racking question

[Chris5899]

I'll be racking just over 5 gallons into a 6.5 gallon secondary. Is the 1.5 gallons of extra headspace an oxidation problem?

 

[SledgeH]

It shouldn't be an issue at all. As long as you rack properly you'll be fine.

 

[Chris5899]

That's what i was hoping to hear. This way i can clean up the bucket and after dryhopping rack the beer back into it with primer and use the spigot to bottle.

 

[RM-MN]

There is usually a bit of CO2 dissolved in your beer that will come out of suspension when you rack which would give you a CO2 blanket.

 

[freisste]

Racking is not a problem if done carefully. However, the extra headspace can cause an issue. If you are capable, purge the oxygen from the headspace with CO2. Otherwise, it might be a better idea to wait a while longer in primary, rack to your secondary as a holding tank, clean your primary and rack back to it immediately for bottling.

If you used a bucket with a spigot for your primary, make sure to take the spigot off and clean it thoroughly. I'd hate or you to infect a beer during bottling because you overlooked that.

 

[Chris5899]

Thanks all for the info. freisste, thanks for the tip. That spigot is an easy thing to overlook, thanks for the caution!