Looking to get started in Bama

[uatuba]

Pin locks not good?

Just less standard I guess. You can find stuff for both, but pin locks are generally shorter and fatter and thus don't make the most of your space in most freezers and refrigerators.

 

[jhoneycutt]

They have both ball and pin lock kegs at hop city now.

 

[BamaUmp]

More or less asking if fermenting in a keg then bottling is a good idea. As of now I prefer to bottle.

 

[BamaUmp]

He is asking 35 each.

 

[uatuba]

He is asking 35 each.

It's the guy from T-town isn't it? Nice guy...I just needed ball locks. You can ferment in them, but you'll need to bleed CO2 constantly or remove a post then wrap a blowoff in sanitized plastic wrap and fit it into the hole where the post was originally installed. Their capacity is a hair over 5 gallons, so fermenting 5 gallon batches in them doesn't suit my preference (I prefer not to lose anything via the blowoff).

 

[BamaUmp]

No this guy is in Madison. What about primary in a bucket then pin lock keg with an air lock? Would the keg be better than either a better bottle as secondary or 1 stage in the bucket. Read somewhere that fermenting in metal is better. Was considering it as a mead fermenter as well. Still at the hospital with dad and have plenty of time on my hands

 

[uatuba]

No this guy is in Madison. What about primary in a bucket then pin lock keg with an air lock? Would the keg be better than either a better bottle as secondary or 1 stage in the bucket. Read somewhere that fermenting in metal is better. Was considering it as a mead fermenter as well. Still at the hospital with dad and have plenty of time on my hands

Me personally, I use glass as a secondary then keg. I like my beer to be clear, and I'd rather rack off the sediment in a carboy rather than throw out the first glass or two out of the keg.

 

[BamaUmp]

My first batch is in the fermenting bucket. Went with American Cream Ale. Also trying 1 gallon if JOAM.

 

[BamaUmp]

Also the guy at AlaBrew told me a lot of people are going with 1 stage fermentation.

 

[jhoneycutt]

Yep unless you are dry hopping, long term bulk aging, or "fruiting" a beer there's no real reason to rack to a secondary.

 

[uatuba]

Yep unless you are dry hopping, long term bulk aging, or "fruiting" a beer there's no real reason to rack to a secondary.

Unless you want clear beer.

 

[jhoneycutt]

Unless you want clear beer.

Mines always cleared just fine in primary.

 

[BamaProud]

I have never racked a beer to a secondary.

 

[BamaUmp]

I don't think I'm going to either. Now that I have a batch fermenting and I kinda know what I'm doing I think I'm going to buy a couple of buckets and make my own primary's. Any suggestions on the best place to buy them I like the tractor supply ones and the are food grade.

 

[uatuba]

Mines always cleared just fine in primary.

Then imagine how they would look if you used a secondary.

 

[BarefootFriar]

They need to be food grade plastic (plastic codes 2 and 4) and they really need to be about seven gallons. Five gallons is too small for a primary on a five gallon batch because it won't have enough room for fermentation.

As for secondaries, it boils down to personal preference. Since I brew darker beers, getting a couple extra points of clarity is pointless, and even that is debatable (trust me, it's been done to death). Just leave it in primary for three or four weeks and it will be great.

 

[jhoneycutt]

Then imagine how they would look if you used a secondary.[/QUOTE

Its hard to beat crystal clean my brewing friend.

 

[BamaUmp]

Rebel brew in Nashville has some good prices. I picked up a "malty Mississippi red ale kit" today along with a few other goodies.

 

[BamaUmp]

Well if I haven't screwed anything up I have an American Cream Ale and Malty Mississippi Red Ales in fermenting buckets.

 

[BamaProud]

Way to go. I am sure they will be fine. Any airlock activity yet?

 

[jhoneycutt]

Well if I haven't screwed anything up I have an American Cream Ale and Malty Mississippi Red Ales in fermenting buckets.

Hoping to brew up my first all grain hefewiezen this weekend myself.

 

[BamaUmp]

The American Cream Ale I racked into secondary today. I brewed it last Thursday and hadn't seen any airlock activity in a couple of days. The Red Ale I brewed today and within maybe 3 hours it was bubbling pretty good.

 

[jhoneycutt]

Had you checked the gravity on the cream ale before your racked? Btw if you weren't dry hopping or long term aging there's no real need to secondary. It won't accomplish anything other than maybe risking oxidizing your beer. And then it will all have been for nothing.

 

[BamaUmp]

I didn't check it. I'm afraid maybe I did get too much air in. For some reason the auto siphon didn't want to work correctly.

 

[BamaUmp]

So if I over oxidized my beer is there any way to verify it. If I have do I just pour it out and count it as a lesson learned or is there anything I can do after the fact? Thursday will be the 21st day since brewing so if it's salvageable I guess I need to bottle soon.

 

[jhoneycutt]

Depends on the beer style but some you can leave for a while. Some you Should leave. Something along the line of an imperial IPA and some hefewiezens you should bottle and drink at your earliest convenience.

 

[BamaUmp]

It's an American Cream Ale.

 

[jhoneycutt]

I'll have to leave that to someone else to answer as I don't think I've ever even drank one before. Good luck all the same though.

 

[BamaUmp]

So is there anything that can be done if a batch is oxidized?

 

[BamaUmp]

Oxidized or not it's bottled now.