barrel or bucket?

[bluefish]

hi there dudes
just bought 3 40 pint barrels with 14 co2 canisters, brupaks pride of yorkshire birkby bitter (two cans of), muntons gold highland heavy ale (two cans of), from the local car boot sale for 40 pounds!
my question is, when speaking to a bloke last year who runs his own brew shop he told me i could just brew my ale straight in a barrel just pour every think in and in 3-4 weeks its ready.
looking at a few sites they all say use a fermenting bucket for 4-6 days them sipthon into barrel.
is this bloke right or do i need to buy a bucket??
thanks in advance for any help :wha:

 

[Moley]

I would say to use a bucket for 10-14 days and then syphon to the barrel.

 

I would say to use a bucket for 10-14 days and then syphon to the barrel.

Moley's right, you don't want your brew sitting on the old lees.

 

[Samarith]

Definately following the party line on this one.

The brewing process produces a lot of dead yeast and other **** which settles to the bottom (called lees or sediment). If you brew in the barrel this will likely cover the tap outlet so the first few pints will be more of a slurry than a liquid and likely every pint you pull will kick up some of that **** and mix it into your pint. :sick:

A 5 gallon bucket is only £10 and a syphon tube is £2, worth every penny.

14 days in the bucket will not only allow the fermentation to complete but also beer to clear, you can then put that into the barrel. You'll get a clearer, taster and all round better beer that way.

There is a huge difference between 'can' and 'should' in the world of brewing. Most new brewers are looking for quick results, the kit makers and some shop owners will tell people what they want to hear.

 

[corby_brewer]

I agree with everything Sam says on this one. The only thing that i would recomend is getting a second FV to use as a secondry.

 

[bluefish]

THANKS DUDES!!!
i thought you guys would sort me out :clap:
off to buy a bucket and tube!!!
corby brewer when you say secondry fv do you just mean anther bucket to brew two lots at once?
thanks again
NEIL :drink:

 

[ano]

corby brewer when you say secondry fv do you just mean anther bucket to brew two lots at once?
thanks again
NEIL :drink:

I think he means, and he'll not doubt correct me if I'm wrong, that one way of doing it would be to ferment in the FV for a few days, usually around 3 or 4, when the bulk of the sediment has dropped, then transfer to another vessel for another 10 days to finish the main fermentation. Then you can transfer to a barrel with pretty clear beer but with enough yeast in suspension to continue fermenting any priming sugars you add.

The benefits for secondary fermenting in this context seem minimal. Were you brewing an 8% imperial stout through AG you'd be mad not to leave it off the lees (for months) before transferring to the container it is to be dispensed from. But for kit beer IMO, the benefit is outweighed by the risks of infection and introducing too much oxygen at too late a stage in the brew.

 

[markp]

A secondary fv is just the same as the first one you use - usually referred to as a primary fv.
Most people (myself included) use a primary fv for the first 7-10 days of fermentation. During this a large yeast cake will form on the bottom of the vessel.
We then siphon the beer into the secondary fv and allow it another 10-14 days.....during this time the yeast, that remains in suspension in the transferred beer 'cleans up after itself' (removes a lot of bad tasting compounds) and throws a second, smaller sediment.
The beer is then siphoned in to a barrel (or bottled) for conditioning and drinking.

Of course, there is nothing to stop you getting another brew on in the primary fv once you have siphoned to the secondary

As has been mentioned, patience is a great virtue in this game.....beers improve enormously with the correct amount of time to properly condition. Easier said than done, I know - especially when your new to the hobby and stocks are low :)

HTH

 

[bluefish]

very helpfull thanks, i think im going to learn a lot on here!
any other tips for a first timer?
NEIL.

 

[corby_brewer]

very helpfull thanks, i think im going to learn a lot on here!
any other tips for a first timer?
NEIL.

Yes, get another brew on the go ASAP. :grin:

 

[snail59]

Learn to be patient. If you cant be patient. Brew more than you can drink so some has a chance to mature :thumb:

Oh and dont tell too many of your friends about it they will drink it faster than you can brew it :lol: :lol:

 

My secondary fermenters are 5+ gallon plastic vessels with 4" screw on caps.
The caps are drilled such that you can fit fermentation traps with standard Demijon bungs.
As I use the "double drop" method I find these FV's invalueable.
Primary ferment is still done in a 5 gallon bucket and transfer to the pressure keg is done in the normal way.

 

[Samarith]

very helpfull thanks, i think im going to learn a lot on here!
any other tips for a first timer?
NEIL.

Treat 5 gallons of water with half a campden tablet, this apparently removes chloromides from tap water which can cause a TCP-like taste in your finished brew. Take out the water you're going to boil for the kit and I would remove another 4-6 pints to make room for the contents of the cans.

 

[artyb]

good tip about the water,
i now use a full tablet in my 6 gallon fv,

get a bucket with a tap on it for this, and moving other musts about,
i do it with my ginger beer, [and will with my 1st lemonade,this week] pics may follow..
when its made with the ginger,limes and lemons in the bottom of the fv....open the tap and transfer the liquid,to another fv,after a week or so ,leaving the fruit in the bucket below the tap :thumb:

 

[bluefish]

good tips, ive ordered some stuff yesterday
2 25 litre fermenting buckets
1 kg brewing sugar
steri-cleen sterilizer
syphon tube
long plastic spoon
hydrometer
2 self adhesive thermometers
i saw them campden tablets but had not read your advice yet (samarith)
do you think i should order some before doing first brew or get some next time?
anything else you dudes think i will need?
THANKS NEIL :drink:

 

[Moley]

i saw them campden tablets but had not read your advice yet (samarith)
do you think i should order some before doing first brew or get some next time?

Get some next time.

I suppose it all depends on whether or not your tap water has any sort of chemical taste.

Mine doesn't, and I brewed my first few kits before I'd ever heard about adding CTs to the water. They turned out just fine.

Of course, you could always use mineral water, the 5 litre bottles are cheap enough from most supermarkets, and then you can use the bottles for other brews :

 

[bluefish]

right then i've made it tonight just have to wait now :whistle:
do i need to leave the lid loose or air tight on the bucket?

 

[abeyptfc]

right then i've made it tonight just have to wait now :whistle:
do i need to leave the lid loose or air tight on the bucket?

air tight would be best if you have an airlock on top of the lid, air will bubble up through the airlock but will escape through any other holes or gaps in the lid, the holes where the bucket handles fit in at the sides are big enough for air to escape.
my first kit didnt bubble but it has fermented as far as I'm aware as theres a layer of froth above the water line, its quite clear at the top but gets darker the further you look down the bucket and i tasted it the other day and its not bad.!
more chance of infection if the lid isnt tight on as far as im aware

ive only been doing this for 2 weeks, got my first coopers draught and coopers cerveza on the go but ive learned a bit so far from these guys on here :thumb:

 

[Alan Clark]

I've got a cooper's kit (stout) on the go in the garage (I thought it better than the spare room which has new carpet) and it has froathed up like mad and comes out of the vent hole on the fermenting bucket like a slow motion fountain, so I wouldn't go for sealing the bucket completely (ie with an airlock) for the intial couple of days just in case it goes mental.

I keep having to knock it back, but I will wait and see what happens over night.

 

[bluefish]

hi dudes brew is looking great nearly ready to put in barrel!!!
do i need to add co2 staight away or just when time to drink?