Rank newbie here. I've only got two 1 gallon kits batches under my belt. Neither of them are finished, so I have no idea how well I did yet.
I'm planning on sticking with small batches (1 to 2.5 gallons) for the foreseeable future due to reasons*. But I have a bunch of questions that are all fairly related and I'm not sure they would belong in separate threads.
I eventually would like to get to a point where I can brew a Chocolate Cherry Milk Stout - my favorite, but hard to find commercially. From the recipes online, I find I will need a secondary.
So I need a primary that will have enough headspace for a 2.5 gallon batch. Then I need to transfer to a secondary - ideally with less headspace - unless you veterans think the cherries will cause a secondary fermentation big enough to justify a secondary as large as the first?
Also, I'm still learning and figuring out my system. Specifically, how much volume I will lose in a boil. Therefore I'd like a primary with volume graduations on the side to measure my post boil volume. And I'd also like it to be clear so I can watch what's going on.
I found these Cambro Camwear round buckets that I thought I might use. But they only come in 8, 12 and 18qt (2, 3 and 4.5 gallon) sizes. Could I use the 3 gallon (12qt) size for both Primary and Secondary?
My concerns are that there is too little headspace for a primary for a stout. And too much headspace for a secondary that will just sit there. Am I right to be concerned?
The smallest carboy that I can find to fit a 2.5 gallon batch is a 3 gallon carboy. It won't reach the neck, so the surface area will about the same as the bucket, right?
Any other ideas? Please set me down the right path. Or at least _A_ path. I'm so confused, I don't know where to start.
*Those reasons being that I don't drink very much beer and my friends prefer the mass produced light beers. a 5 gallon batch will last me over 6 months. There are also cost and space concerns on my wife's part.
I'm planning on sticking with small batches (1 to 2.5 gallons) for the foreseeable future due to reasons*. But I have a bunch of questions that are all fairly related and I'm not sure they would belong in separate threads.
I eventually would like to get to a point where I can brew a Chocolate Cherry Milk Stout - my favorite, but hard to find commercially. From the recipes online, I find I will need a secondary.
So I need a primary that will have enough headspace for a 2.5 gallon batch. Then I need to transfer to a secondary - ideally with less headspace - unless you veterans think the cherries will cause a secondary fermentation big enough to justify a secondary as large as the first?
Also, I'm still learning and figuring out my system. Specifically, how much volume I will lose in a boil. Therefore I'd like a primary with volume graduations on the side to measure my post boil volume. And I'd also like it to be clear so I can watch what's going on.
I found these Cambro Camwear round buckets that I thought I might use. But they only come in 8, 12 and 18qt (2, 3 and 4.5 gallon) sizes. Could I use the 3 gallon (12qt) size for both Primary and Secondary?
My concerns are that there is too little headspace for a primary for a stout. And too much headspace for a secondary that will just sit there. Am I right to be concerned?
The smallest carboy that I can find to fit a 2.5 gallon batch is a 3 gallon carboy. It won't reach the neck, so the surface area will about the same as the bucket, right?
Any other ideas? Please set me down the right path. Or at least _A_ path. I'm so confused, I don't know where to start.
*Those reasons being that I don't drink very much beer and my friends prefer the mass produced light beers. a 5 gallon batch will last me over 6 months. There are also cost and space concerns on my wife's part.