To secondary or not, that is my question

This is my first home brew job , and I started with a Belgium triple extract kit. Everything has gone well,so far, but I have heard many different views and opinions on whether to go into secondary, or leave in the primary? Or just bottle from the primary after fermentation stops. I also noted that the brew is still very cloudy, but is a beautiful brown color. I can see the yeast cake in the bottom, I started this last Sunday, and currently the air lock bubbles once about every 30
Seconds. Any tips? Thoughts? Thanks

Kory

Most people say no secondary. Risks are infection and aeration. Benefits are... Well not sure if there are any.

Two things about when to bottle. One bubbling or not is not a reliable sign of fermentation. Take a gravity reading. Two don't rush it out of the primary. Even after all fermentation is complete the yeast have a lot of work to do cleaning up after themselves.

Even after you're sure all fermentation is done wait two or three days, maybe even a bit longer for your big beer.

When in doubt wait RDWHAHB.

Rudeboy

I used to never secondary the beer. I thought it was a waste of time and a risk of infection. If you are very sanitary then you shouldn't be concerned with it. Now that I am kegging, I secondary from my carboy to the cornelious keg and even a tertiary from time to time. I really don't care for sediment in the beer from hops, grain or yeast. I prefer a crisp and clear looking beer. It is purely up to your preference. I still think you will get the result that you want. But being that this is your first rodeo, it may be a good idea to start slow and bottle from what you get primary and with more experience you will develop new methods that work better for your brewing style. Good luck brother.

Secondary is not terribly important. I have a Belgian going right now that rode in Primary, and seems to be very happy and tasty, with good clarity.

If you want better clarity, but don't have a fridge to cold-condition the brew in before bottling, then time is your only answer. Also, once in the bottle and carbed, stick it in the fridge and it will clear up significantly.

And remember, follow the bottling sticky by Revvy. You want to use a bottling bucket, and rack on top of your priming sugar. This way you can also leave behind the yeast cake, and not try to bottle off of the crud.

What I do is keep the beer in the primary for 2 weeks then I throw it to a secondary for another 3 weeks. I find that as long as your sanitary about the secondary and keep the hose in the bottom you should not have any troubles. The co2 lvl in the beer when transferring will release enough co2 to protect your beer. I find if I do a secondary it will help the suspended lees drop faster and also bulk ages the beer.

This is the most discussed topic on here, it has been readily covered. I suggest you read THIS thread, it's become the "uber discussion" on this topic thread. Every discussion, question, answer, citation, etch is in that thread....

To Secondary or Not? John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff Weigh In .

Many of us leave our beer in primary for a month minimum then bottle.....We find out beers to be clearer and better tasting.

I suggest you read that thread, and experiment for yourself, and make up your own mind.

There's thousands of threads where folks have ventured their opinions, and argued incessantly, but it ultimately comes down to what works for you......

Thanks all, I am new to this and this does seem to be the biggest sticking point for me, I realize I picked a big beer to do for my first brew, but I like big beers! So why not?
I think I will continue with the primary and let it sit..... I will check the gravity today and post an update, is month safe for this Belgium? If I do wait for a month what would be the optimum storage temp? Right now I am about 65 degrees. Thanks all for your help, I appreciate it.

Kory

Revvy said:

This is the most discussed topic on here, it has been readily covered. I suggest you read THIS thread, it's become the "uber discussion" on this topic thread. Every discussion, question, answer, citation, etch is in that thread....

To Secondary or Not? John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff Weigh In .

Many of us leave our beer in primary for a month minimum then bottle.....We find out beers to be clearer and better tasting.

I suggest you read that thread, and experiment for yourself, and make up your own mind.

There's thousands of threads where folks have ventured their opinions, and argued incessantly, but it ultimately comes down to what works for you......

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, Revvy... I'll be removing this pain in the butt step from my brewing process. Always happy to save some time

Just checked the gravity, and it is at 1.029. And yes the sample tastes good.

Revvy said:

I suggest you read that thread, and experiment for yourself, and make up your own mind.

Click to expand...

This. I have read the arguments against, and they make great sense. However, I am very particular about sanitation and careful when racking, so I am not really worried about infection/oxidation. My Imperial Nut Brown looks (to me) much better now that it's had close to a month in secondary.

Would it have looked as good had I just extended my (already long) primary? Very possibly.

But racking it also frees up my primary for the next beer, and with a big beer like this one - a beer that will take months before it is ready - that is an important consideration.

That being said, I'll probably use secondaries for all my beers. I understand both sides of the discussion, but for me, secondaries make sense and feel like the right process. Your mileage may vary.

Koryb said:

Thanks all, I am new to this and this does seem to be the biggest sticking point for me, I realize I picked a big beer to do for my first brew, but I like big beers! So why not?
I think I will continue with the primary and let it sit..... I will check the gravity today and post an update, is month safe for this Belgium? If I do wait for a month what would be the optimum storage temp? Right now I am about 65 degrees. Thanks all for your help, I appreciate it.

Kory

Click to expand...

If you like big beers, do big beers. Isn't that the point of this hobby - to make beer that YOU like?

A month sounds like a great start. What was your OG? You are probably fine to rack or bottle now (if your gravity is stable). However, most will agree that a bg beer will be ready sooner if you bulk age (and many would tell you that you get better beer that way).

65 sounds good to me; it really depends on your exact yeast strain.

I an squarely in the no secondary camp for most beers. However, for big beers like this I like to bulk age in a secondary. And tripels benefit from an extended cool aging (ie lagering). No need to rush this to secondary - a month in primary will be fine. Also, no need to rush this into bottles. You really want to be patient with these bigger beers.

Homebrewdad..... Thanks for your input, I think for my first I will just stay in the primary, just to keep it simple for me. My OG was 1.090, and if my addition is correct that makes for about an 8% ABV. The sample I took today for my gravity test tastes awesome. Now the itching gets worse, I will have to be patient, and I may go get another brew together just so I can focus on that and let the Belgium sit. I think another couple of weeks in the primary and I will bottle, and stash it away.

Koryb said:

Homebrewdad..... Thanks for your input, I think for my first I will just stay in the primary, just to keep it simple for me. My OG was 1.090, and if my addition is correct that makes for about an 8% ABV. The sample I took today for my gravity test tastes awesome. Now the itching gets worse, I will have to be patient, and I may go get another brew together just so I can focus on that and let the Belgium sit. I think another couple of weeks in the primary and I will bottle, and stash it away.

Click to expand...

For a really big beer like that - yeah, go brew something else. This one is going to need some serious time before it hits its stride.

Good luck!

here is a couple of pics.... I hope