Secondary fermentation

So I've been trolling on here and reading a bunch of topics and responses, mostly in this particular form. My question is: During secondary fermentation, the carbonization of the final product happens after adding more sugar. Now, is this because in the initial fermenting stage, the yeast simply run out of food and that's what stops the initial fermentation? I may be answering my own question, but I'm just trying to get confirmation on the exact processes that are happening at each stage. Thanks in advance

You pretty much got it.

You ferment your beer until fermentation stops. I does stop because the hungry little yeasts ate up all the food. After fermentation is done. Some extra time in the fermenter will help clear up the brew. When you are ready to bottle you mix up a sugar solution boil it for a few minutes, cool it some and put it in the bottling bucket. Then you rack your brew on top of that to mix it in. Bottle the beers, cap them, and then put them in a spot that is about 70 degrees for three weeks. The yeast wakes up and eats the sugar which will carbonate the brew. After three weeks put a couple of bottles in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours to help the carbonation absorb into the beer. Pour carefully, leaving the yeast from the bottom of the bottle in the bottle. Enjoy.

Roger, thanks. The waiting part is what I've found to be hard. I'm less than one week into the initial brew and it's only a Mr.Beer started LME and I'm excited about it lol

OH. Patience is the hardest part of learning to brew. Brew more so you have plenty of beer and it makes it easier. The first ones are the hardest.

I have brewed enough that I have a big pipeline. I now actually sometimes forget what I have fermenting.

CSAYank said:

Roger, thanks. The waiting part is what I've found to be hard. I'm less than one week into the initial brew and it's only a Mr.Beer started LME and I'm excited about it lol

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Getting another batch started helps take your mind off what is going on with this batch. I now have 4 batches in fermenters and I'm thinking about doing another.

Haha that's a good point. Unfortunately I currently lack the equipment to do so, I just got started. Soon though, soon.

CSAYank said:

So I've been trolling on here and reading a bunch of topics and responses, mostly in this particular form. My question is: During secondary fermentation, the carbonization of the final product happens after adding more sugar. Now, is this because in the initial fermenting stage, the yeast simply run out of food and that's what stops the initial fermentation? I may be answering my own question, but I'm just trying to get confirmation on the exact processes that are happening at each stage. Thanks in advance

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When you say "During secondary fermentation, the cabonization of the final product happens after adding more sugar. Hmmmm

I'm thinking carbonization happens in the bottles after time in the primary is done not in a "secondary fermenter".

^^^Yes.

Also, I'm thinking carbonation happens in the bottles, and carbonization happens on my grill!

Singletrack said:

^^^Yes.

Also, I'm thinking carbonation happens in the bottles, and carbonization happens on my grill!

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Carbonation goes great with Carbonization though.

C-Rider said:

When you say "During secondary fermentation, the cabonization of the final product happens after adding more sugar. Hmmmm



I'm thinking carbonization happens in the bottles after time in the primary is done not in a "secondary fermenter".

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Ok makes more sense. I've read "secondary fermentation" on here a bit and figured that meant in the bottles after more sugars are added to feed the yeast. As I said, piecing the entire process together in my head.

Singletrack said:

^^^Yes.

Also, I'm thinking carbonation happens in the bottles, and carbonization happens on my grill!

Click to expand...

Ya know, I kept reading and saying "carbonization" and it didn't seem right but I couldn't figure out why. Thanks for pointing that out lol

The term secondary fermentation is a misnomer as if you transfer to a secondary vessel, fermentation is usually complete and you've moved the beer for some other purpose. In a large scale commercial brewery, they need to worry about the pressures of that much beer on the settled yeast where autolysis can be a problem. Also, they usually need to use their primary vessel again before the batch has cleared, so they move it to a secondary vessel, usually called a bright tank to let it clear. Homebrewers don't face the same conflicts, so most of us don't use a secondary vessel unless it's for a good reason. We just let the beer sit in primary until fermentation has completed and the beer has cleared to our liking and go straight to bottles or keg.

Not exactly... Just to explain minor differences in definitions, the fermentation phases are not strictly related to the vessels primary or secondary.

The secondary is often associated with the conditioning phase of fermentation when the transfer occurs at the end of the vigorous attenuation phase. And there are very good reasons to do it that way if you choose to use a secondary vessel.

The debate on whether the different processes matter to beer quality does not appear to have any basis. So may careful comparisons with blind tasting conclude time and time again that the difference cannot be determined.

That's why most homebrewers transfer to secondary.

So let me get the terminology correct, I'm a novice so bare with me. For my first batch that I'm brewing now ( mr.beer ), the conditioning phase would be when I bottle out of the fermenter, put the sugar in the bottles ( as per their instructions ) and let carbonate. I understand that this is happening because the yeast now have more food and we are not letting the CO2 out this time. Is this where the term "secondary fermentation" would be used? Now... with all grain which I intend to start soon, is there a secondary vessel that the beer is transferred into for conditioning, then bottled? Or does everyone pretty much put them in bottles, add whatever sugar to them, let them condition, then pour into a glass to consume?

CSAYank said:

So let me get the terminology correct, I'm a novice so bare with me. For my first batch that I'm brewing now ( mr.beer ), the conditioning phase would be when I bottle out of the fermenter, put the sugar in the bottles ( as per their instructions ) and let carbonate. I understand that this is happening because the yeast now have more food and we are not letting the CO2 out this time. Is this where the term "secondary fermentation" would be used? Now... with all grain which I intend to start soon, is there a secondary vessel that the beer is transferred into for conditioning, then bottled? Or does everyone pretty much put them in bottles, add whatever sugar to them, let them condition, then pour into a glass to consume?

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Primary:The Main event. What (should) occur after you pitch the yeast.
Secondary: Moving the beer of the primary yeast cake into a secondary vessel (You are not doing this step)
Conditioning: Can be done in Primary or Secondary, allows the beer time to clear and for yeast to clean up.
Bottling: Putting beer in bottles, giving the yeast extra sugar to make CO2 with (this is the step you are talking about).
Bottle Conditioning: Same as normal conditioning, just in the bottle.

Frilock said:

Primary:The Main event. What (should) occur after you pitch the yeast.

Secondary: Moving the beer of the primary yeast cake into a secondary vessel (You are not doing this step)

Conditioning: Can be done in Primary or Secondary, allows the beer time to clear and for yeast to clean up.

Bottling: Putting beer in bottles, giving the yeast extra sugar to make CO2 with (this is the step you are talking about).

Bottle Conditioning: Same as normal conditioning, just in the bottle.

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Simple yet effective, I like it. Thanks. I just saved the "how to brew" book that was posted on a similar thread. I'll make sure to read that too.