Too Much Headroom in The Secondary?

[kjung]

I just racked a KBS clone to the secondary, and despite fermenting 5 full gallons, I wound up with much less in the carboy due to trub loss and yeast sediment. (The carboy is barely filled to where the carboy starts to bevel at the top...about 8 inches below the neck.)

My concern is oxidizing the beer. Should I add more water to bring the level up?

 

[EdWort]

If you have CO2, you can purge the space and be fine.

I would not add water, it will just dilute your beer if not contaminate it.

 

[kjung]

If you have CO2, you can purge the space and be fine.

I would not add water, it will just dilute your beer if not contaminate it.

I don't keg, so CO2 isn't an option. It's also going to condition for about 6 months, so I'd be a little worried about carbonating it too soon.

 

[bob1852]

Do you have one of these?

http://www.drillspot.com/products/580141/s_c_johnson_70055_ziploc_vacuum_pump_bags?s=1

You could maybe rig it to suck some of the CO2 out of solution while pulling the rest of the air out of the headspace? I dunno if it would work, but it may be an option....

I have something similar that I have been using to degas 1-gallon batches of wine....

 

[Daishiknyte]

Dry ice maybe? You should be able to fill the top with enough CO2 to push out most of the air. I wouldn't drop it straight in (-109F). Might have to slowly hold pieces over the top until they 'melt' or crumble it into very small pieces.

 

[Thehopguy]

These seem like complicated answers. Dont ppl usually say the oxygen will be pushed out by the co2 your beer is still putting off? Relax you'll be fine.

 

[Germelli1]

These seem like complicated answers. Dont ppl usually say the oxygen will be pushed out by the co2 your beer is still putting off? Relax you'll be fine.

And if not, boil up a cup of sugar water or DME and add it so it does ferment a little bit more

 

[DrinkNoH2O]

These seem like complicated answers. Dont ppl usually say the oxygen will be pushed out by the co2 your beer is still putting off? Relax you'll be fine.

ding ding ding - correct answer. Keep it simple.

 

[bob1852]

These seem like complicated answers. Dont ppl usually say the oxygen will be pushed out by the co2 your beer is still putting off? Relax you'll be fine.

Maybe, maybe not. If the beer was in the primary for awhile, there won't be much CO2 push off after racking.

ding ding ding - correct answer. Keep it simple.

Simple doesn't always produce the best results. Since this beer is likely to be secondaried for a long time (I'm assuming a KBS will be), he really should try something to reduce headspace, and/or push out the air.

 

[beaksnbeer]

and if not, boil up a cup of sugar water or dme and add it so it does ferment a little bit more

+1

 

[bhamilton31206]

heard of people adding sanitized glass marbles to reduce head space but i'm not sure how many you would need to cut your 8 inch head space to the neck.

 

[kjung]

After talking to a few others, including the owner of the LHBS, I think I'm going to go with the idea of adding a small bit of boiled DME and hope for the best.

 

[Thehopguy]

I honestly think you'd be best doing NOTHING. You're fine, relax.

 

[bob1852]

kjung - how long are you going to secondary?

I know with wine/mead/etc. with a really long secondary it's important to minimize headspace, but I've oft wondered about beer.

When I've dry hopped for a week in a better bottle (primary in a bucket), I often come up short with volume, but haven't noticed any concerns with a week of big head space. Then again, IPAs are usually drunk pretty quick around my place...

 

[unionrdr]

I have a short,wide bottling bucket that I use as a secondary when I need one. but I do 6G batches,so it only has about 4-5" of head space. Plus if it's only been in primary a couple of weeks when he racks it,it'll still have more than enough co2 coming out of suspension to fill that little head space in a better bottle sort of thing.
That'd be less head space than my pale. I say it's fine,since co2 is heavier than o2 in the surrounding air. It won't dissipate in any way if left undisturbed.