Speidel Fermenter for Barleywine

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by CADETS3, Aug 17, 2015.

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  1. CADETS3

    CADETS3 Initiate (0) Dec 3, 2014 Texas

    I have a 60L Speidel Plastic Fermenter and i have been wanting to brew a Barleywine. I would like to age the beer for quite some time possibly close to a year. This is the description from MoreBeer:
    Key Features:

    • Heavy duty HDPE construction is durable and resists oxygen transfer. None of the risks of working with glass.
    • Small footprint makes them easy to store - take better advantage of the space you have to dedicate to wine & beer making.
    • Built-in handles make these tanks easy to move, even when full.
    • Large lid opening makes them easy to clean by hand - say goodbye to your carboy brush!
    • All ports seal with gaskets and the vessel can be fully sealed for long-term storage.
    • Includes a spigot and oversized 2-piece Speidel airlock.
    • Designed and manufactured in Germany by Speidel, the makers of our legendary commercial wine tanks
    Since it will age for such a long time, would it be ok for me to age it in this container because i'd like to make 10 gallons of it since i am going to have to sit on this beer for a long time. Would I need to take the beer off the yeast cake after a period of time to avoid off flavors? I know the main concern is oxygen but "supposedly" these fermenters resist oxygen transfer. What do you guys think?
     
    #1 CADETS3, Aug 17, 2015
  2. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    I've never used a Speidel, so I won't speculate about its O2 permeability, but...

    I wouldn't leave any beer on the yeast for more than a couple months, regardless of the fermenter.
     
    #2 VikeMan, Aug 17, 2015
    jbakajust1 and SFACRKnight like this.
  3. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    #3 JackHorzempa, Aug 17, 2015
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  4. telejunkie

    telejunkie Savant (1,107) Sep 14, 2007 Vermont

    Agree with VikeMan. Tthe permeability of the hdpe is moderate-high...but PET (like Better Bottle) is quite a bit lower. Iirc, HDPE is ten times more permeable for 02 then PET. I would do primary in the speidel then transfer to glass or PET if possible
     
    #4 telejunkie, Aug 17, 2015
  5. CADETS3

    CADETS3 Initiate (0) Dec 3, 2014 Texas

    yea i think this is the better route, i was just trying to avoid having to tie up both of my 6.5 gallon carboys. I guess i should buy some more! I know that there is a concern about oxidation if i have too much head space but i just racked a beer to a 6.5 carboy and only got about 5.5 into the secondary. I used the orange cap and put a hose into one of the tubes and ran a little bit of Co2 into the beer to try to push the O2 out. Would this be something i could do with the Speidel Fermenter? Layer it with a nice blanket of Co2?
     
    #5 CADETS3, Aug 17, 2015
  6. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    CO2 "blankets" don't really do what some people think they do, i.e. they don't block oxygen. The act of purging (a pressurized container) with CO2 does however expel oxygen.

    But the issue with plastic fermenters is that oxygen penetrates the plastic itself. (Even if the container was initially purged.)
     
    #6 VikeMan, Aug 17, 2015
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  7. LuskusDelph

    LuskusDelph Initiate (0) May 1, 2008 New Jersey

    All of my Barleywines and IPAs (traditional, not 'American') get 8 to 12 months of bulk aging at cellar temperature (in my cellar, that's beween 60-65°F year round)...but not in the primary fermentor. I rack them out of the primary and into co2 purged carboys after about 2 or 3 weeks (there is still enough yeast in there to do the so called "cleanup" work on the beer).
    I keg and slowly force carb them after the long aging (sometimes adding dry hops and aroma hop oil). As someone previously pointed out, leaving it on the yeast for a long time isn't a good idea. Besides...why tie up your primary fermentor when you could be making batches of regular ales to enjoy while the special stuff is aging? (or better still, making more batches of Barleywine for long aging).
     
    #7 LuskusDelph, Aug 17, 2015
  8. Brew_Betty

    Brew_Betty Initiate (0) Jan 5, 2015 Wisconsin

    I've left sour beers on the primary cake for 6-9 months with very good results. However, I would not attempt this with a non wild/sour beer.
     
    #8 Brew_Betty, Aug 17, 2015
  9. CADETS3

    CADETS3 Initiate (0) Dec 3, 2014 Texas

    Two questions concerning long aging for this beer:

    1) Is there a difference in aging in the fermenter (secondary) as opposed to aging in bottles?

    2) I plan on dry hopping this beer, but I want to age it for several months....I have two different hops that i want to dry hop with for 7 days each. I plan on choosing to age the beer in the glass carboys as of now..Do you just let the beer set for the length period of time you want to age it and then add the hops in the last two weeks of the aging?
     
    #9 CADETS3, Aug 20, 2015
  10. jbakajust1

    jbakajust1 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Aug 25, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    Honestly I would get a keg. Most used glass carboys are around $30. I have found corneys on CL for $25. Purge. Dry hop. Remove DH round 1, purge for DH2, remove. Purge, store, carbonate, chill, bottle. Racking to glass, 2 DH stages, and bulk aging sounds like a lot of possibilities of oxidizing.
     
    #10 jbakajust1, Aug 20, 2015
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