Recipes for a demijohn

I've just liberated three demijohns from the future in laws. After I give it a clean, does anyone have any suggestions for something cheap and cheerful to brew in it? I already have some pineapple wine, some mead, and some tea wine sitting there in other demijohns.

sharingan

I prefer not to do primary fermentation in Demijohns. They are a bitch to clean and take samples from, and I have had a lot of high krausen problems with them. I prefer to rack into them or do secondary fermentation.

Get yourself a good primary fermenter, and a siphon, and make in larger batches. Anything with a wide neck, or a tap makes it easier for experimental recipes, or anything involving large amounts of solids.

I currently have siphoned off a honey elderflower wine into my demijohns: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=257827500985543&set=a.123885057713122.16129.118163454951949&type=1

A couple of weeks moreuntil they are all done.

BeerNut

sharingan wrote: »

I prefer not to do primary fermentation in Demijohns. They are a bitch to clean and take samples from

This.

I just did my first, and last, primary fermentation in a demi. Cleaning it after was a massive pain. Usually I just repurpose a stockpot as a fermenter for small batches.

sharingan

And if you don't clean it first time on the day, you will have stuck-on bits of fermentation residue that become thriving colonies for acetic micro-organisms.

A demijohn is a bit expensive for a single use container. Use for racking purposes only.

BeerNut

If you don't clean everything you use first time on the day it's time to consider whether brewing is for you

sharingan

BeerNut wrote: »

If you don't clean everything you use first time on the day it's time to consider whether brewing is for you

LOL! I have recovered use of fermentation vessels that had 20 years of inactivity (including their last clean). Its just carboys and DJs that are a pain. Usually brewing day can end at my house around 1:30 am. I usually top up any empty vessels with water and bleach, to keep nasties from getting a toe hold.

I have found the best way to keep nasties out of my primary fermenters was to keep them filled with 20 - 30 L of wort/yeast mix. Clean, quick rinse with hot water, then new wort.

I know guys who never clean their fermenters - new wort straight onto the old dregs and yeast. I think some of these guys are the ones who get their yeast from breweries ...

Thanks for the replies so far. I've a large twisty bottle brush which easily cleans the inside of the demijohn fine so that's not an issue. And I'm saving for a wedding so I won't be buying much more equipment, it's more the recipes I'm after!

sharingan

Dónal wrote: »

Thanks for the replies so far. I've a large twisty bottle brush which easily cleans the inside of the demijohn fine so that's not an issue. And I'm saving for a wedding so I won't be buying much more equipment, it's more the recipes I'm after!

An outstanding all purpose fermenter can be had for about €17 + post and packaging:
http://www.homebrewwest.ie/brewferm-fermentation-bucket-30-litres-graduated-with-airlock-tap-and-bottle-filling-stick-1040-p.asp

Own this and love it. Won't impact your wedding costs unless you are brewing the wine yourself (in which case you will save a fortune).

Cleaning aside, my main problem with DJs as primary fermenters is that you waste so much of your ferment. Even with aggressive siphoning, I often have a whole pint of very heavy sedimented wine (and a whole pile of sediment too) - you can't just pour these out.

For cheap hooch thats okay, but its annoying when you have to take special measures to salvage over 2 Litres of not cheap honey wine (across multiple DJs).

TomCo

sharingan wrote: »

An outstanding all purpose fermenter can be had for about €17 + post and packaging:
http://www.homebrewwest.ie/brewferm-fermentation-bucket-30-litres-graduated-with-airlock-tap-and-bottle-filling-stick-1040-p.asp

Own this and love it. Won't impact your wedding costs unless you are brewing the wine yourself (in which case you will save a fortune).

And when you're done with it you can buy two cheap kettles and turn it into a boiler!

sharingan

TomCo wrote: »

And when you're done with it you can buy two cheap kettles and turn it into a boiler!

I never even thought of that - it does state that it has great thermal properties, which I assumed meant that you could go mad with boiling water as a steriliser.

The lid design is what I love best. Really secure.

TomCo

sharingan wrote: »

I never even thought of that - it does state that it has great thermal properties, which I assumed meant that you could go mad with boiling water as a steriliser.

