Secondary necessary?

I am trying to brew a big double ipa. I was told by another homebrewer that he gets very good results without doing a secondary, he just does an extra week of primary. I understand that one may not get good clarity without secondary, however, how much difference does it really make to the taste/flavor/alcohol level etc.

Thanks

I never use a secondary. all i do is leave it in primary for 2 weeks. i've had very good results doing it this way. the only reason i would do a secondary is if i'm dry hopping.Don't get me wrong though, a secondary won't hurt anything, but it's just my preferance not to use it. I also tend to stick to hefeweizens and it's better to not have as much clarity as a secondary provides.

Thanks.

So why can't one do dry hopping with primary?

You can dry hop in the primary, it's just not the norm.

If you're doing a big beer, it would benefit you to rack the beer off of the massive yeast/trub cake you're likely to have in order for it to clear and condition.

I use a secondary for everything including the hefe i did. I use it only to clear the beer and not to dry hop as I have not gotten to that point in my brewing yet, nor have I had a recipe call for it.

As for your quesiton of, should you secondary your IPA, I would just for a clearer beer somthing that friends and family would see and feel more comfortable trying vs. somthing cloudy and dark that makes people who drink (Bud light and other domestic beers) lighter color beers scared to try it.

Just my two pints.

Secondary is a PITA! I stopped that silliness about 7 batches ago and haven't looked back. My brews all turn out great and crystal clear after two months in keg or bottle.

One of my friends never uses a secondary, and knipknup is right: not only are his beers just as clear and taste great, they typically have much fuller carbonation, and not in a bad way. I like to secondary avg. beers for 2-3 days, though a barleywine can sit for a month maybe. When I secondary, within a few hours a half inch of new sediment settles out. After that, bottle away and let it clear there whilst it conditions.