Spigot in fermenter?

[jgalak]

So here's my dilemma. The kit I'm brewing (AHS Blue Moon clone) calls for two stage fermentation (whether that's a good idea or not isn't the question - its my first brew attempt, I plan on following the recipie). It's currently in the primary, a 6.5 gal bucket, primary fermentation has stopped as of today (5 days) so I plan to rack to the secondary tomorrow. The dilemma is what to use as a secondary.

I actually have an old glass carboy (5 gal, I think) but don't really want to deal with it (it's heavy, dusty, and a PITA to clean afterwards). I also have a 5 gal bucket that is meant as a bottling bucket, and has a spigot. Is there any reason I can't use that as my secondary? I'm thinking I'll drill a hole for the airlock in the bucket lid, siphon into it, and use it as my secondary. Meanwhile, I'll clean the primary, drill a spigot hole in it, and install a second spigot, so I can use it as the bottling bucket later.

Any downside to this? Also, when moving from secondary to bottling primary/bottling bucket, can I just use the spigot instead of siphoning? And for that matter, with future brews, do the same from primary (now with spigot) to secondary?

Or should I just suck it up and use the carboy?

 

[woozy]

Anything food grade that can be sanitary (no scratches) and sealable from outside air can be used.

Go for it.

Some folks will argue that spigots by their nature are not sanitary enough and that they can get clogged with trub. These objections are valid. But not absolute. There comes a point that one has to make one's own informed decision.

I like spigots because they are much easier to deal with than siphons (which I hate). But others will point out spigots let air in and are a sanitation risk. I think it's minimal but others .... well, who knows...

 

[Pastorken]

Sounds like a good plan to me, as long as the second bucket is big enough to hold it all.
Sanitizing and checking for leaks are the two main concerns with spigots. And make sure the outside of the spigot is sanitized before transferring to another bucket.

 

[RM-MN]

Can you pick up another bucket? While buckets are not ideal for secondaries as they have too much open space with the wide openings I'd suggest that a new bucket might do what you want, avoid the chance of leaking out your beer if your spigot doesn't seal, and give you another fermenter while still leaving you with a bottling bucket.

 

[Glynn]

Just leave it in the primary for another week and bottle it.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

So here's my dilemma. The kit I'm brewing (AHS Blue Moon clone) calls for two stage fermentation (whether that's a good idea or not isn't the question - its my first brew attempt, I plan on following the recipie). It's currently in the primary, a 6.5 gal bucket, primary fermentation has stopped as of today (5 days) so I plan to rack to the secondary tomorrow. The dilemma is what to use as a secondary.

I actually have an old glass carboy (5 gal, I think) but don't really want to deal with it (it's heavy, dusty, and a PITA to clean afterwards). I also have a 5 gal bucket that is meant as a bottling bucket, and has a spigot. Is there any reason I can't use that as my secondary? I'm thinking I'll drill a hole for the airlock in the bucket lid, siphon into it, and use it as my secondary. Meanwhile, I'll clean the primary, drill a spigot hole in it, and install a second spigot, so I can use it as the bottling bucket later.

Any downside to this? Also, when moving from secondary to bottling primary/bottling bucket, can I just use the spigot instead of siphoning? And for that matter, with future brews, do the same from primary (now with spigot) to secondary?

Or should I just suck it up and use the carboy?

The only negative thing I can think of about using your bottling bucket is the spigot sometimes has a tendency to leak, As far as using the carboy, why not? It won't be a PITA to clean as it won't have all the krausen at the neck area which is the hardest area to clean

 

[govner1]

Another negative is that the nut & threaded areas on the inside of your bucket are difficult to completely clean are great spots for "crud" to hide and eventually will be a source of infection.
Is the cost if another bucket less than the cost of your beer?

