So I'm up to my fourth brew (using kegs) and am considering using a secondary fermenter for the first time. I use 17 litre Fresh Wort Kits from Grain & Grape in Yarraville, Victoria, to which I then add 3 litres of water as per instruction. Before I go ahead and try using a secondary fermenter I wanted to clear up a few queries I had.
1. I find that when I keg directly from the primary fermenter (I have 2 x 30L fermenters, exact model can be seen here), I typically lose about 2.5L in volume from what I started with. This is gone in traub and liquid at the bottom that is high in sediment. This is also the height on the fermenter at which the outlet tap is located, so to get any more out of the fermenter one needs to tilt the fermenter quite signficantly. This in turn disrupts the traub/sedement and can "infect" any clear beer that may be left below the level of the tap. So firstly, is it normal to lose that much beer when siphoning from the primary (and how would you minimise this loss?)? And secondly, if I use a secondary fermenter, will I likely lose a similar amount again when I transfer to the keg? Losing ~2L of beer each time I transfer means that I only end up with about 16L in the keg instead of an ideal 18.5-19L.
2. Is it okay to use the same type of fermenter for the secondary as for the primary? I have read that you want the secondary fermenter to be only slightly bigger than the volume you're putting in to it to reduce the amount of oxygen in the vessel, but then also heard people say not to worry. Is it okay to use the same size fermenter for the secondary?
3. I have heard varying recommendations on how long to leave the wort in the primary and secondary fermenters, but am unsure when the ideal time is to rack from primary to secondary. Can anyone shed any light on how long for each fermenter?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Cheers.
1. I find that when I keg directly from the primary fermenter (I have 2 x 30L fermenters, exact model can be seen here), I typically lose about 2.5L in volume from what I started with. This is gone in traub and liquid at the bottom that is high in sediment. This is also the height on the fermenter at which the outlet tap is located, so to get any more out of the fermenter one needs to tilt the fermenter quite signficantly. This in turn disrupts the traub/sedement and can "infect" any clear beer that may be left below the level of the tap. So firstly, is it normal to lose that much beer when siphoning from the primary (and how would you minimise this loss?)? And secondly, if I use a secondary fermenter, will I likely lose a similar amount again when I transfer to the keg? Losing ~2L of beer each time I transfer means that I only end up with about 16L in the keg instead of an ideal 18.5-19L.
2. Is it okay to use the same type of fermenter for the secondary as for the primary? I have read that you want the secondary fermenter to be only slightly bigger than the volume you're putting in to it to reduce the amount of oxygen in the vessel, but then also heard people say not to worry. Is it okay to use the same size fermenter for the secondary?
3. I have heard varying recommendations on how long to leave the wort in the primary and secondary fermenters, but am unsure when the ideal time is to rack from primary to secondary. Can anyone shed any light on how long for each fermenter?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Cheers.