New brewing techniques?

[dmako]

I have not brewed beer in over 12 years and decided to get back into the hobby so I visited my local home brew supplier and was taken back by some comments.

1) No one uses air locks on their primary fermenter any more, just cover with plastic and secure with an elastic band.

2) Don't waste ant time using a secondary fermenter (glass carboy).

Does any of this makes sense? I
'm planing on a Belgian double and the instructions specify a 2-stage fermentation.

 

[david_42]

1) Not so, most people use air locks.

2) For a double, it's not a bad idea. For many fermentations people are just letting the beer clear for a couple weeks in the primary.

3) We are trying to purge "secondary" from the vocabulary and call it a clearing or bright tank like the pros. Less confusing. Unless one is adding fruit or some other fermentable or is brewing a large beer.

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

+1 on davids reply, sounds like your LHBS is the one thats been out of it for the last 12 years...

 

[Poindexter]

Your LHBS isn't a 12 year old with braces on a bicycle is it?

 

[dmako]

Your LHBS isn't a 12 year old with braces on a bicycle is it?

LOL see for your self:

http://www.bwmwct.com/

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

+1 with David.

I think your LHBS is making a point, just too generalized.

I still use an airlock, but I don't rely on it as an indicator of fermentation progress.

I secondary, but not in glass unles I use fruit or a late sugar addition. I generally keg from primary and condition there.

 

[pr0vidence]

Hey Dmako,

I went to the same guy. He seems to know a lot about brewing beer/wine/cider. But his methods seem a little off to me. I went there shortly before brewing my first batch (coming up on a year ago) and he thought I was crazy because I was starting off with a kit from Midwest which had specialty grains in it. He wanted me to start with Mr. Beer. I told him I don't like what Mr. Beer ends up with. He was positive that the MW kit was going to be too complicated for a noob like be and I was going to screw it up somehow. He also didn't want to sell me a lid for my fermenter, telling me the same thing, to put plastic wrap on top, and don't bother with the airlocks. I told him I wanted a lid anyway, thank you very much. I guess he didn't want my $4. In any event, the Nut Brown (my very first brew) came out great. I still go to him for odds and ends when I don't want to wait for MW or NB to ship to me, but I take his advice with a grain of salt.

Hope my experience helps.

-pr0v

 

[AFAJ Brew Guy]

Wow sounds like you guys live where I do. Our HBS owner is very knowledgeable, but very set in his ways. I went in looking for a Better Bottle one day and was told, "I don't stock them, because they are not better." I really didn't care if they were better or worse, I wanted a plastic carboy! Oh well, guess that is why we have the internets!

 

[Dextersmom]

LOL see for your self:

http://www.bwmwct.com/

where bouts in ct are you? I'm in Shelton and it was suggested to me from somone here that I check out a store called Maltose Express in Monroe. The staff there is super helpful. They will give you suggestions when you ask for them and not try to push their oppinions or techniques on you.

If its not too much of a trip for you, you might want to check it out.

 

[Orfy]

No one uses air locks on their primary fermenter any more, just cover with plastic and secure with an elastic band.

So where does the CO2 go?
What happens if the krausen expands beyond the capacity of the fermenter?

 

[Joker]

If you primary is over 6 gallons for a 5 gallon batch an airlock should be fine, if its a 5 gallon vessel then blow off tube.

I use the secondary (all 5 gallon vessels) to free up my primary vessel.

 

[Revvy]

Sounds like your LHBS owner is stuck in a time when this;

was the state of the art in homebrewing.

+1 one what everyone else has said.

Welcome back to the obsessio...er hobby!

 

[TheOceaneer]

If you primary is over 6 gallons for a 5 gallon batch an airlock should be fine, if its a 5 gallon vessel then blow off tube.

I don't know...I used a 6.5 gal carboy for my 5 gallon batch (first ever) and had a monster blowout. I'm using a blowoff hose on the next one, at least until it gets past high krausen.

 

[Joker]

Thats why I said "should be" there are exceptions to everything of course.

I have only had one near blow out in the 6.5 gallon vessel and it was using the yeast cake from a previous brew.

 

[NitrouStang96]

All the guys at my LHBS also recommend just using one single 6.5gal glass carboy for fermenting and clearing, so I bought two. I've been keeping two batches going at a time, but I'll use one for primary and one for clearing when it comes time to brew a big beer. And, of course, I am using airlocks.