Using a corny as a secondary

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Slipgate

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I racked from the primary into a corny as a secondary after a little over a week in the primary and no noticeable signs of fermentation left. Then I purged with CO2 and then released all the pressure.

I know that there will still be some fermentation going on and whenever I pass by I release any pressure that is in there (never much). So is there a problem with using this setup for my secondary? I am dry hopping too and after a week, I plan on just opening the keg and removing the dry-hop bag and leaving the beer in the same keg for another 2 weeks or so. Then racking to another keg and force carbonating.

Other than possibly starting to carbonate, I don't see an issue but have never done this before.
 
I leave my beer in the fermenter at least two to three weeks. I have racked every gallon of beer I've ever made straight into a corny and let it secondary there with no problem. Pump it with co2, and purge to remove oxygen. I never release any gas. I add my priming sugar when I move it into the corny as well. Let it age and when I finally need it, into the kegerator and it's ready to go once cold.
 
I'm doing the same thing for an IPA right now, It went three weeks in primary, now it'll sit for 1-week dry-hopping before i take out the hop bag.

I'm deciding whether or not to cold crash and then transfer to another keg for carbing, or just cold-crash and hope that the small hop particles won't have a negative effect.
 
Other than possibly starting to carbonate, I don't see an issue but have never done this before.

1. There is no reason to leave the average beer three weeks in primary. IMHO, you may do more harm than good.

2. Assuming this is an ale, let it start to carbonate. RDWHAHB.


Cheers
 
I don't have a problem per se with it carbonating, but I do want to transfer it once more to another keg to get rid of more of the trub. It is kind of hard if it has already carbed! I think I will get one of those corny fermentation locks that I have seen. Seems it would solve all the problems!
 
1. There is no reason to leave the average beer three weeks in primary. IMHO, you may do more harm than good.


What harm might you do to a beer with a 3 week primary?

I'm generally leaving my beers in primary for 4 weeks anymore. No "harm" noticed, other than crisp & clear beer.
 
I rack lagers into cornies at 10 days or so and then let them finish fermenting while they naturally carbonate. Depending on the gravity I usually have about 4 points left to ferment when I rack them. The Oktoberfest I just racked a few days ago was @ 1.017 and my FFT finished @ 1.013...it's sitting at about 9 psig @ 47-ish degrees F but it will continue to climb.

I don't have a problem per se with it carbonating, but I do want to transfer it once more to another keg to get rid of more of the trub. It is kind of hard if it has already carbed! I think I will get one of those corny fermentation locks that I have seen. Seems it would solve all the problems!
Not a problem at all! And this will be an oxygen-free, closed transfer. Just make a jumper assembly with a few feet of tubing and two liquid disconnects (QDs). Sanitize your destination keg, seal it, and purge it with CO2 a few times. Then pressurize both kegs (the full, supply keg and the sanitized, destination keg) to the same pressure (not too high, serving pressure always works for me). Connect each QD to the liquid (out) post on each keg. Because the pressure is equal in both kegs, no beer (or VERY little) should flow. Now slowly vent the destination keg using the relief valve in the lid...beer will slowly flow into the destination keg through the long dip tube so you'll get very little foam.

This is my SOP for lagers.
 
I rack lagers into cornies at 10 days or so and then let them finish fermenting while they naturally carbonate. Depending on the gravity I usually have about 4 points left to ferment when I rack them. The Oktoberfest I just racked a few days ago was @ 1.017 and my FFT finished @ 1.013...it's sitting at about 9 psig @ 47-ish degrees F but it will continue to climb.


Not a problem at all! And this will be an oxygen-free, closed transfer. Just make a jumper assembly with a few feet of tubing and two liquid disconnects (QDs). Sanitize your destination keg, seal it, and purge it with CO2 a few times. Then pressurize both kegs (the full, supply keg and the sanitized, destination keg) to the same pressure (not too high, serving pressure always works for me). Connect each QD to the liquid (out) post on each keg. Because the pressure is equal in both kegs, no beer (or VERY little) should flow. Now slowly vent the destination keg using the relief valve in the lid...beer will slowly flow into the destination keg through the long dip tube so you'll get very little foam.

