Too Many Fermenters?

[eschatz]

I keep 3 going at all times. I get all itchy when I have only 2 going. Plus I routinely have 2 batches of Apfelwein waiting for someone to call me needing party booze on a Friday night.

I have 7 carboys.

 

[nathan]

mcKbrew, use your carboys as primaries, then get it into the cornies to secondary. If you want to be fancy you can get a gas ball-lock fitting and some tubing and put it in a jug of water, or you can just leave the cornies sealed and vent them every day like I do. Frees up your carboys more quickly.

 

[Beernip]

You guys really are not helping me pass up a craigslist buy for a few extra 5g carboys.

 

[Christian]

The owner of one of my LHBS recently showed me his personal setup and i about **** myself, 14 fermentors and they were all full. He said he has more and they will be going soon once spring rolls around. He said he brews almost everything for the year in fall and spring because the temps are perfect and he doesn't need to worry about temp control as much. He said he absolutely hates brewing in the summer.....which i understand because we have really hot, dry summers here.

 

[jgardner6]

I'm building my man cave right now with a walk in fridge for all my brew needs.

 

[Brewme]

......................

View attachment 9880

One problem...is that a Bud case below the table? Hmmm...

 

[Brewme]

Christian, which LHBS set up did you see? Art's? Did they have anything cool like a conical?

 

[McKBrew]

mcKbrew, use your carboys as primaries, then get it into the cornies to secondary. If you want to be fancy you can get a gas ball-lock fitting and some tubing and put it in a jug of water, or you can just leave the cornies sealed and vent them every day like I do. Frees up your carboys more quickly.

Pretty much what I do right now. I don't secondary at all, just keg. My issue is more with time/money than anything. Finding the time to brew around here is a PITA. Money not normally an issue but I spent tax refund on equipment and don't have anything left for ingredients until March 1st. Now that I've pretty much got my equipment taken care of, there should be much more brewing in my future.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Keg fermenters? :rockin:

Whats Brewing Milwaukee!

The Beer Journals

 

[BierMuncher]

One problem...is that a Bud case below the table? Hmmm...

Yeah....a case I got from a...er..uh...BMC drinking friend....which happens to be stuffed with...er...uh...sanitized bottles for HB....

Beggars can't be choosers.

 

[llazy_llama]

I have 6 at the moment. First I thought three would be enough. Then I got three, and realized that I needed 3 more. Now I have 6 and am realizing that I need 6 more.

It's going to be like a Better Bottle showcase in my living room soon. I might have to ditch the sofa to make room.

 

[Chello]

This thread makes me depressed...

I only have ONE primary! So i brew every 2 weeks and rack to corny's, but this has worked for the past 2 years just fine!

 

[BierMuncher]

This thread makes me depressed...

I only have ONE primary! So i brew every 2 weeks and rack to corny's, but this has worked for the past 2 years just fine!

You just think it's worked fine. Imagine having 4 fermenters that last 2 years....huh???....yeah???....now what are you thinking????

 

[velotech]

I have 5 fermenting now with 2 empty for secondaries for this weekend and next weekend. As soon as they free up I fill them. I need to pick up four more kegs next week to store more brew. I love this hobby so much I brew way more than I can consume. I don't think you can have too many fermentors, unless you don't have room to store them.

 

[TexasStu]

Double your pleasure!...

 

[DrinksWellWithOthers]

3 primaries and 4 secondaries. 2 each are being used right now and I'll be filling the 3rd primary tomorrow.

 

[Halaster]

I started out with 2 buckets and 2 carboys. Right now I have 1 carboy open and the following going.

Carboy - Ed Worts Apfel(1 week old)
Carboy - Dog Fish Head 90 Min (6.5 weeks, botttling it tomorrow)
Carboy - Brewers Best IPA (started 4 weeks ago)
Carboy - Dog Fish Head 90 Min (started 3 weeks ago)
Carboy - Russian Imperial Stout (started September 2008)
Bucket - Brewers Best Scotch Ale (started 2 weeks ago)
Bucket - My own Amber Recipe(started 1 week ago)

It gets addicting, and my new problem is I will have run out of empty bottles after this weekend.

