Secondary fermentation question

[rcreveli]

So I'm getting ready to brew as soon as the wife heads to work tomorrow morning and I was reviewing everything in my brew kit. Here's the question.

My kit has a primary fermentation bucket, a bottling bucket and a glass carboy. I understand the carboy in this case is intended for secondary fermentation however, it's 18.9 liters or about 5 gal. Isn't that going to be to small for a 5gal batch?

TIA Ray

 

[Revvy]

Nope, if you choose to secondary (you'll find as you read on here that many of us don't) you don't want a lot of headspace in the vessel, or else there's a risk of oxydation of the beer. So the beer will be nearly to the neck of the carboy. And that's a good thing.

 

[bce22]

So I'm getting ready to brew as soon as the wife heads to work tomorrow morning and I was reviewing everything in my brew kit. Here's the question.

My kit has a primary fermentation bucket, a bottling bucket and a glass carboy. I understand the carboy in this case is intended for secondary fermentation however, it's 18.9 liters or about 5 gal. Isn't that going to be to small for a 5gal batch?

TIA Ray

It's the perfect size for a conditioning/bright vessel. The reason you use a 5 gallon carboy for your secondary is to limit headspace. The less headspace, the less surface area touching oxygen.

I wouldn't use this vessel as a primary unless you plan on cleaning up blow offs or use fermcap-S. Even then its tight.

 

[rcreveli]

Thanks

I figured since I was doing a 5 gal batch I would want about 5.5 Gals for a secondary.

Ray