Did we start off bass ackwards or not?

[RedneckBrewer]

In our excitement to start our first batch, we probably didn't think something through. In our gear kit that we got, it has a 5g carboy and a 6.5g bucket with a spigot. Naturally, the "instructions" led us to believe that we should use the bucket as our primary because it said to put the wort in the primary and fill to 5gal with water.

So here's the questions:

1. Did we screw the pooch by doing it this way?

2. If we leave it fermenting for remainder of our 10 days (8 to go) and then rack it into the carboy, will there be any leftover and if there is, what do we do with it?

3. Because its in a bucket, we'll have to pop off the lid to use the hydro to take a gravity reading (OG was 1.033). Should we wait until we transfer to the carboy to take a reading and wait to see if it stays the same for 3 days or just leave it in the bucket till the gravity is the same and then transfer to the carboy a few days before bottling day?


Thanks for the help fellas!

 

[TheDom]

1. Nah, you'll be just fine as long as you have 5 gal in that bucket primary, and not a full 6.5 gal. The spigot on the bucket isn't desirable for use as a primary because the nooks and crannies in the spigot assembly can be difficult to sanitize, increasing the possibility of contaminated batches down the road. For this brew, you're fine. If it were me, for future brews, I'd buy a 6.5gal carboy or another 6.5 gal bucket without a spigot.

2. If there's some left over....umm, drink it? Being that its your first batch, being able to try your beer (albeit flat and green at this point) will be fun. That, and it may delay the obligatory "OMG OMG OMG my beer has been bottled 3 days now, can I drink it yet?!?" post by a few days.

3. Yes, you'll have to take the lid off to get a gravity reading, no you shouldn't worry about it, as long as you keep anything that touches the beer sanitized. I use a well-sanitized turkey baster to pull a sample and fill up the hydrometer tube, then test the gravity in that. If you want to make use of your secondary, wait 'till your gravity reading has been stable for a few days before transferring.

Welcome to the best hobby ever!

 

[Lepersquatch]

Hello, and welcome.

1. That should be fine as long as its covered. Transfer into the carboy after a week or two (two if your like me, busy) and wash the HELL outta that bottling bucket/ fermenter. Spigot and all take it apart.

2.if theres a substantial amount you put to much water in. Only top to 5-5.5 gals. depending on the kit you used. Dump it. nothing you can about that. Lesson learned.

3. Drink a brew.

4. just wait a couple days over the recommend time and then test it for 3 days. I know you want to drink your tasty home brew but like I said you'll be glad you waited.

Hope that helps you. Good luck.

 

[Legin]

1. Absolutely not. Did you sanitize the bucket? Does it have a airlock on it?

2. The only issue I can see is that you fermented it in your bottling bucket. This means if you wish to use your bottling bucket as it was intended, you would want to rack into your carboy, clean the trub out and then sanitize your bucket, and then rack back into your bucket from the carboy.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by "leftovers." You'll just want to rack all of the beer (leaving the yeasty trub on the bottom behind) into your carboy. Edit: Although if you filled the bucket to the top, 6.5 gal. prepare yourself for a very watery beer.

3. I used to take the gravity readings between transfers, just do it after two weeks. Yes, the proper thing to do is to do the three days thing. This is just my former extract brewing advice, but I would just let it sit in the bucket for two weeks, not do any readings and assume it's done, and then transfer back and forth to get the beer in your clean bucket. Others may scoff at this method though.

 

[ajf]

1. With the equipment you have, no. You did it the best way you could.
2. Yes, there will be something left. Trub (which you don't want in the secondary). Just throw it away, or if you're feeling adventurous, see https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/ for instructions on how to collect some yeast for future brews.
3. I doubt your real OG was 1.033. I suspect that you topped off with water, and didn't mix enough before taking the gravity sample. If you post the amount of extract and grains you used, together with the volume pitched to the fermenter, we can come up with a more realistic OG estimate. Normally, I wouldn't recommend using a secondary for most beers, but because you will need the bottling bucket that you are fermenting in, you will have to. I would leave it in the bucket for at least 14 days before racking to the carboy. When you think you are ready to transfer, pop the lid, and have a look. If there is a lot of krausen (foam) on top, then seal it up again, and repeat after another week. If there is no (or just a little) krausen, then rack it to the secondary, leaving behind as much of the trub that you can.
I'd leave it in the secondary for at least 2 weeks before thinking about bottling. Then you can take a gravity reading, and another 3 days later. If they are the same (and within range for what you are brewing), you should be ready to bottle. If the gravity is still dropping, or above the estimated FG you should leave it for another week and try again.
You may want to invest in a 6.5g carboy or an ale pail (without spigot) for the primary fermenter. With this, you wouldn't need to transfer to a secondary, and you could save yourself some washing up.

-a.

 

[RedneckBrewer]

Thanks for the replies fellas!

I'm glad we're still in business. When we started and sanitized everything, we took the spigot apart and sanitized everything.

We only have 5g in the bucket, I know we needed to leave some head space.


AJF - Thanks for the reply. That makes alot of sense. Is there a reason you'd leave it in the bucket and secondary for so long?
I'm actually goin to get a 6.5g carboy or bucket this week. I'll go dig up the extract amounts and grains so we can get a good OG.

Thanks again guys!

 

[Germelli1]

my advice is forget you have the carboy, or fill it with EdWort's Apfelwein.

Ferment in the primary for a month and don't use the carboy.

Also if you havnt already, read How to Brew by john palmer (availible free online at howtobrew.com)

 

[ajf]

When I starter brewing, I was taught 1 - 2 weeks in the primary (till the fermentation had completed), then 2 - 3 weeks in the secondary (till the wort had cleared).
It didn't tale long to realize that 1 week in primary was too short in many instances, so I never transferred to secondary until after at least 2 week in the primary (and occasionally it required even longer for fermentation to complete). I also found that it often took longer than 2 - 3 weeks for the beer cleared in the secondary, so I never though about bottling until after 4 weeks in secondary. The result was better tasting beers.
A few years ago, it was suggested that a secondary was unnecessary for most beers, and that a prolonged (3 - 4 weeks) primary would produce a beer ready for bottling/kegging without using a secondary. I tried that, and found that the beers produced with this method were just as good (and often better) than beers using a secondary.
I now only use a secondary for lagers and when dry hopping.

-a.

 

[RedneckBrewer]

Thanks for replies and the the help aj. I guess the plan as of now is to wait and see when the fermentation is done in the primary in 10 days. If it is, (and I'm assuming I tell this by taking a gravity read on day 7 and again on 10) then I'm thinkin we'll rack it to the carboy and let it sit till it clears. (1-2 weeks?) and then rack back to the bucket and bottle. Is that a good big picture view of how to work around this deal until we get a dedicated primary?

Thanks again fellas.

 

[boostsr20]

If your OG was really only 1.033 I'd transfer at day 10. Typically if your going to use a secondary you want to have a small amount of fermentation still going on so you get a layer of co2 built back up when you transfer it. (After the krausen has dropped)

 

[RedneckBrewer]

Bump for the day crowd