Hello im new here, from lethbridge alberta

[mystery]

Lots of cool tips on here and after reading into it I've decided to skip the second fermentation (carboy), which I have never done. Hoping two weeks will do it in there. Nice to meet you all.

 

[MarcusKillion]

Hi ;
I used to use a secondary until reading on here also . Now I just leave in primary for 3 weeks . works fine for most styles but if you have a batch with lots of add ins like hops , spices ... then you end up with a lot more crap in the fermenter and then maybe a secondary is not such a bad idea .

 

[mystery]

Just wondering about something I was searching online about. My primary is a bucket I bought at a brew store, it's a soft kind of floppy plastic with a soft flexible lid... It's no really airtight and there is no carboy. Most of the videos I've seen online have that bucket with the snap on lid and carboy so I got a not worried. Should I be?

 

[MarcusKillion]

Nope , not as long as it is like any other bucket . they are simply 7 or so gallon buckets just like pickles or paint come in . It should not be flimsy . It has to hold a lot of weight and be able to be picked up and moved . For about 15 bucks you should be able to buy a good grade bucket from any LHBS .
You should have a rubber seal inside the lid . If not then it probably fell out somewhere . It needs to seal but it is not mandatory . If it is loose then use good grade duct tape to tape it up so it does not leak . the leaking does not matter but it makes it hard to know what is going on in there because you can not see the air lock bubbling if the gas is leaking out the lid .
I use 5 G buckets from Ace hardware that are food safe plus a fermentaition bucket 7 1/2 G . Look online at the beer supply stores .
a carboy is a glass bottle like a water cooler jug . You do not need one .

all you need is in a kit http://www.homebrewing.org/Beginning-Homebrew-Kit_p_352.html this is 6 1/2 G . this will do 5 gallons with no problems .

I prefer a bigger bucket myself so I can do 6 gallon batch . you need 1 or 2 gallons of head space in the bucket so it does not blow out your air lock .

No need for the carboy or even a bucket for secondary . just filter good from the boil pot and leave in primary for 3 weeks . you do need another bucket for bottling . It should have a spigot in the bottom about an inch above the bottom . this lets any trub that got in settle and not go into your bottles .

 

[MarcusKillion]

by the way I use the LD Carlson brand and the Brewers Best kits http://www.ldcarlson.com/public catalog/Chapter 06.htm

 

[thirsty4cider]

hello new person!