Graduating from kit brewing to next level

[Marquisebrewer]

I've been a Mr. Beer Brewer for about 3 years. Tired of the kits, ready to start having a little more fun. My family gave me a 5 gallon carboy and I am gathering the rest of my equipment.

Here is where I am confused. I have a recipe book with 100 or so recipes. It's a book that's published in the US. Every recipe is for 6 gallons of beer which they say is 6 gallons US/5 gallons Imperial.

I looked for further info on the carboy and all it says is 5 gallons. No other markings. No country of manufacture.

Is it possible I have an Imperial volume carboy? Or is that a stupid assumption?

Thanks for any wisdom you can offer.

 

[billym99]

5 gallon carboys (for your normal 5 gallon batch) are best used as secondary vessels. For 5 gallon batches it's best to primary in a 6.5 gallon carboy/bucket so you have headspace for krausen.

When I bought my original all grain kit back in the day it came with both a 6.5 and a 5.0, with the 5.0 being for secondary fermentation. I've probably used it once, I generally go from primary to keg.

 

[Rolsom]

You can get a 7.9 fermenting bucket and lid for under $25 from Northern Brewer.
If your going to brew a 6 gallon batch, best to give a little more room than a 6.5 gallon bucket.

I prefer the buckets, they are easier to clean and provide some protection against light. I only use my glass carboys when I need to secondary for a few months.

 

[m00ps]

Unless you are doing 3-4gal batches, 5gal carboys are usually used for secondaries for aging stuff like sours. For a standard 5-5.5gal batch, youll need at least a 6gal carboy, preferably a 6.5gal

 

[ChelisHubby]

Hey if you have a 5 gallon carboy just make 4 gallons, if your recipe is for 5 gallons it will just be a little more strong. Now if you don't like that take a lb less extract or grain depending on how you brew. If the recipe calls for7 lbs of extract just use six it won't be exact but it will still be good beer. Happy brewing!

 

[ncbrewer]

You can scale your 6 gallon recipes down to 4 or 5 gallons - fermentables and hops. I'd just leave the yeast alone - IMO a slight over-pitch should be ok.

 

[Sailingeric]

I have a couple brewcraft 8 gal buckets, great since they have plenty of room for krausen, the lids dont seal all that well but they thin enough I can see the krausen ring so I know beer is being made. If you are tired of kits but not ready to go all grain, get Brewers Friend or Beersmith and try your hand at making your own recipe. I do that for all my beers, just a little research here on which hops are good and which grains I need to get the style I want and I am in business.

 

[MVKTR2]

You've got a few clear options.

My suggestion for best option:
1-Keep the 5 gal carboy for secondary & special stuff, you'll use it for sure!

2-I'm fairly positive you're talking about Brewing Classic Styles which iirc, I don't own it but have read, they tell you how to easily convert the recipes to 5 or 5.5 gal recipes. Find it and follow it.

3-Buy 1 or more 6.5 gallon standard size beer fermentation buckets.
Brew 5-5.5 gallon batches.

4-Most important of all is the one recipe book you have isn't a bible, period. Being semi-new and brand new to 5 gal. brewing I'd simply buy 5 gallon recipe kits from either the LHBS or one of many fine online outlets. Buying kits is a great route because you can supplement recipes easily. Say you read about what Special Roast adds to brown ales & stouts. Order a kit in that style and an extra lb of Sp. Roast, then add 1/2-3/4 lb to your steeping grains/mash. Voila, you've experimented, added character, found new information and are a better brewer!

5-If there aren't instructions in the book to convert your recipes use Brewer's Friend or Brew Toad websites to enter your ingredients for 6 gal batches with perameters set to 6 gallons then reduce the size to 5 gals and have the site convert the quantities down for you. The general rule for most recipes is going to be, keep everything the same but reduce the base grain or malt extract amount by 17% (the difference between 5 & 6 gallons).

6-READ, spend time reading not just online forums but any homebrew book you can find. Brewers Publications puts out lots of quality material. BYO & Zymurgy magazines along with a few others are excellent sources.

Other options include fretting, measuring tiny amounts of hops, lots of math, frustration, and even ignorance about the subject matter. Nothing wrong with ignorance, all of us are ignorant about more things than we're educated about. However if I want to increase the off-road performance of my jeep or consistently brew good beer I'm gonna educate myself on the subject, choose a path, and pursue something close to perfection within the parameters of the target. Not busting your balls at all, you're actually seeking information, but driving home the importance of familiarity then you'll be comfortable enough to choose a direction and pursue it!

Best of luck! Hope at least some of what I suggested helps, Schlante!

 

[MVKTR2]

A quick note to the O.P. You've talked about switching from kit brewing to next level. You're actually switching from Mr Beer kits to the next level. Mr Beer kits are known for being simple but producing sometimes good, never great beer. Even if you're extract or partial-mash brewing your quality and ability to experiment is increasing 50 fold! Give 5 gallon extract kits a try and partial-mash kits, you'll be pleased.

I tell everyone no matter how experienced there are 5 things required to consistently make good beer:
Sanitation
Pitching enough yeast
Controlling fermentation temps
Patience
Common sense ... and this may be optional!