 

[unionrdr]

I remove spigots from my fermenters & bottling bucket & soak them in PBW. Then I use aquarium lift tube brushes to clean inside the spigots,threaded area,lock nut,& seals. then rinse & soak in starsan for a lil bit. I wipe down the mounting hole with starsan to clean that before reassembly. don't tighten the spigot down to where the seal squeezes out of place,or it'll leak. & I never get air sucking into it when properly sealed.
If you really want to secondary,clean the carboy & use that. I just do it all in primary myself. Unless oaking or something. Also known as single stage fermentation.

 

[finsfan]

I agree that if you don't want to purchase a new bucket the carboy will be fine. Since it will be in there as secondary it won't be as hard to clean out as if you used it for primary. But with that said you could also just buy a new bucket and use two buckets just fine, I would not use an old bucket tho

 

[jgalak]

The problem is I want to rack today, and no time to go buy a bucket. Carboy it is.

 

[IslandLizard]

Be aware, the white plastic of most spigots is a 2 part assembly itself, aside from the nut, rubber washer, and spigot handle. There is the outer tube with the threads and the inner tube with the spigot. This allows the spigot to be turned without loosening the nut.

The space between those 2 rotating tubes is the hardest to clean. Separate the 2 by first immersing the assembly in *very hot water* for a minute or so. The plastic gets softer. Then it's easy to pull them apart. It's impossible to do this at room temperature.

Always assemble parts like airlocks, spigots, bottling tubes, siphons, etc. wet with Starsan.

 

[IslandLizard]

...The kit I'm brewing [] calls for two stage fermentation...

Some kit instructions are dead wrong. There is no need to rack to a secondary unless you want to dry hop (and that's even debatable) or do long term secondary conditioning (for several months).

The yeast is still actively cleaning up its act and best be left alone in the primary.

Racking introduces unwanted air (oxygen) to your beer plus increases the risk of infection by sheer handling it. There is little or no payoff at all.

 

[JRapp]

I am surprised more people didn't tell you to leave it in primary longer. If you have had the same gravity measurement for 3 days then its good to rack, if you are using your airlock as indicator or the instructions from a kit don't rack! Most beers are best kept in the primary for a little longer than that, the yeast can do great things when left to its own devices. 5-6 days is quite a short people of time.

By rule I never remove them from primary before 2 weeks and usually leave them up to a month.

 

[IslandLizard]

I leave mine in the primary for at least 3 weeks, before even taking a final gravity (FG) reading. When dry hopping I add the hops after 2 to 3 weeks, but no *earlier* than 1 week before I schedule bottling.

Just leave that wonderful wheat beer alone. You're doing the beer and yourself a big favor.
Besides, that beer is not done (fermented out) after 5 days. The yeast is still working hard cleaning up its by-products from earlier.

 

[IslandLizard]

The problem is I want to rack today, and no time to go buy a bucket. Carboy it is.

If you really want to rack today, fill a bucket with water and rack that to your carboy. You can do that several times to get the hang of it.

Just leave your beer alone in the corner for another 2 weeks. It will thank you for it.

 

[DPBISME]

Any downside to this? Also, when moving from secondary to bottling primary/bottling bucket, can I just use the spigot instead of siphoning? And for that matter, with future brews, do the same from primary (now with spigot) to secondary?

Or should I just suck it up and use the carboy?

I would leave it where it is (since that is what I do,,, I do not use a Secondary any more... or .... go ahead and use the carboy.

SInce most of the fermentation is done you are not going to get a lot of "mess" in the carboy... Some yeast will settle but that should be about it and it should rinse out easy if you don't let it dry.

Before use: Fill it with water and a scoop of Oxyclean for a day or so will clean out just about everything... rinse with hot water....

DPB

 

[Mozart]

The problem is I want to rack today, and no time to go buy a bucket. Carboy it is.

Guess your question is answered then.

For what it's worth, my primary fermenter is a bucket with a spigot, though it has its pros and cons as others have pointed out.

If you're looking for a secondary without the headspace of a bucket or the weight of a glass carboy, have you considered a better bottle? Never used one myself, but just a thought.

Cheers!