Update on first brew and tyransfer into carboy

[usmc0811]

Well today was day 6 in the primary fermenter, and after a long back and forth debate with myself as to transfer to secondary or not, I decided to just follow the direction that came with my Brewers best IPA extract kit and transfer into my carboy for second fermenting. First I took another SG reading and got 1.016 just as I did yesterday. Per the directions it said the FG should be 1.014-1.017. I made sure I sanitized everything very well while my primary sat tilted up on the counter for approximately 30 minutes allowing it to settle after the move. I then used my racking cane and transferred it smoothly. I did taste test a sip and can say it tasted like an IPA just being warm and flat. It now sits in the glass carboy with a temperature of approximately 70 deg. I guess now I will let it sit for another 2 weeks right??? and check the SG in another 2 day or so to see if it has changed any, and if it is still the same I will still let it sit to finish cleaning up. Please if you think I should do something a different way I would love to hear you advice as I am very new to all this.

 

[mkyl428]

My advice would have been to skip the secondary, it isn't needed and is only giving your beer more of a chance to get oxidised or infected, but putting that debate aside.....

There is a lot of headspace in that carboy, what size is it? for a 5 gallon brew you should be using a 5 gallon carboy for a secondary.

All that head space is also an invitation to the same problems stated above.

This is a pic of a properly topped up secondary fermenter

Cheers

 

[TheHopfather]

The idea behind leaving the beer in the primary is to leave it on the yeast cake to allow the yeast to clean up some bi-products of fermentation (aka off flavors). You've removed the beer from the yeast cake, if fermentation is in fact complete, at this point you'll mostly be clearing up the beer.

Since this is your first batch I'd leave it alone for another week. Alone as in don't touch it, don't sample it, don't take any readings, simply leave it alone. After a week take another gravity sample, if your gravity is stable its done and you can package.

In the future you really do not need to use a secondary. Just leave the beer in the primary for a couple of weeks, test for stable gravity and package. Kit instructions aren't the greatest.

 

[usmc0811]

There is a lot of headspace in that carboy, what size is it? for a 5 gallon brew you should be using a 5 gallon carboy for a secondary.



Cheers

I just looked on the box that my carboy came in and it says its a 5 gallon, so I'm not sure what happened. My wife and I were talking about it and she said that the guy was rushing to package all the stuff in the box and he might have placed a 6 gallon carboy in the box by mistake. It does look big and it could hold 6 gallons, how can I find out if its 5 or 6 besides filling it with liquid at a later time.

 

[brewcat]

Could it be a 5 gallon and you only had 4 gallons in the primary?

 

[usmc0811]

Could it be a 5 gallon and you only had 4 gallons in the primary?

I could have sworn I filled up my primary to the 5 gallon mark on the side. Lets just say I did only use 4 gallons instead of 5 am I screwed??

 

[usmc0811]

just looked on the side of my primary and noted the 5 gallon mark on the side and remember before I transferred to secondary that it was in fact filled to that level. So my carboy must be a 6 or even a 6.5 gallon that was given to me by mistake from the man at my local home brew shop.

 

[chudsonvt]

For standard glass carboys (varies a little by brand), a 5 gallon is 18.75" tall and 10.5" in diameter. A 6 gallon is 22" tall and 10.5" in diameter. A 6.5 gallon is around 21" tall and 12.5". So really, if it is shorter than 20", it is a 5 gallon and you have about 4 gallons in it. Did you use exactly 5 gallons of water or did you use 6 or so? (Should use maybe 6.5 to account for boil off and loss to trub, etc)

 

[chudsonvt]

Also, even if that is a 6, you still look like you are less than 5 gallons. Maybe not if it is a 6.5 gallon. But 5 gallons on my 6, comes up to about where your flash reflection is on my carboys.

 

[mkyl428]

It will likely be fine, that much head space does cause problems, but there is not much to be done about it now. RDWHAHB

I would just leave it alone and bottle as planned in a couple of weeks. This includes not taking constant gravity readings, take one a few days before you plan to bottle, and then another one on bottling day.

