Hello - A Few Q's And A Nashi Pear Brew

[Cube]

Hello fellowship of the yeast.

I am reasonably new to the forum and have been lurking for a week or so. So much to learn since my last brew session.
I have mounted my assault on this fruity yet palatable forum :icon_drunk: tonight for a very good reason. I am about to rack my second brew, Spicy Ghost, but alas, I forgot to pick up another airlock and bung. So, need to know the size to drill a hole to accept my bung and airlock from the main fermenter into the racking bin lid I bought from bunnings the other day. Standard type S-Bend. Not the s-bend size thank you, the hole for the bung will make my racking weekend so much nicer. I don't want to extract the bung from a fermenting barrel for to run a vernier over the hole for the risk of axle greese from the verniers.....especially as I have a Aussie Pale Ale ready to go in!

My last home brew was about 15 years ago, a home made brew made of nashi pears and dextrose. Alot of dextrose. I used the freezing and spinning method instead of the norm. Of course I'm talking of spirits, not beer. The 'dextrose blocks' were wonderful and I enjoyed the use of freezing, drills, spinning, centrifugal force and the sweet hint of nashi taste in my whisky. All without a still.

Anyhow - the lack of freezer space and pet bottles stopped that again. The wife was so not fair. Like we need a freezer!

I bought a 'brand new unopened' brewing kit off feebay a few weeks ago. Brand new and unopened it was, yippie , but upon closer inspection ( under the rust from the can ) was a expiry date of 2006!... A lager at that.

Being a week away to getting to a shop ( or could not be bother too ) I brewed it. It was all bubbling away within 18 hours. It's now sitting almost two weeks old in a racking bin in the garage. I'll bottle it in a week or so :lol: , and this will be for my 'special friends' :huh:

Racking a spicy Ghost this weekend, hence my need for a hole size in the new fermenter lid , and straight into the APA....

Thanks in advance for all the unasked help I have had from reading the forum and look forward to many years of solid and dedicated brewing ( mashing ) in the future!

 

[Tyred]

I think I used a 11 or 12 mm drill bit when I put in my stainless steel temperature probe. That fit the grommet in quite easily.

Do you really need an airlock for secondary tho. What SG is the brew at the moment ? If it's quite low, then you may be O.K. to just use the lid as per normal and just not do it up too tight. Check every now and then by loosening the lid if you're really concerned about pressure build up.

 

[Cube]

Gidday.

Airlock most likely not necessary at all. My other brew has none in the rack as I speak, but I am not at all thinking about that two year old expired 'experiment. It's purely a safety as far as a few extra co2 will push out any o2.

And of course - this 'third barrel' will double up as another fermenter so might as well wack a drill hole in it now before any beer touches it

Cheers for the reply.