Skip Secondary?

mosquitocontrol · 03-22-2009, 04:30 PM

I know a lot of you out there skip the secondary all together on some beers. I've had two batches in the primary for 3 weeks. Was thinking of just skipping the secondary and bottling. Both are extract, an amber ale and a british pale ale.

Is 3 weeks in the primary long enough to skip secondary? Or should i just rack to secondary for a week or two anyway?

I guess i'm trying to figure out anyones "rules" around this, as I'm looking towards borrowing one of my BB's for wine and/or apfelwein and just picking up a few extra buckets and skipping the secondary for awhile.

nakros · 03-22-2009, 04:37 PM

FWIW, as I've only done 13 batches so far.

-First three batches, I did 1 week primary, 2 weeks secondary.
-Next two I kept in primary for three weeks (picked up another bucket).
-The next few, some I tried 1 week primary 2 weeks secondary, others I left only in primary for 3 weeks. The only reason I put in the secondary was to free up another primary.

From my very limited experience, I have been much happier with the beers that spent their fermenting life in the primary only. I picked up another bucket and currently only use my carboy for apfelwein.

**Revvy** · 03-22-2009, 04:42 PM

THere's 10,000 threads on the topic...you pretty well can see the opinions on it and who believes it improves the beer and why, so what more do you feel you need? Everything you can want to know has been discussed about it ad nauseum, and even including info from Palmer on the topic...SO what more do you need? Hand holding?

It won't kill your beer to do it, and afterwards you can decide if you find the improvement that many of us do...but what more info do you think is not already easily found on here?

The rules are, leve it in and skip secondary...then bottle. THat's all there is to it...

giligson · 03-22-2009, 06:40 PM

If you like a sparklingly clear beer, don't mind fastidious cleaning and carefull racking technique and/or possibly use a finning agent then moving to a secondary may be for you. Also if your beer is a high temp ferment and you want to limit yeast autolysis flavours then you may need to go to secondary.
If you bottle condition your beers, if you tend to do a lot of splashing when you transfer, if you want to rest the beer on the lees for any reason (the yeast cake) then you may wish to stay with a single vessle for simplicity.

**Revvy** · 03-22-2009, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by giligson

If you like a sparklingly clear beer, don't mind fastidious cleaning and carefull racking technique and/or possibly use a finning agent then moving to a secondary may be for you. Also if your beer is a high temp ferment and you want to limit yeast autolysis flavours then you may need to go to secondary.
If you bottle condition your beers, if you tend to do a lot of splashing when you transfer, if you want to rest the beer on the lees for any reason (the yeast cake) then you may wish to stay with a single vessle for simplicity.

I find my beer MORE SPARKINGLY CLEAR by leaving it in a month, that's why I do it..and the judging sheets on one of them described the clarity and color as jewell-like...that was what sold me on this method...I think they look and taste better leaving them on for a month...