FNG Questions

[SirBacon]

Forgive me if I'm asking already covered questions. I did read the FAQs and still confused. The instructions in the kit are horrible.

Got a kit for Christmas from a local brewshop. Not a Mr. Beer or anything like that. It came with two plastic buckets and a glass carboy. I don't think I'm going to bother with secondary fermentation on this first batch. Therefore, am I understanding correctly that I can do all of the fermentation in the carboy?

I ask this because I'm itching to give this a try and my sister upgraded the kit to a glass carboy and I still have two buckets. One has a hole that looks like it's for the spigot that I presume is for the bottling? The other bucket has no holes. Neither had any lids. So I'm wondering if they forgot the lids or since they upgraded to a carboy they just didn't include them and gave me the buckets anyway.

 

[Dan]

Congrats!

My first kit was someting similar to what you have. I don't think the bottling bucket had a lid but the other bucket, the fermenter definetly needs a lid with a hole in it for an airlock.

As far as fermenting in the glass carboy it depends on the size really. If it was part of the kit as a secondary then it is probably only 5 gallons. I know some people do five gallons in a 5 gallon carboy but there isn't much headspace at all so you might want to consider forgoing an airlock and installing a blow-off tube for the initial fermentation. After activity subside you would be able to remove the blow-off and install an airlock.

My 2 pennies to you is get a lid for the fermenting bucket and use it, at least the first time through.

Cheers and welcome to a great hobby!

 

[SirBacon]

Thanks, yeah I can see it being as addicting as every other hobby I have. Much the chagrin of my wife.

Ok I can wait if necessary. The carboy is a 6 gal if that makes any difference.

 

[RM-MN]

If you did not get a lid for the fermenter bucket you should notify the place where it was purchased from and they are likely to get you one. If not they are readily available from a LHBS or online.

 

[SirBacon]

Ok cool. I'll give them a call tomorrow then.

 

[Potamus]

I'd call to get the lid for future use, but if the carboy is six gallons you can definitely use it for a primary fermenter. Just keep an eye on it in case you need to use a blowoff tube. Let the beer ferment in the carboy for about three or four weeks and you can go ahead and bottle.