First batch question

[biggibby]

Hello all. I'm about to brew my 1st batch of beer today. I'm doing a 2 part and have a question about my carboy. I'm fermenting in a bucket for my 1st stage and a 6 gallon carboy for 2nd stage. Should I use 5 gallon carboy instead for 2nd to reduce air?

Thanks

 

[nilo]

6gal is fine. What beer are you brewing? Most beers do not require a secondary fermentation.

 

[PT Ray]

I have to agree with ditching the secondary. I pretty much just use a bucket and let ferment for about 3 weeks before kegging. Sometimes I use glass for the primary because of space reasons in the chest freezer.

 

[justins2582]

When I first started out, I used the secondary method for all my beers b/c for one, I thought it would aid in clarity and flavor. And two, that's what all the kits said, and these companies must know more than I.

At some point I started leaving them in primary for 3-4 weeks, and I've made excellent beers since. It makes racking easier b/c it creates such a compacted yeast cake, which surprisingly gives better clarity than the secondary method.

My latest brew, a mint chocolate stout, will be my first secondary in a long time since I need to add the mint component to secondary.

Happy brewing!

 

[scinerd3000]

why not do primary in the 6.5 gal? thats what i normally use and it works great! Let it sit for 3-4 week and then bottle and your golden. If your dryhopping or adding fruit then you want a secondary but if not it only increases the chances of contamination.

 

[biggibby]

I'm actually doing a wheat beer for my 1st. A hefe.

 

[McGreen]

When I first started out, I used the secondary method for all my beers b/c for one, I thought it would aid in clarity and flavor. And two, that's what all the kits said, and these companies must know more than I.

At some point I started leaving them in primary for 3-4 weeks, and I've made excellent beers since. It makes racking easier b/c it creates such a compacted yeast cake, which surprisingly gives better clarity than the secondary method.

My latest brew, a mint chocolate stout, will be my first secondary in a long time since I need to add the mint component to secondary.

Happy brewing!

This is so helpful! Thanks!

 

[McGreen]

I'm actually doing a wheat beer for my 1st. A hefe.

Just started fermenting my hefe. What recipe did you use? What yeast?

Fair warning: if you don't have a blowoff tube, go get one. Hefe's tend to have vigorous fermentation stages and foam out the airlock. Just happened to me today.

 

[Fat_Bastard]

I'm actually doing a wheat beer for my 1st. A hefe.

you don't need to secondary a hefe (unless you just want to do it) you're better off leaving it in the primary for 3 weeks and then bottling it.

 

[biggibby]

Will put recipe on after. My wort looks like coffee!!!! Did I frickin burn it? Said boil an hour and I did. Hope I didn't screw it up.

 

[scinerd3000]

hef should NOT look like coffee.....does it smell burnt?

 

[HopPhish]

why not do primary in the 6.5 gal? thats what i normally use and it works great! Let it sit for 3-4 week and then bottle and your golden. If your dryhopping or adding fruit then you want a secondary but if not it only increases the chances of contamination.

Do you always have to use a secondary for dryhopping? I'm new to this, but i think i have read that some people just add the hops to the primary after a few weeks.