The lid design is what I love best. Really secure.

Here's mine, boiling away -



Cost about 8 euro to convert, the only thing needed was two kettles from argos.

sharingan

Wow. I am wondering though whether you can dispense with the conversion, and go with a heating element that you can just drop into the wort. Probably cost more for a dedicated piece of kit, but I wouldn't mind checking out anything like it.

Not the electrical DIY type, and I like to use the fermenter for other purposes as well.

I am looking into Brew in the Bag solutions, and boil in the fermenter/conversions really cut through a lot of make work I think. Wort chilling is a concern, but you could just seal the fermenter while it is still hot, and that would help a bit.

TomCo

sharingan wrote: »

Wow. I am wondering though whether you can dispense with the conversion, and go with a heating element that you can just drop into the wort.

I'd be worried about the electrical cable being immersed in the wort, never a good idea.

sharingan wrote: »

Not the electrical DIY type, and I like to use the fermenter for other purposes as well.

You wouldn't be fermenting in it after you converted it, I meant when you want to get a bit more into brewing you have a nice upgrade path.
Just need a screwdriver to dismantle the kettles, a pliers to connect the mains (the argos ones have these nice little clips on the wires that fit over the terminals on the element), and a drill for the holes in the bucket.

I have 3 buckets - 1 fermenter, 1 boiler, and 1 bottling bucket (all the same type of bucket, some I've added taps to)

sharingan

Over on the Brew in a Bag forums they talk about using heatsticks, which are basically a thermal element that you drop in. They obviously need a well insulated electric cable.

Another thing that I really like about the boil in a fermenter approach, is that the fermenter can be sealed (reasonably - cooling gas will suck in through the airlock) and can minimise exposure during the wort chilling stage.

As an upgrade path, I am looking to get into all grain brewing, without breaking the bank or filling up our small apartment with brewing gear. So any approach where a fermenter or piece of kit can be re-used or repurposed really appeals to me.

BeerNut

sharingan wrote: »

Another thing that I really like about the boil in a fermenter approach, is that the fermenter can be sealed (reasonably - cooling gas will suck in through the airlock) and can minimise exposure during the wort chilling stage.

I don't know what chilling method you're using, but surely this is going to slow it down? I always want the lid right off during chilling to let the heat escape.

sharingan

BeerNut wrote: »

I don't know what chilling method you're using, but surely this is going to slow it down? I always want the lid right off during chilling to let the heat escape.

Usually don't bother with it (I add water to the various things I brew), but now that I am looking at extract/all grain there seems to be a lot of paranoia (justified?) about infection at the wort chilling stage.

Keeping the lid on would certainly slow down cooling, but if the wort is safe from infection, you can just leave it cool down in its own time.

Unless there is other reasons to accelerate the cool down? Again, I have never had a situation where I was dealing with 100% hot wort. The sealed fermenter would be sterile, and if you are buff enough you could then transport it to a bath of cold water to chill it down.

Am I missing something? Again I am new at this, and a lot of my thoughts are governed by not filling up the apartment with brewing apparatus.

BeerNut

sharingan wrote: »

you can just leave it cool down in its own time.

Unless there is other reasons to accelerate the cool down?

Yes: clarity. Chilling fast gives you "cold break" -- proteins drop out of the wort so aren't in the fermenter so aren't in the beer. It's mostly cosmetic, but Palmer mentions it could have shelf-life implications.

More importantly, I would worry about leaving my wort any length of time without getting my yeast in there, lid or no lid.

sharingan wrote: »

Am I missing something?

A wort chiller 20L from boil to pitching temp in about 20 minutes :cool:

sharingan

BeerNut wrote: »

Yes: clarity. Chilling fast gives you "cold break" -- proteins drop out of the wort so aren't in the fermenter so aren't in the beer. It's mostly cosmetic, but Palmer mentions it could have shelf-life implications.

More importantly, I would worry about leaving my wort any length of time without getting my yeast in there, lid or no lid.

A wort chiller 20L from boil to pitching temp in about 20 minutes :cool:

I just read up about the cold break and the grain proteins. Okay, its an ice bath then.

BeerNut

I've always found ice baths slow and awkward, but YMMV.

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