 

[nosmatt]

6?

yeah, six seems about right for me.

but, i am a bottler, and i do not secondary. i have a brew in the garage crashing now for 12 days... i got lazy and did not wanna bottle last weekend. im outta time, i got brews to make, and no fermenters!
6 full, and one bottling bucket.
500 empty bottles to sanitize tho.... and no homebrew ready to drink, cuz i got lazy about bottling a month ago too....

 

[beesy]

not trying to get in a pissin' match with anyone by any means. hell i only been brewing just over a year. Within 4 months of first brew, had 6 10.5g primary buckets, 6 carboys and 11 pin lock kegs. trust me, i have a very addictive personality.

 

[BierMuncher]

...trust me, i have a very addictive personality.

The first step to recovery is admitting it...

Not that we want to recover from this addiction...

 

[Bopper]

I have a confession to make...I have 7 fermenters and ALL are empty right now . I've been DIY renovating my bathroom and that's had all my attention. I do have 2 cornis on tap and 3 on deck but da*m, I gotta get brewing!

I think I'll brew on sunday

 

[AnonyBrew]

I have a confession to make...I have 7 fermenters and ALL are empty right now . I've been DIY renovating my bathroom and that's had all my attention. I do have 2 cornis on tap and 3 on deck but da*m, I gotta get brewing!

I think I'll brew on sunday

Brew Foul!!

 

[ohiobrewtus]

/waits for Evan! and ohiobrewtus pictures.

Ask and ye shall receive. I'll have to post an actual pic later, but here's one from a couple of months ago that looks pretty similar. I currently have 2 kegged and waiting for an open tap, 3 in primary and 4 in secondary.

 

[CBBaron]

I don't need that many fermenters for my ales. I drink about 1 batch a month and could keep up with that with a single bucket. However sometimes you want to brew several batches in the same week or back to back weeks. That takes a couple extra buckets. Then you make an Imperial Stout and/or Barleywine and you need a secondary for a month or 3. And a sour ale sounds good, that takes an extra carboy for a year. Then you start making wines and meads which take a year before you really even think of drinking them. Now you need another bucket or 2 for the primary and several more carboys.

I own 3 6.5gal buckets, a 7.9gal bucket, 2 5gal carboys, 3 6gal carboys, 2 3gal carboys and 4 1gal bottles for mini batches.

Currently: in use
2 6gal, 7.9gal, 6.5gal, 4 1gal, 1 5gal, and 2 3gal for a total of 10 fermenters and 31 gallons. Will have another 5gal batch going Sunday. And I don't make near the volume some do.

Craig

 

[mnadamn]

I have 5 6.5 gal carobys, 1 5 gal carboy, 1 3gal carboy, and use my kegs as backup secondaires. I have nothing fermenting now, but will be brewing a RIS as well as a jasmine IPA this weekend to fill 3 carboys, my girlfriend is excited, she likes the sound and smell of the bedroom when beer is fermenting (part of the reason for my brewing this weekend)

 

[nathan]

I like ohiobrewtus's style. Instead of finishing the basement out, he nailed shelves between the open studbays and made his-self some brewing space.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Here's how it looks now:

nathan, the basment will get finished if I can keep the water out. I'd much rather have the basement done and have to find a different place for my fermemters than use what will be the bar to store fermenting beer.

 

[Christian]

Christian, which LHBS set up did you see? Art's? Did they have anything cool like a conical?

Yeah it was Art's setup and he did have conicals but those were the ones not being used.

 

[HSM]

This thread makes me depressed...

I only have ONE primary! So i brew every 2 weeks and rack to corny's, but this has worked for the past 2 years just fine!

So why be depressed? Sounds like you are brewing exactly what you need. Brewing more to impress teh internet... pointless.

 

[GNBrews]

BierMucher, aren't you worried about skunking with the huge fluorescent fixture above your carboys?