This is my SOP for lagers.

+1

The only thing I would add is that if you are too lazy to pull a relief valve, then attach a ball balve to a grey QD, which you will put on the receiving keg's gas post, and open the valve a fraction... the key to the transfer, as mentioned, is to do it slowly. NO PROBLEMS!

Cheers
 
just curious...when you jump beer from one keg to the next, do you bother to pull a pint or so first in order to eliminate the bit of yeast at the tip of the dip tube? Or is it so little as to be negligible once it distributes itself across the entire bottom of the second keg?
 
just curious...when you jump beer from one keg to the next, do you bother to pull a pint or so first in order to eliminate the bit of yeast at the tip of the dip tube? Or is it so little as to be negligible once it distributes itself across the entire bottom of the second keg?

For me... it just depends on the beer, the sediment, what I'm racking to... no harm in spilling a little beer. e.g. if I'm transferring into a smaller keg, say a three or one gallon keg to take to a party, I would rather not pick up anything off the bottom of the MV, I'm trying to keep the beer as "bright" as possible.

Cheers
 
I rack lagers into cornies at 10 days or so and then let them finish fermenting while they naturally carbonate. Depending on the gravity I usually have about 4 points left to ferment when I rack them. The Oktoberfest I just racked a few days ago was @ 1.017 and my FFT finished @ 1.013...it's sitting at about 9 psig @ 47-ish degrees F but it will continue to climb.


Not a problem at all! And this will be an oxygen-free, closed transfer. Just make a jumper assembly with a few feet of tubing and two liquid disconnects (QDs). Sanitize your destination keg, seal it, and purge it with CO2 a few times. Then pressurize both kegs (the full, supply keg and the sanitized, destination keg) to the same pressure (not too high, serving pressure always works for me). Connect each QD to the liquid (out) post on each keg. Because the pressure is equal in both kegs, no beer (or VERY little) should flow. Now slowly vent the destination keg using the relief valve in the lid...beer will slowly flow into the destination keg through the long dip tube so you'll get very little foam.

This is my SOP for lagers.

You just changed my whole approach to lagering life. I don't know why I never thought of this before. :rockin:
 
1. There is no reason to leave the average beer three weeks in primary. IMHO, you may do more harm than good.
What harm might you do to a beer with a 3 week primary?

I'm generally leaving my beers in primary for 4 weeks anymore. No "harm" noticed, other than crisp & clear beer.

+1, I've left beers in primary from 4 to 8 weeks, even lowish ABV beers, with no problem other than being among the best beers I ever brewed.
 
+1, I've left beers in primary from 4 to 8 weeks, even lowish ABV beers, with no problem other than being among the best beers I ever brewed.

Well, that's great. If it works for you, stick with it. Everybody has their own system and methodology, that's the beauty of our hobby.

I brew a 10-12 gallon batch about every two weeks, and my primary is a SS conical. Not only do I need to make space in the conical, but fermentation (of an ale) is usually complete after 5 days or so.... at that point, I will have pulled the trub out the bottom, and harvested fresh yeast. I have 5-10 gallon kegs, and 10-15 gallon kegs to use as a maturation vessel (MV), it's a pretty sweet set-up. Your system, and methods, may be a little different than mine. I'm pretty fortunate to have found a lot of great surplus gear to set up my brewhouse with.

In any event, for those of us who secondary, and want to use a "closed system", the tricky art of transferring from keg to keg needs to be learned. Just trying to share what I know!

Cheers
 
Thanks for the tips, but a question-
1. Is there anything wrong with just serving from the lagering keg?
 
You will have a little trub at the bottom that may come out in the first pint or two, if you don't move the keg the rest will stay where it is. Otherwise it works fine.

I do tend to rack to a secondary for my ales just becuase I can't fit my large primary carboy in my keggerator.

Other wise I have never had a problem with leaving it in the primary for 4-5 weeks.

Thanks for the tip on keg to keg transferring with equalized pressure. I think I need to set up a jumper for myself and buy a few more kegs. You can never have too many right?
 
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