. I do want more carbonation though. So Im going to leave one out and test it over the next few days to gage it. It has a very slight carbonation now. And after a glass of it, I have determined it has plenty of alcohol!