Too Much Headspace?

[Wavewalker]

I transferred my barleywine to secondary last night, after three weeks in primary (OG 1.110 - SG 1.033), and there is about 5.5 inches from the top of the beer to the bottom of the bung. I know there is CO2 in the beer that can come out, but the gravity hasn't changed in a week, so I'm not expecting any more fermentation, so, should I worry? I was going to dry-hop for two weeks and then bottle condition for a long time, but should I just bottle it now instead of risking it?

 

[Shaneoco1981]

No, it's fine. RDWHAHB.

 

[unionrdr]

I was thinking with that small of a head space,the residual CO2 should be fine to fill the gap. Go ahead & dry hop,mine turned out just fine after adding the hop bag,& putting the lid back on. Just do it gently.

 

[Wavewalker]

Cool, thanks guys. I'm still working on that RDW part in general. I'm sure that'll be easier after I get a few more brews under my belt.

 

[dcp27]

if its only 2 weeks that shouldnt be an issue. if this was long term it could lead to some oxidation.

why did you bother to rack just to dry hop it?

 

[osagedr]

You are fine leaving it. If it makes you feel better give it a few gentle shakes...some CO2 will come up out of the beer and your airlock will bubble; then you will feel safe with a nice comfy blanket of CO2 over your batch.

 

[Wavewalker]

if its only 2 weeks that shouldnt be an issue. if this was long term it could lead to some oxidation.

why did you bother to rack just to dry hop it?

I thought it would help for clarification, plus my primary is also my bottling bucket, and I thought there'd be a whole mess of yeast sludge at the bottom, so I didn't want to deal with that at bottling time. Did I waste a step?

 

[scinerd3000]

co2 will continue to come out of solution during secondary to hopefully fill the void in the top. Your going to get some oxidation notes with a beer that big anyway as is part of style.....

+1 osegedr...hes right

 

[joetothemo]

When you dry hop it, there will be some additional C02 release from the beer. This should further insulate your beer from the O2 in the headspace (described below)

Note, when adding dry hops (especially pellets) you may get some foam as the CO2 nucleates on the hops and floats out of suspension. So, have some headspace available.
http://www.brew365.com/technique_dry_hop.php

 

[Wavewalker]

You are fine leaving it. If it makes you feel better give it a few gentle shakes...some CO2 will come up out of the beer and your airlock will bubble; then you will feel safe with a nice comfy blanket of CO2 over your batch.

Thanks, good idea.

 

[Wavewalker]

What about oxygen barrier caps? It's going to age mostly in the bottle and I've read that those caps only make a difference in the short run, and that long run it's basically the same as regular caps. I'm also toying with the dipping the caps in wax after bottling idea. The bottles will sit for at least 6 months. Thoughts?

 

[dcp27]

I thought it would help for clarification, plus my primary is also my bottling bucket, and I thought there'd be a whole mess of yeast sludge at the bottom, so I didn't want to deal with that at bottling time. Did I waste a step?

oh if it's your bottling bucket too then I guess you didn't really have a choice. beer clarifies and dry hops just as well in the primary as the secondary tho in case you get another primary

 

[Wavewalker]

oh if it's your bottling bucket too then I guess you didn't really have a choice. beer clarifies and dry hops just as well in the primary as the secondary tho in case you get another primary

That's good to know. I do plan to get another primary soon. How come people do use secondaries, if it doesn't really help, but adds infection & oxygen risk? Is it pointless? I know it's a contentious issue...

 

[dcp27]

old technique based on crappy yeast that people still havent let go of. it has its uses, but mostly for long term aging.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/secondary-not-john-palmer-jamil-zainasheff-weigh-176837/

 

[Wavewalker]

old technique based on crappy yeast that people still havent let go of. it has its uses, but mostly for long term aging.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/secondary-not-john-palmer-jamil-zainasheff-weigh-176837/

Interesting.

 

[pjj2ba]

That's good to know. I do plan to get another primary soon. How come people do use secondaries, if it doesn't really help, but adds infection & oxygen risk? Is it pointless? I know it's a contentious issue...

Yes contentious...... I would say it depends on your tastes. The best is to try it both ways and decide which you like. You may even find you like it one way for some beer styles, and not for other styles. One also has to consider the extra steps involved.

A "study" was done with some top flight brewers to compare beers that were aged on the yeast, versus those that were not. Universally, everyone involved could taste a difference between the two versions. However, they were split pretty evenly as to which version they preferred. The version aged off of the yeast was judged to be cleaner while the version aged on the yeast was fruitier and nuttier. Aging on the yeast will not harm your beer, but it does affect the flavor, which is more noticible in lighter beer styles.