Help with siphoning out of a 5L demijohn

[Biznitch]

Hi guys, just wondering if anyone can help.

I do very small batch all grain brews in a 5L demijohn. Once fermented there is a large amount of krausen on the top and sediment on the bottom resulting in me probably being able to siphon only about 3L before I start dredging up unwanted bits.

Does anyone have any tips on how to siphon using a tube without dredging up all the byproducts?

Thanks :)

 

[user 18729]

There shouldn’t be Krausen on top- if fermentation has finished and you’ve given it a little time (preferably cooled as well) everything should sink to the bottom.

You can use a siphon with a little plastic sediment trap which should help

 

[An Ankoù]

Hi guys, just wondering if anyone can help.

I do very small batch all grain brews in a 5L demijohn. Once fermented there is a large amount of krausen on the top and sediment on the bottom resulting in me probably being able to siphon only about 3L before I start dredging up unwanted bits.

Does anyone have any tips on how to siphon using a tube without dredging up all the byproducts?

Thanks :)

If you're doing your primary fermentation in the demijohn then you must be leaving quite a bit of headspace otherwise it would all blow out of the DJ. So you've probably got only a maximum of 4 litres in there anyway. Possibly less as most of my DJs are a gallon which is less than 5 litres. Why don't you carry out primary fermentation in a 2-gallon bucket with a lid. If it had a tap as well, that would make things even easier.

 

[Scottyburto]

These were about £6 for 4 or 5 when I got them from Amazon.

 

[Biznitch]

There shouldn’t be Krausen on top- if fermentation has finished and you’ve given it a little time (preferably cooled as well) everything should sink to the bottom.

You can use a siphon with a little plastic sediment trap which should help

Hi Hopsteep, thanks for this, when exactly would a good time to cool it be - after fermentation is complete? and are we talking to say 15 degrees Celsius for a few days or even cooler than that? Interestingly the first all grain i did in the demijohn (IPA) had a lot of krausen, but now, i am doing a 4.5% stout (or thereabouts) there doesn't seem to be much krausen at all. do you know why this is?

Thanks

 

[Biznitch]

If you're doing your primary fermentation in the demijohn then you must be leaving quite a bit of headspace otherwise it would all blow out of the DJ. So you've probably got only a maximum of 4 litres in there anyway. Possibly less as most of my DJs are a gallon which is less than 5 litres. Why don't you carry out primary fermentation in a 2-gallon bucket with a lid. If it had a tap as well, that would make things even easier.

Hi there,

Yes you're probably right, theres probably a good 2 inches of headspace in there. The only other equipment i have is a 5 gallon plastic bucket. Also if i were to get something with a tap would i not risk draining out a lot of bottom sediment? (Unless i bought one of those conical ones i suppose)

 

[Biznitch]

These were about £6 for 4 or 5 when I got them from Amazon.View attachment 24156

These look ideal! thanks for this

 

[An Ankoù]

Hi there,

Yes you're probably right, theres probably a good 2 inches of headspace in there. The only other equipment i have is a 5 gallon plastic bucket. Also if i were to get something with a tap would i not risk draining out a lot of bottom sediment? (Unless i bought one of those conical ones i suppose)

Not at all. The hole is above the bottom of the bucket so that the bottom of the spout just clears the work surface (otherwise it would tilt the bucket). A bit of sediment comes over but the vast majority stays in the bottom of the bucket. You gently tip the bucket to get the last drops out without disturbing the sediment.
A five gallon bucket's a bit big for a 1 gallon batch, but you could make a double batch and finish it in two demi johns. You could then experiment with different dry hops, if you wanted to.

 

[dwhite60]

Siphon slow. I find faster flow causes more pickup.

All the Best,
D. White