Leaving for work

[jmcd105]

Alright so heres the situation. I have three batches going right now, all have been in primary for between 10-16 days. I wasn't planning to use a secondary. I have to leave for work, for probably 6-10 weeks.

I thought it would be fine to leave them all as is while I was gone without transferring to secondary, but after reading another thread it seems that they should not be left on trub from that amount of time.

I was hoping to have the lady top up the air locks while I was gone and come home to 3 batches ready to drink (after begging and carbonation obviously), or do I need to get these off the trub and into secondary? These have all been brewed using extract/ partial grain kits.

Thanks !

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

I wouldn't leave them in primary for all that time if I had carboys to put them into....

 

[jmcd105]

I wouldn't leave them in primary for all that time if I had carboys to put them into....

One is in a carboy (it is only a 2.5 gal batch) the other two are in pails, I have one spare carboy. I could grab a couple more, but I mean then I'm sitting at 2 pails and 3 carboys on hand.

 

[jmcd105]

I also have two empty 19L kegs, but the two batches are 23L.

 

[Yooper]

Why not keg now? You can either put them on the gas, or use some priming sugar, and have them ready to drink when you get home.

 

[d3track]

If I were in your shoes, I'd keg/bottle them up and then they would be ready when you get back.

 

[Redtab78]

If u don't wanna keg now, then rack one into carboy, then clean that pail, and rack a second one into that cleaned pail...then clean that second pail, and rack the third into it

 

[jmcd105]

Why not keg now? You can either put them on the gas, or use some priming sugar, and have them ready to drink when you get home.

I was worried that fermentation would not be complete yet, I guess this would only be a problem if I was bottling though? (Which I would have to bottle half a dozen from each batch if I kegged now)

 

[jmcd105]

If u don't wanna keg now, then rack one into carboy, then clean that pail, and rack a second one into that cleaned pail...then clean that second pail, and rack the third into it

Too much head space in the pails to use as secondary.

1- 2.5 gallon batch in 5 gal carboy
2- 5 gallon batch in 6 gal pails

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

Keg the 2.5 gal batch and one of the 5 gal batches. Put the other 5 gal batch in the cleaned and sanitized carboy...

 

[jmcd105]

So the general consensus seems to be that it will not be good to leave the beer on trub for this extended period of time?

I was hoping there wasn't going to be a problem, but if its going to make a difference I will just go grab two more carboys to use as secondaries.


I probably wouldn't transfer any of the larger batches to keg due to the fact that I could end up with bottle bombs when I bottle the excess beers.

 

[schematix]

If they are moderate strength ales i'd go with the suggestion to keg and adding priming sugar to the keg. Much better than forced carbonation.

Most of the time i see my ales at FG within 5-7 days of pitching. I monitor the gravity daily starting on the 3rd day so i can catch them with just a little fermentables left so i can get natural carbonation in the keg. Takes some timing and luck though.

 

[jmcd105]

If they are moderate strength ales i'd go with the suggestion to keg and adding priming sugar to the keg. Much better than forced carbonation.

Most of the time i see my ales at FG within 5-7 days of pitching. I monitor the gravity daily starting on the 3rd day so i can catch them with just a little fermentables left so i can get natural carbonation in the keg. Takes some timing and luck though.

I will take my gravity readings now and see where I am at in 24 hours, and go from there.

They are moderate strength ales.

 

[Yooper]

I will take my gravity readings now and see where I am at in 24 hours, and go from there.

They are moderate strength ales.

If they've been in the fermenter for more than 10 days, they should be done. If not, there is an issue and should be addressed.

 

[jmcd105]

Aright, took the gravity readings.

First beer brewed on dec 20/16 was at 1.046 originally and its now at 1.010 (5 gal batch)

second beer brewed on dec 29/16 was at 1.050 originally and is now at 1.011 (5 gal batch)

not too worried about the 2.5 gal batch, it was a mr beer extract that I got for christmas, will probably just leave that as is, and throw it into a 2.5 gallon keg when I get back or something.

SO the two 5 gal batches should be good to mix with priming sugar, throw into kegs and a few bottles, and leave at room temp, till I get home?

Thanks for your patience, all 3 of these batches are the first times I've used my hydrometer to take original gravity readings before pitching.

edit: they both taste great.

 

[schematix]

sounds like they are done.

i'd rack it to the keg then dump the sugar liquid it in the top (assume you'd boiling it approx equal weight water to sugar), seal the top, purge it 3 times, close it up, let it sit at room temp. done. you don't need to mix anything. it'll homogenize on its own.

natural keg carbonating is WAY under rated around here.... it's the best way to scavenge up any O2, which will greatly increase the longevity of the beer.

