My first brew is only a month away from consumption :)

Well I transfered my first brew into secondary today after one week in primary (Autumn Amber Ale from MWS). My OG was 1.043 and I've had a consecutive FG read of 1.009 for a couple days. I transfered to secondary so I can free up my primary bucket. The foam you see on top is starsan. I hope the foam doesn't increase the oxygen in the beer, as I know oxygen is a bad thing at this point.

Is there any suggestions on how long I should leave this in secondary? I was thinking 1-2 weeks in carboy and 2-3 weeks in the bottle conditioning. The beer is dark, maybe caused by cloudiness and trub. It was my first time siphoning so I got a little trub in the carboy. I also had a problem with the stopper staying inserted in the carboy because it was soaked with starsan. I had to dry it off and re-insert.

My next beer I'm thinking will be the high octane IPA, over 6% ABV :rockin: Has anybody had this beer before? I will definately need to secondary ferment that beer because the recipe calls for oak chips after primary.

Here's a pic of my first brew

BansheeRider said:

Well I transfered my first brew into secondary today after one week in primary (Autumn Amber Ale from MWS). My OG was 1.043 and I've had a consecutive FG read of 1.009 for a couple days. I transfered to secondary so I can free up my primary bucket. The foam you see on top is starsan. I hope the foam doesn't increase the oxygen in the beer, as I know oxygen is a bad thing at this point.

Is there any suggestions on how long I should leave this in secondary? I was thinking 1-2 weeks in carboy and 2-3 weeks in the bottle conditioning. The beer is dark, maybe caused by cloudiness and trub. It was my first time siphoning so I got a little trub in the carboy. I also had a problem with the stopper staying inserted in the carboy because it was soaked with starsan. I had to dry it off and re-insert.

My next beer I'm thinking will be the high octane IPA, over 6% ABV :rockin: Has anybody had this beer before? I will definately need to secondary ferment that beer because the recipe calls for oak chips after primary.

Here's a pic of my first brew

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I never use a secondary ...I leave my beer fermenting for at least 3 weeks . Then keg it. That's just me.

Did you know that for around $15 you could have a second fermenter bucket and could have just left this beer in the primary for a longer period? That would leave your carboy empty for the next one to be racked onto the oak chips, one of the few good reasons for racking to secondary. You could even have a third fermenter so you could be making an oatmeal stout at the same time, letting each have the time in the fermenter that it deserves.

Your beer looks dark because of a couple factors. If you added all the LME at the beginning of the boil the boiling produces a Maillard rection that darkens the wort. No harm to the flavor, just a color change. The other reason is you are looking through a large amount of beer in the carboy and it absorbs light making the beer appear darker than it will when you pour it into the glass.

lazarus0530 said:

I never use a secondary ...I leave my beer fermenting for at least 3 weeks . Then keg it. That's just me.

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Must be nice to have a keg. I am new at brewing, and cannot afford a keg let alone know what to do if I did have one.

RM-MN said:

Did you know that for around $15 you could have a second fermenter bucket and could have just left this beer in the primary for a longer period? That would leave your carboy empty for the next one to be racked onto the oak chips, one of the few good reasons for racking to secondary. You could even have a third fermenter so you could be making an oatmeal stout at the same time, letting each have the time in the fermenter that it deserves.

Your beer looks dark because of a couple factors. If you added all the LME at the beginning of the boil the boiling produces a Maillard rection that darkens the wort. No harm to the flavor, just a color change. The other reason is you are looking through a large amount of beer in the carboy and it absorbs light making the beer appear darker than it will when you pour it into the glass.

Click to expand...

I am trying to limit space in my closet. Not sure If I can fit another bucket of beer in there. I know secondaries are deemed unnecessary, however if I have a 5 gal carboy why not use it? My next batch may need the carboy for obvious reasons, although the instructions say that the oak chips can be used in primary as well. There is much debate on whether to use a secondary or not. I think for the most part both methods create great beer as long as everything is sanitized and common sense is used. Would you agree?

BansheeRider said:

Must be nice to have a keg. I am new at brewing, and cannot afford a keg let alone know what to do if I did have one.

I am trying to limit space in my closet. Not sure If I can fit another bucket of beer in there. I know secondaries are deemed unnecessary, however if I have a 5 gal carboy why not use it? My next batch may need the carboy for obvious reasons, although the instructions say that the oak chips can be used in primary as well. There is much debate on whether to use a secondary or not. I think for the most part both methods create great beer as long as everything is sanitized and common sense is used. Would you agree?

Click to expand...

Well you might not want to use it after a week because conventional wisdom leans toward longer contact with the yeast in the primary creates a cleaner tasting beer. Either way I would leave it in secondary another two weeks then bottle. Enjoy the brew!

BansheeRider said:

Must be nice to have a keg. I am new at brewing, and cannot afford a keg let alone know what to do if I did have one.



I am trying to limit space in my closet. Not sure If I can fit another bucket of beer in there. I know secondaries are deemed unnecessary, however if I have a 5 gal carboy why not use it? My next batch may need the carboy for obvious reasons, although the instructions say that the oak chips can be used in primary as well. There is much debate on whether to use a secondary or not. I think for the most part both methods create great beer as long as everything is sanitized and common sense is used. Would you agree?

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Build a simple shelf, put 2 rows of fermenters in there. Now you have room for 3 fermenters and your carboy.

Sanitation is necessary at all stages of beer making but when you transfer to secondary seems to be the most critical So much beer surface exposed to the air and whatever is in it without the yeast activity and the excess of CO2 pushing the air out as you get in the primary.

BansheeRider said:

Must be nice to have a keg. I am new at brewing, and cannot afford a keg let alone know what to do if I did have one.

I am trying to limit space in my closet. Not sure If I can fit another bucket of beer in there. I know secondaries are deemed unnecessary, however if I have a 5 gal carboy why not use it? My next batch may need the carboy for obvious reasons, although the instructions say that the oak chips can be used in primary as well. There is much debate on whether to use a secondary or not. I think for the most part both methods create great beer as long as everything is sanitized and common sense is used. Would you agree?

Click to expand...

I got a kegging system for a good deal. About 200 bucks for everything I needed. I sacrificed three brews to buy it. Best money I spent.

I know It is always a heated debate when discussing secondary fermenters. I personally use them but only as a method of clearing the beer before bottling or kegging. I find leaving the beer in the primary in contact with the yeast for an extended period has produce little to no I'll effects. That being said for average gravity beer I leave it in t primary no longer than 14 days and I typically have it in the secondary for less than a week. I have produced over a hundred batches this way and have found it works well. In the case of steeping adjuncts such as oak chips or coffee beans then the time in the primary may be extended.
In the case of your beer the secondary is only serving as an aging tank or as a means to clear additional sediment to the bottom of the carboy. At 1.009 there is little additional fermentation taking place.
Good luck on this and future brews.
Ryan Davis