Homebrew Underground

You may find when transferring beer from the fermenter to the carboy that you have more beer than will fit into the carboy. Like many homebrewers, I have a 5 gallon carboy and my fermenter holds slightly more than 5 gallons. Recently, when making a batch of beer, the recipe called for just over 5 gallons. When I transferred the beer from the fermenter to the carboy, I needed somewhere to put that extra beer. No way was I going to throw it away!

I also make home made liqueurs and I will often use a 2 quart Mason Jar. I got the idea that just maybe I might be able to convert one of my Mason Jars into a carboy. All I needed was a hole in the metal lid just big enough for an air lock. I punched a hole in the lid and inserted the body of a plastic air lock, then I used clear silicone rubber sealant to seal the gaps on the outside between the metal lid and the stem of the plastic air lock. Shown below is a photo:

Silicone rubber sealant comes in a tube and is available at most hardware stores. Allow the sealant to dry overnight. Use common sense and be careful not to allow any silicone to come into contact with the inside of the carboy where it can come into contact with the beer. You can sanitize the lid and glass Mason Jar before using it in a batch of brew.

The “mini-carboy” works like a charm.