What can be used as a Secondary?

[Drunk_Engineer]

Hello,
I plan on making on making an amber lager for consumption somewhere in september. I only have a MR Beer kit now but i'd like to use a secondary on this brew to give it some clarity before letting it bottle condition. Without buying a whole new kit from Midwest or somewhere, what can I use as a secondary?

 

[thasnazzle]

Anything you can fit the beer in that you can sanitize. Probably the easiest way to go is a food-grade plastic bucket or a glass or plastic carboy.

 

[Drunk_Engineer]

If i were to use a bucket, would it need a cover of any sort?

 

[thasnazzle]

Short answer, yes. Otherwise you risk mold or infection with wild yeast and bacteria. That's why you have to be so anal about sanitation.

You'll need to put a lid on the bucket with an airlock like you would for primary.

 

[onipar]

If you're going to use a bucket, make sure it's a five gallon one (assuming you're brewing five gallon batches) so there will be as little head space as possible. You can get free buckets from the bakery section of most grocery stores if you just ask. Then all you need is a rubber grommet, and you can drill a hole in the lid to make a place for the airlock.

Most people prefer to use a carboy for secondary because there's less wort in contact with the air. In this case, you *may* be able to find a 5 gallon water bottle, but you have to be sure it is number 1 PET plastic! It's hard to find. Most times it is #7, but if you can find the #1 plastic water jugs, they are the cheapest way to get a carboy.

Of course if you don't mind spending the money, go for a better bottle or glass carboy (your choice) from a LHBS or online.

 

[Drunk_Engineer]

This is only a 2 1/2 gallon Mr. Beer batch though, I'll look around for something that can accommodate my needs. Thanks for the help!

 

[annoyingrob]

Take a look in your local classifieds. Things lke kijiji and craigslist are excellent sources to pick up used carboys. Although alightly larger than what you need, 5 and 6 gallon carboys can be had for very cheap (like 10 bucks a piece of less if you look). That way you'll be able to step up to larger batches in the future too.

 

[HopKeller]

Home Depot and Lowe's sell some smaller buckets - just make sure they're #2 plastic. You might look at a restaurant supply store - they usually sell various sizes. Good luck.

 

[XombieDeath]

check your local walmart for the spring water bottles. They have 1, 3, and 5 gallon plastic bottles that work just fine. You'll need a stopper/airlock for it, but you'll need that anyways.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

This is only a 2 1/2 gallon Mr. Beer batch though, I'll look around for something that can accommodate my needs. Thanks for the help!

Another option is to check the local grocery stores for apple cider or apple juice in one gallon glass jugs (essentially one gallon carboys!) Health-food grocery stores are more likely to carry juice packaged this way, but they are usually more expensive. Buy 2 or 3 gallons of juice, and keep the jugs when you are finished drinking the juice. If you or your family/roomamtes are not big apple juice fans, you can ferment it into cider, or just pour the juice down the sink..

You can split your batch into multipe smaller secondaries usin these jugs with no issue at all. You can choose to leave them all the same, or even add different spices/fruits/etc to each secondary to see what difference each one makes on the basic beer recipe!

 

[Drunk_Engineer]

Would it be worth it to rack the beer into a temp container, clean and sanitize my 2 1/2 gal primary, then use that as a secondary, or should i just let it sit in the primary for another week or so? Finding a 2 1/2 gal airtight container is proving difficult.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

Would it be worth it to rack the beer into a temp container, clean and sanitize my 2 1/2 gal primary, then use that as a secondary, or should i just let it sit in the primary for another week or so? Finding a 2 1/2 gal airtight container is proving difficult.

There is absoutely no need to remove the beer, clean the fermenter and put it back in. This is unneeded movement of the beer, which increases the risk of oxidation and infecton. If you are unable to find a suitable secondary, then I suggest leaving the beer in primary for one to two weeks longer, and bottling directly from the primary fermenter.

My only warning about this technique is this... Mr. Beer is not known for beinf the most airtight container. I probably would not leave the beer in primary for more than one month total to reduce the overall risk of oxidizing the beer.

Seriously, though, there have been some pretty good, very affordable alternatives mentioned in the previous threads. Any number of those suggestions would work for probably less than $10 to $20 at the most, and should be available anywhere in the U.S.

 

[cbmikey]

Go to your local Walmart and ask at the bakery. They will have food grade buckets (with lids) in all sizes. I'd try and get one that used to hold frosting (nothing acidic that could etch the plastic or anything) and you're all set! I've gotten a couple myself for free for some other projects I've had.

 

[WooHokie]

You do not need to secondary your beer.

 

[pjj2ba]

You do not need to secondary your beer.

But it is perfectly fine to do a secondary if you want to. If the transfer makes you nervous, then skip it. If you like playing with your beer, then go for it. Try it one way this time, then the other the next time and see which one gives you the flavors YOU prefer