6 Gallon Better Bottle for Primary?

[NervousDad]

I just bought a Winexpert Amarone kit w/ skins and dextrose. Can I use a 6 gallon better bottler for primary? Or should I go out and get a larger fermentation vessel? This is my first Wine brew and I hopping that I can use some of my older equipment.

 

[Kdog22]

I just bought a Winexpert Amarone kit w/ skins and dextrose. Can I use a 6 gallon better bottler for primary? Or should I go out and get a larger fermentation vessel? This is my first Wine brew and I hopping that I can use some of my older equipment.

5 gallon kit?

 

[NervousDad]

5 gallon kit?

It's 4.75 gallons of juice (makes 6 gallons), but there is also a bag of grape skins.

 

[Yooper]

It's 4.75 gallons of juice (makes 6 gallons), but there is also a bag of grape skins.

It'd be a bear to get the grape skins out of the carboy. You don't have any sort of bucket for primary?

 

[NervousDad]

It'd be a bear to get the grape skins out of the carboy. You don't have any sort of bucket for primary?

I just tiled a floor this weekend and I used my brew bucket to mix mortar
It seemed like a good idea at the time. I'll run out and get myself a bucket this week

 

[DoctorCAD]

A 6 gallon primary is way too small. Run out to a grocery store with a bakery and ask them for some baking ingrediant buckets. 2 smaller buckets will work if they dont use big ones.

 

[oreoman]

You will need a 7.9 gallon fermenting bucket or larger for that kit. It definitely will not work in the 6 gal carboy as a primary.

 

[Kdog22]

A 6 gallon primary is way too small. Run out to a grocery store with a bakery and ask them for some baking ingrediant buckets. 2 smaller buckets will work if they dont use big ones.

+1

That or (2) 5 gallon buckets would do the job as primaries as well. That was you'll have a replacement bottling bucket and an extra for future use. As yooper mentioned, it would be much easier to deal with the skins in buckets as opposed to carboys. Buckets would be the way to go for this.

 

[NervousDad]

Thanks everyone!

I've been watching a lot of videos on wine making and so far it looks a lot less sanitary than I'm used to with beer. Do you not need to sanitize the buckets with wine?

 

[Kdog22]

Thanks everyone!

I've been watching a lot of videos on wine making and so far it looks a lot less sanitary than I'm used to with beer. Do you not need to sanitize the buckets with wine?

Sanitize everything that will touch your wine. Buckets, tools, test equipment, everything. I'd say it's equally as sanitary as brewing beer. So yeah, i'd certainly sanitize the buckets. You definately don't want to chance an infection right from the start of your wine making. After all, primary fermentation is the perfect place for unwanted bacteria to grow.