Do you let the fermenter sit still before transferring?

Typically before I keg or transfer my beer to a bottling bucket I will move it and then let it sit for at least a couple hours before transferring it so the yeast and everything else settles back down...is this common practice on here? I was debating last minute about kegging my beer tonight but I don't have time to let it sit if I do. Does it make much of a difference?

With my primary being several weeks long I don't find that there is anything stirred up by moving the carboy up to racking level. I lift and transfer right away.

B

I let mine sit maybe 15 or 20 minutes after I move it. Unless you are shaking the bejesus out of it you shouldn't be causing more than a mild stir of the surface yeast that should re-settle fairly quickly.

Whenever possible, I like to have the primary where it will be racked from, at least a few hours ahead. When I was fermenting at home (and when I do it again, damned LL), I would sometimes move the primary into position a day, or several days, ahead of time.

I think it's more a mental thing, for our benefit. I've had just as clear rackings when I've moved the primary/fermenter and let it rest an hour as when I moved it days earlier. I think it matters more in how much you move, or shake it up, during the move. IF you're careful enough, only a short amount of time should be needed to get it to settle back down since very little will have been kicked up.

Of course, reading the other comments maybe it's more to do with going with long primaries. I racked a brew that was in primary for almost 5 weeks and didn't have much issue only letting it 'rest' for an hour, or so. My previous batch (kegged/bottled) was in position for a bit longer, and was in primary for 7 weeks... Another check in favor of long primaries.

YMMV

Oh and RDWHAHB

I try to move my fermenter the day before I am going to do any transfering or bottling so everything has plenty of time to settle down. But I am also not worried if I want to bottle and move the fermenter the same day. The beer will setle in the bottle.

I move the fermenter the day before then when I transfer I keep the racking cane about an inch from the top of the liquid the whole time. and don't tip to get the last drop.

gclay said:

and don't tip to get the last drop.

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This is good advise. I always find myself getting greedy and going for that last 6 ounces or so. Bad mistake when kegging and trying to get the clearest beer possible. If you are bottling, just label that last beer or two differently and make sure you save it for yourself!

Thanks for all the answers. This beer has been on the yeast for 4 weeks, but after 2 weeks I added honey...Normally I let it sit a day before or set it out first thing in the morning, but this time around I didn't know when I'd get to kegging it so I've kept it in place.

If you've had it sitting for a month the yeast cake is going to be pretty tight, anything that does get kicked up should settle down fairly quickly. Unless maybe you were carrying it up a flight of stairs or something, it shouldn't take too long for the little bits of stuff to fall back down.

I see someone's been living the high life.

Revvy said:

If you've had it sitting for a month the yeast cake is going to be pretty tight, anything that does get kicked up should settle down fairly quickly. Unless maybe you were carrying it up a flight of stairs or something, it shouldn't take too long for the little bits of stuff to fall back down.

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Thanks. I kind of thought that would be the case but wasn't sure if adding honey at week two would have affected it at all.

My experience has been that once the trub layer gets as compacted as it does in a month, it really takes a lot to dislodge it. So you might have looser stuff from the honey fermentation, BUT the larger bulk of the trub is still going to be like wet concrete.