Newbie Questions...

[Bonnerhaus]

Hey all, I just did a Brewferm Kriek and I'm really not sure if this is even the right thread but I did it in a 3 gallon fermenter which I've never done and I wasn't able to stir the yeast in real well like it said and it seems weird to me so I attached a pic to see if y'all thought it would be ok and actually turn out decent.....also, would it be ok to just leave it in the primary for like a month and then bottle and not even do a secondary? Don't really care about clarity...

 

[Bonnerhaus]

This look normal?

 

[kh54s10]

There is no picture.

And, yes it is OK to not stir in the yeast and it is also fine to primary for 3-4 weeks then bottle. I usually go 3 weeks with no secondary. My pipeline is low right now so I am going a few days past final gravity and kegging it.

 

[kh54s10]

Ah! there is the picture - looks good. You might want to set up a blow off tube though.

 

[Bonnerhaus]

I've never used one, how do you set them up? Does it take special equipment or can you just use a siphon hose? Also, how do people go about getting beer out of a carboy to test gravity? A syringe or sucker of some sort?

 

[Bonnerhaus]

And thanks a lot for the feedback!

 

[Bonnerhaus]

Another thing, I just got the 3 gallon fermenter for doing these small yield Brewferm kits and I'm in no hurry of getting it empty, would it hurt to let this Kriek "age" in the primary for like 2-3 months? It's gonna be a Christmas beer for us so I am willing to wait or would I better off letting it sit like a month and then bottle conditioning for several months?

 

[Setesh]

I've never used one, how do you set them up? Does it take special equipment or can you just use a siphon hose? Also, how do people go about getting beer out of a carboy to test gravity? A syringe or sucker of some sort?

Tubing that will fit snugly into your stopper will work, but tubing that fits snugly into the opening of your fermentation vessel is perfect. I use a huge piece of tubing that fits snugly in the neck of my carboy. Then you put the other end into a jug of water/sanitizer. I have also made a mini version for my better bottles by slipping a piece of tubing onto the center post of a three piece air lock. It actually works extremely well. I've used it ~5 times with no problems, but I don't trust it that much because it's so small, so I check on it every day to make sure the buildup inside isn't too constricted. Anyway, a blowoff tube allows the krausen to come out the tube easily. With an airlock the krausen can form a plug, turning your fermentor into a beer bomb that explodes and paints your room with beer. I've had it happen to me twice, it is very much not fun and SWMBO will be PISSED! The last post here is the general idea:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/how-make-blow-off-tube-288032/

A "wine thief" is what most people use to get samples from their carboys. It's just a tube with a one way valve in the bottom, it lets beer up into the tube and then wont let it out until you want it to.

 

[Setesh]

Another thing, I just got the 3 gallon fermenter for doing these small yield Brewferm kits and I'm in no hurry of getting it empty, would it hurt to let this Kriek "age" in the primary for like 2-3 months? It's gonna be a Christmas beer for us so I am willing to wait or would I better off letting it sit like a month and then bottle conditioning for several months?

I would let it sit a month and then bottle it. It will condition the same in the bottles as it will in the fermentor, plus it will carbonate in the bottle. There shouldn't be anything wrong with leaving it though. You see stories all the time of people leaving beers for months with no ill effects. I've done it myself and the beer turned out great. There's just no reason to do it, you might as well bottle it and then brew up something else to put in your fermentor.

 

[whitehause]

Yea.....definitely get a blow off on that. There is almost no way that isn't going to pop when a healthy ferment gets going!

 

[Bonnerhaus]

Good call, after this vigorous, and I mean VIGOROUS fermentation completes, switch back to airlock?

 

[Setesh]

Good call, after this vigorous, and I mean VIGOROUS fermentation completes, switch back to airlock?

Well, a blowoff tube is a type of airlock so you don't have to but I usually do just to get the extra bottle/bucket out of the way and to make the unit self contained for moving around. The main reason to switch back to a single piece or 3 piece airlock is to avoid sucking your water/sanitizer up the BOT and into your fermentation vessel. This can happen when fermentation ends and the temperature drops, creating negative pressure. You don't want that. A single piece airlock or a 3 piece that isn't full will prevent that. I always use vodka for my airlocks so I don't really care that much if some of it drips down in from my 3 piece airlock, but I still try to prevent it.