I was wondering… you start with 5 gals. and when you rack the first time, about how much do you have left generally? when you rack again for bottling - you end up losing some more. I realize the amount of trub/junk/gook will vary but I got after first racking 4 gallons. Never noticed it before and thought that was rather weird. I did leave a bit behind for clarity reasons. maybe in the past I racked more off and took the chance for secondary settling.
just your experiences. thanks.
I usually set-up my recipes for 5.5 G so that I get 5 G going into the keg.
If I’m doing a great big dry hop, say 8 oz or something like that, I might even up the batch size closer to 6 G. Especially if I’m using whole hops anywhere in the process. They tend to soak up more wort.
Good Luck
[quote=“Duder”]I usually set-up my recipes for 5.5 G so that I get 5 G going into the keg.
If I’m doing a great big dry hop, say 8 oz or something like that, I might even up the batch size closer to 6 G. Especially if I’m using whole hops anywhere in the process. They tend to soak up more wort.
Good Luck[/quote]
Right. Try to formulate recipes so that you’re at least in the 5.25 to 5.50 gallons in the primary range.
Ok thanks! - I was just concerned with the primary size and any overflows. had it happened 1 time - 10 years ago. fermentation blew.
A 6½ gallon primary should be enough but it’s always possible to have an eruption so it’s good to have a blowoff tube ready. I transfer from brewpot to primary then primary to secondary and then secondary to keg and occasionally have less than 5 gallons. Nothing ruins your day more than having less beer than you envisioned! :lol: So try to get a little extra volume and you should be good. Cheers.
I have been aiming/building my recipes for 5.5 gallons into the primary. Last time I think I had a little too aggressive of a boil because I ended up with about 4.75 gallons. I topped it off with water to get to my 5.5 and when I took a SG reading I was only about 0.003 off (aiming for 1.059 ended up with 1.062). I account for about 0.25 gallon loss from trub going primary to secondary and the same for secondary to bottling bucket. The 0.25 gal loss may be a little high but I am not mad if I end up with a little more beer in the end.
I recently goofed up a 3 gallon batch. I didn’t get enough to fill the 3 gallon secondary, just under 2.5 gallons after racking. I have two 5 liter glass jugs for just such an occasion.
Unless you’re aging for over a year, you don’t need to worry about filling a secondary to the very top.
OK - will take note ane see what I can get away with.