 

[jmcd105]

sounds like they are done.

i'd rack it to the keg then dump the sugar liquid it in the top (assume you'd boiling it approx equal weight water to sugar), seal the top, purge it 3 times, close it up, let it sit at room temp. done. you don't need to mix anything. it'll homogenize on its own.

Except I need to get sugar into the bottles also for the excess, maybe spooning a specific amount of sugar into each bottle would be my best bet for that. I would use carbonation drops, for that except I don't have any and my truck is in the shop all day tomorrow, and I am running out of time here, I could have to leave any day now.

 

[schematix]

what excess? 5G batch and 5G kegs?

 

[jmcd105]

what excess? 5G batch and 5G kegs?

Now I am really confused.....

In canada 5 gal is equal to ~23 Litres.

Even on my carboys it has 5 gal (23.5 L) markings....

 

[rippajak]

One litre is just barely more than one U.S. quart. So 19L is just about 5 gallons, 23 close to 6 gallon.
If I were you, I'd pull the extra 4L from each batch off into a bottling bucket, and put the remainder in a keg. That way you can mix priming sugar into the two volumes accurately. One bottle's worth is so little that I would be concerned about missing the target and over- or under-priming.

 

[Redtab78]

Too much head space in the pails to use as secondary.

1- 2.5 gallon batch in 5 gal carboy
2- 5 gallon batch in 6 gal pails

1 gallon head space on a beer that is still bubbling is nothing to worry about, you'll still be making co2 from fermenting to worry about oxygen in that miniscule amount of room...I secondary in my 6.5 gal carboy from a pail or my 5 gal all the time, it's whatever I have open at the time...Inot fact, I have a 5 gallon batch of porter sitting in 2# of coconut flakes in an 8 gal bucket right now in fact, and the slightest bit of pressure on the lid of that and it shoots bubbles out like crazy, ...that's almost 3 gallons of headspace...

 

[jmcd105]

1 gallon head space on a beer that is still bubbling is nothing to worry about, you'll still be making co2 from fermenting to worry about oxygen in that miniscule amount of room...I secondary in my 6.5 gal carboy from a pail or my 5 gal all the time, it's whatever I have open at the time...Inot fact, I have a 5 gallon batch of porter sitting in 2# of coconut flakes in an 8 gal bucket right now in fact, and the slightest bit of pressure on the lid of that and it shoots bubbles out like crazy, ...that's almost 3 gallons of headspace...

The earliest beer I kegged on dec 20, is certainly not pushing any co2 out.

I just finished cleaning out my lines and kegerator. It is ready for when I get back.

Tomorrow I will transfer the two 6 US gal batches into my 5 US gal kegs, and bottle the rest of each. All with the appropriate amount of sugar.

The 2.5 gallon batch, not sure if that was supposed to be US or IMP, can sit till I get home.

To be honest, every batch I've made, I have done using imperial measurements, which I'm assuming is the proper way since all my kits have come from Canada. Except for this Mr. Beer one, not sure where it came from, nor do I care, its done now, probably won't make another one of them anyway unless it comes as another christmas gift.

Edit: This makes a bit more sense now, I looked at a 7.9 Gal fast ferment once and said to myself there is no way this is 8 Gallons. Ive always known there was a difference between US and IMP gal measurements, but for some reason I thought when it came to brewing, we are all on the same page. Obviously not....

 

[Yooper]

It would probably be best to refer to our batch sizes in liters, since we have quite a few brewers in Europe and other places where the metric system rules. But we Americans are a stubborn bunch and like our gallons and farenheit measurements.

I like the plan you have to bottle some and keg some, and have it ready when you return. When you think about it, a keg really is just a big oxygen-proof and light-proof aging vessel. It's the perfect secondary, and I don't even use carboys anymore since the kegs are ideal.

 

[schematix]

When you think about it, a keg really is just a big oxygen-proof and light-proof aging vessel. It's the perfect secondary, and I don't even use carboys anymore since the kegs are ideal.

I would argue that a slightly modified keg (dip tube mods) also makes the perfect primary, for many of the same reasons. One of my favorite corny keg fermenting features is being able to take a gravity sample with almost no effort, and the vessel remains 100% closed. I ferment under a few psi of pressure so it's just a matter of attaching a short tap and filling the hydrometer tube.