The more you open the fermenter and take samples the more you run the risk of infection.

Usually what I would do with a beer like this, is put it into primary, pitch my yeast, and leave it alone for 3-4 weeks (not opening the fermenter or taking any samples)with the exception of adding dry hops if applicable like with this IPA. After 3-4 weeks I take a gravity reading if it is in line with my FG (by that time it usually is) I bottle or keg. Taking a reading a few days before bottling is good practice, especially for new brewers, but is something I have personally stopped doing after gaining more experience.

Hope that helps

Cheers

 

[usmc0811]

For standard glass carboys (varies a little by brand), a 5 gallon is 18.75" tall and 10.5" in diameter. A 6 gallon is 22" tall and 10.5" in diameter. A 6.5 gallon is around 21" tall and 12.5". So really, if it is shorter than 20", it is a 5 gallon and you have about 4 gallons in it. Did you use exactly 5 gallons of water or did you use 6 or so? (Should use maybe 6.5 to account for boil off and loss to trub, etc)

I tried to measure it the best I can and it looks to be about 19.5" tall. How would boil off make a difference if I topped it off to exactly 5 gallons after chilling it down?

 

[chudsonvt]

How would boil off make a difference if I topped it off to exactly 5 gallons after chilling it down?

I missed that, sorry, lol.

But yeah, if you measured 19.5" it is slightly "tall" for a 5 gallon but that is the closest. It probably is a 5 gallon and you might have lost some to evaporation and/or what has been left behind after transfer. That just means you have a little less final product and what others mentioned about a risk of oxidation. But you should have a drinkable beer there anyway ;-)

 

[usmc0811]

Ok thanks for the help, well see what happens.

 

[eadavis80]

It's your first beer and you're learning a lot, which means it will be a success. I think we all learn best from doing things OURSELVES. Sure, you can read stuff online and watch youtube videos, but only through PERSONAL EXPERIENCE will you find ways that YOU FEEL make beer YOU LIKE. That's what this hobby is about. I bet you'll have a big smile on your face in a month or so when you crack open your first bottle!

 

[brewcat]

just looked on the side of my primary and noted the 5 gallon mark on the side and remember before I transferred to secondary that it was in fact filled to that level. So my carboy must be a 6 or even a 6.5 gallon that was given to me by mistake from the man at my local home brew shop.

Are you sure those markings are accurate. They have been known to be off. I think my brew kettle runs a 1/2 gallon short on the markings.

 

[usmc0811]

It's your first beer and you're learning a lot, which means it will be a success. I think we all learn best from doing things OURSELVES. Sure, you can read stuff online and watch youtube videos, but only through PERSONAL EXPERIENCE will you find ways that YOU FEEL make beer YOU LIKE. That's what this hobby is about. I bet you'll have a big smile on your face in a month or so when you crack open your first bottle!

Yeah I tried and still learning. As long as it taste like a beer Ill be happy, just trying to have fun and so far I'm hooked.

 

[usmc0811]

Are you sure those markings are accurate. They have been known to be off. I think my brew kettle runs a 1/2 gallon short on the markings.

when it is finally empty after I bottle it I will have to fill it up one gallon at a time and put some type of markings to indicate the levels, and check the buckets on the accuracy of their marking as well.

 

[A2HB]

Going from primary to secondary you are going to lose some to racking losses. When you're brewing you always want to account for that from the start. If you want to have 5 exact gallons of beer after bottling/kegging, you should plan to put in your primary fermenter at the least 6 gallons of wort. You'r going to lose some when you rack it out whether that's to the bottling bucket or a secondary fermenter, if your carboy is a 5 gallon carboy (which I suspect yours is) you will probably bottle/keg about 4.4-6 actual gallons of beer. Don't sweat it though, congrats on your first brew, having ANY beer on your first go round is an accomplishment! Take some pics for us