Carboy Question not found in search

[wheelsonfire]

Ok, at the risk of ridicule I will post this after a search attempt.

I am a noob and just brewed my first oatmeal stout and am starting a honey wheat. The stout is bottled and the wheat is in the primary.
I have a glass carboy as a secondary but was not going to use it for the honey wheat. Can I use it as a primary for another batch?

Thanks and sorry for being an idiot.

 

[beerthirty]

You can use it for primary or secondary. Many of us don't secondary our beers just leave them in the primary for 3 weeks. I only use glass for extended secondaries (like mead). Others use exclusively glass. If its large enough use it. You gotta get that pipeline full.

 

[bsay]

Sure can! If it is a 5 gallon (assuming you brew 5gal batches) you'll want to attach a blow off tube instead of an airlock. If it's a 6gal carboy (or bigger than your batch size) then you can just put a normal airlock on it.

 

[wheelsonfire]

Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be making a run to Austin Homebrew for some ingredients. I'm getting impatient waiting on the bottles and need something to do. I know it's worth the wait, but I hate waiting. Damn!

 

[carnevoodoo]

Sure can! If it is a 5 gallon (assuming you brew 5gal batches) you'll want to attach a blow off tube instead of an airlock. If it's a 6gal carboy (or bigger than your batch size) then you can just put a normal airlock on it.

It depends on the types of yeast you use. Some will still blow off an airlock in a 6.5 gallon carboy.

 

[golfguy819]

It depends on the types of yeast you use. Some will still blow off an airlock in a 6.5 gallon carboy.

i have a 6 gal carboy that i haven't used yet, but was going to do a pumpkin ale from austin homebrew in this. it has an OG of 1.050 (i think) but whenever i order a kit from them, i opt for the 1% alcohol boost. would it be safer to use a blow off tube for this batch, or do you think i could get away w/ an airlock?

 

[Professor Frink]

i have a 6 gal carboy that i haven't used yet, but was going to do a pumpkin ale from austin homebrew in this. it has an OG of 1.050 (i think) but whenever i order a kit from them, i opt for the 1% alcohol boost. would it be safer to use a blow off tube for this batch, or do you think i could get away w/ an airlock?

If you're using pumpkin in there, you'll want to adjust the recipe so the volume in primary is 6 gallons, since there will be about 1 gallon of trub with the pumpkin in there, so, yes, I would use the blowoff tube.

 

[michael88n]

Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be making a run to Austin Homebrew for some ingredients. I'm getting impatient waiting on the bottles and need something to do. I know it's worth the wait, but I hate waiting. Damn!

Damn. Someone lives close enough to Austin Homebrew to actually say "making a run to Austin Homebrew..." I'm certifiably jealous.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[Austinhomebrew]

Don't use a 5 gallon carboy as a primary unless you want to lose about a gallon of beer. If you have a healthy fermentation you might lose more. If you have an unhealthy fermentation you may only lose 1/2 gallon.

I recommend 7 or 8 gallons for a primary.
Forrest

 

[wheelsonfire]

Damn. Someone lives close enough to Austin Homebrew to actually say "making a run to Austin Homebrew..." I'm certifiably jealous.

Cheers,
Michael

OH, That is just one of the many perks of living in Austin, Texas. I discovered Austin Homebrew on my way home from work about a month ago. I have been hooked ever since.
This message board has only fueled the obsession.
Thanks to you all.

 

[wheelsonfire]

Don't use a 5 gallon carboy as a primary unless you want to lose about a gallon of beer. If you have a healthy fermentation you might lose more. If you have an unhealthy fermentation you may only lose 1/2 gallon.

I recommend 7 or 8 gallons for a primary.
Forrest

So, in your basic beginner kit is the plastic bucket 6-7 gallons? I think my total cost was around $130 with the glass carboy. Does that mean I have a 5 gallon carboy?

 

[eddie]

Five gallon carboy is fine to use as a secondary but is too small for a primary. This is because there isn't enough head space in a five gallon carboy to allow for the krausen (the froth that forms on top of a fermenting wort) and it will end up pushing through the airlock or out the blow-off hose. It's possible to lose a gallon of beer this way and makes one hell of a mess. Many kits include a five gallon carboy but it's intended as a secondary, not a primary, for five gallon batches.