Secondary Fermentation Split

[KicyM]

Hi All,

Question, I have a 5 gallon carboys and several 1 gallon jugs.

3 gallon batches are the perfect size for me since I'm doing a lot of experimenting with different recipes. From what I've read, it seems like having a lot of air (or space) in the carboy during first fermentation is fine but it could become a problem during the secondary. Can I ferment the 3 gallon batch in the 5 gallon carboy and then split it among three 1 gallon jars for secondary and then combine again for bottling? (I would want to combine so everyone is working with the same amount of sugar)

Has anyone done this before? Is this nuts?

Thanks in advance!

 

[dkennedy]

You could (lots of racking), begs the question "why are you transferring to a secondary?" though. Unless you're bulk aging for a long time, I'd let it stay right where it is until ready to package.

 

[KicyM]

Because I'm doing a Belgian Tripel and every recipe seems to ask for a secondary after 5 or 6 days. I normally do just that, one long fermentation, then bottle.

 

[dkennedy]

Gotcha. If it were me, I'd let it ride in primary for a month (or even two, if it needs more time to clean up) and then package...even if I had a carboy handy to do bulk aging. Let it age in the bottle, easier to sample and understand how it matures that way