Got my kit, malt extract to the fridge?

[tubejay]

I just got my kit from Midwest Supplies. I bought this kit:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6876


The kit includes the following:

6 Gallon Glass Carboy
• 5 Gallon Glass Carboy
• 6.5 Gallon Plastic Fermenter
• 6.5 Gallon Bottling Bucket with Spigot

I'm a little confused about what each thing is for. Is the 6 gallon Glass carboy my primary fermenter for stage one? Is the 5 gallon glass carboy for stage 2? What is the 6.5 gallon plastic fermentor for then? I'm missing some important info here. I'm guessing that the 6.5 gallon plastic fermentor is just extra and is not needed? It included two airlocks too, is that why? Or do you need two airlocks for some other purpose?


Second, it includes a syrup malt extract. Should this be refrigerated? Should I refrigerate the hops too? I'm going to be making it this weekend I think.

Thanks again, this board is fantastic!

 

[Lou]

the malt extract doesn't need to be refrigerated...just store it in a cool, dark place and use it sooner rather than later (this weekend is good). the hops should go in the fridge if you're brewing this weekend; freezer if it'll be more than a few days...

good luck

 

[Kaiser]

The kit includes the following:

6 Gallon Glass Carboy
• 5 Gallon Glass Carboy
• 6.5 Gallon Plastic Fermenter
• 6.5 Gallon Bottling Bucket with Spigot

I'd use the bottling bucket (the one with a spigot) for primary fermentation. This will make racking to the carboy for secondary fermentation a breeze. You don't really need the 2nd bucket for now. You may need it when you have 1 batch in the primary and want to bottle the batch in the secondary. In this case you should use it for the primary fermentation.

Kai

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

I agree with Kai...the second plastic bucket is somewhat superfluous until you have multiple batches in the pipeline. Ferment in the bottling bucket, transfer to secondary (5g glass carboy), then rack back to the bottling bucket to bottle.

 

[Blender]

Thats a nice starting system. You could have 2 batches going at the same time or in a nice interval so that you wouldn't run out. It's a good thing.

 

[david_42]

A. The second bucket is used to start the second batch, so you won't have dry spells.
B. Alternately, people who find the sight of yeast at work repulsive use opaque buckets.

The larger fermenters are for primary fermentation. The extra head room is needed for the krausen (scummy foam, see B) to form. In the secondary, the extra room isn't needed.

I like plastic buckets and all of them have spigots for ease of transfer.

 

[El Pistolero]

Just to keep the bucketeers from getting too much of a foothold here:

• The 6 gallon carboy is your primary
• The five gallon carboy is your secondary
• The bottling bucket is a bottling bucket
• The other bucket is for cleaning/sanitizing everything.

 

[tubejay]

Thanks guys, that helps a ton. I think I'm going to try to go all glass for my first batch. I have an auto siphon which doesn't look to difficult to get the beer from the primary to the secondary. Plus I want to see what it's doing.

Thanks again!

 

[Pumbaa]

Ditto what El P said

use the carboys as Primary and Secondary then the one bucket for bottling, use the other for cleaning your stuff, it will save you a trip to the hardware store

 

[boo boo]

If you are going to use the 6 gal carboy for a primary then I suggest you insert a blowoff tube instead of the airlock to prevent a mess. A blowoff tube is a sanitized tube large enough to fit in the neck of the carboy and the other end is placed into a container of water etc. so that anything expelled from your primary will end up there instead of being stuck to the ceiling of the room you have your fermenter in.

 

[Indiana Red]

...
[*]The bottling bucket is a bottling bucket...

Nice