Advice on best way to up production

[rdavidw]

I am just getting into the homebrew hobby. My 1st batch was just an extract and turned out nice. Number two is a partial grain imperial IPA and a few taste from the hydrometer tube put a big simile on my face. I have a weekly poker game and would like to be able to make a total of about 15 gal a month. Here is what I have picked up so far:
• 2 Coopers DIY kits
• Kegarator with a triple tap tower
• 4 Pepsi Kegs

I am guessing I will have the smaller beers fermenting for about 3 weeks and the bigger ones 4 or 5 weeks. I will then have to add a week or two conditioning in the kegarator. To up my production I am guessing I will need to get another primary fermenter or start using some kind of secondary fermenters. I sure wish Coopers sold just their fermenter.

What are my best options here?
1. Coopers - Just buy another Coopers kit at $100 ( I can use the beer ingredients it comes with and someone will want the bottles which brings the fermenter cost down to about $50). These clear plastic fermenters do not use airlocks and have the removable Krausen Collar. Will the beer or cider be safe in this for over a month?

2. Carboys - Pick up a pair of 6 gal carboys and use as secondary fermenters. Glass or Better Bottle? Should I just use a carboy as another primary? If I do, can I mix the near boiling extract wort and then top off with cold water directly in the carboy?

3. Pepsi Kegs - Pick up a few extra Pepsi Kegs and use them as a secondary. If I do this do I need to have some way to let the air escape? I could shorten the tube so it will not draw up sediment. Should I then transfer to another keg or just go straight to the kegarator with some sediment still in the keg?

Thanks for any advice. I do like trying to keep this simple and moving the beer as few times as possible.

 

[paulster2626]

2 fermenters and a secondary or two would be sufficient.

 

[blackbear219]

I vote buckets. They are cheap. I can get a bucket and airlock at my LHBS for $13. At that price, I started with two of them and before I knew it I had 5. I have had them all full at once, and might even pick up a couple more.

I keg so I don't need a bottling bucket and I don't secondary. With 5 batches fermenting at once, it makes it a lot easier to keep the pipeline going.

 

[rdharris55]

I use 6 gallon better bottles for fermenting and don't use a secondary at all. I have an IPA going right now that I dry hopped yesterday (after a week) so, I now call it "secondary" and will leave it rest for at least 2 more weeks...then I'll drop the temp and cold crash for a couple of days before racking to a corny keg. I'll force carb for a bit, then normal pressure for a couple of days...then smile as I drink.

 

[bknifefight]

Amazon has 6 gallon glass carboys on sale for $30 (free shipping, too). Buy a few of these.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VFXW5W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Yooper]

If you're kegging, kegs work well for fermenters. You'll want to transfer to a serving keg when it's time.

I'm more of a KISS person. I'd buy three more "ale pail" buckets with lids and airlocks. That can be a 15 gallon batch, and they are lightweight, cheap, easy to carry, and perfect for a 3 week primary and then racking right to the keg (or bottling bucket if you're bottling).

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

I am with YOOP. I have brewed in buckets and carboys and can tell no difference except the buckets are 1000 times easier to carry, clean, store,everything. That said I use 6.5 gallon carboys because I got a bunch for 3 bucks a piece. IF I was starting over however I believe I would go with buckets. OH YEAH, buckets do get scratched and have to be replaced, but carboys shatter and cause hospital visits.

 

[unionrdr]

I have the Cooper's micro brew FV,the BB ale pale at some 6.5-7G,& another 7.9G ale pale for a bottling bucket/secondary (if I need one). Although I may reproduce my bottling bucket for a dedicated secondary. Easier to clean,certainly. Just don't use anything course to clean plastic fermenters,etc. Soft cloth only. I use PBW to soak'em clean,wipe down with a soft cloth after soaking 5 days (fermenters). Bottling buckets/secondary pales just rinse out right away. Then remove the spigots & use aquarium brushes & PBW to get them clean.

 

[wedge421]

Yeah they key is to get more fermenters. Right now I have one BLichmann conical and it slows me down dramatically. I hate using buckets now know I have that haha

 

[unionrdr]

I just make sure I buy ale pales that have enough head space to ferment up to 6 gallons. That way,I can do 5 gallon recipes if I want as well. That's 10 to 12 gallons at a time,which translates to between 96 & 132 12oz bottles per batch. A couple rounds of that,& we can have some 4 kinds of ale stashed to tide us over for a while. We have holidays to think of atm,so it's time to get busy on those extra fermenters!

 

[MrPostman]

Dude, under absolutely no conditions should you ever pour the boiling wort into the carboy, followed by the rest of the water. Get your wort to 70 then siphon into it, it'll save you the cost of a carboy!

 

[Hackinjeebs]

Dude, under absolutely no conditions should you ever pour the boiling wort into the carboy, followed by the rest of the water. Get your wort to 70 then siphon into it, it'll save you the cost of a carboy!

And the beer inside, the most important part!

 

[Dgonza9]

Ferment in sanke keg. Move up to 10 gallon batches if your equipment will allow.