Is a secondary really necessary (or helpful) for most ales?

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Beerbeque

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I'm a relatively new brewer (11 ales in 8 months). All of my ales spent 13-15 days in the primary fermenter before bottling. Much of what I have read says that 2 weeks in primary is adequate for most standard gravity ales and that transferring the beer to a secondary is unnecessary, but I keep reading on the beer forums about guys fermenting their standard gravity ales for much more than two weeks and usually including the transfer of those ales into a secondary fermenter. So I want to know what is the practical rationalization for the much longer ferment times and the transferring to secondaries for basic ales.
Beerbeque
 
it just helps get the yeast off the trub while conditioning the beer. you don't need it. i use it sometimes, sometimes i don't. depends on the situation.

in fact, don't call it a secondary...that's just confusing because there is no secondary fermentation that happens (usually.)

ok, wait...here are the reasons to use a secondary (clearing vessel):

1. free up your primary: you want to age the beer, but you've got another on the way!

2. autolysis: although this takes months, it may be necessary to move to a secondary to protect your beer. This is especially true with big beers that need lots of age, such as belgians. i've had belgians spend well over 6 months in carboys. NOTE: THIS IS USUALLY NOT A CONCERN. beer is fine for a couple of months sitting in a primary.

3. clarity: racking the beer off the trub from the primary will get the yeast in action, which will result in a small amount of trub in the secondary. basically, you are avoiding getting this into your bottles or keg. some would argue that if you leave it in the primary long enough, this is still unneccessary as the yeast will create a nice layer and not get sucked up during racking.

for my typical beers, i usually do about 2+ weeks in primary then transfer to secondary. this is usually to free up space and let the beer age. my beers generally don't go into the keg for at least a month after brewing, unless that is my original intention (or i'm really thirsty :D)
 
Other reasons. You are adding fruit, dry-hopping or aging with wood for example. I quit using a secondary for just about everything based on what I've learned here and it makes life a lot easier.
 
Or, if the number of primary fermentation vessels are limited. I have 4 buckets, but 10 carboys
 
It's not necessary, but homebrewer_99 is right - it's never going to hurt your beer. I always secondary. That's just how I learned and that's what I'm comfortable with.
 
i secondary just because I have four 11 gal fermenting buckets and need to free them up. In the beginning I had alot of trub because of my brew methods. Now I have a keggle with a spigot and pick-up tube and use a hop sack so I only get a minimal amount of gunk in my primary (mostly break material), but my switching to secondary is as much a habit as it is a neccessity.
 
I recently switched to primary only, and i think my beers have improved, and brewing has become easier. I think that clarity of the beer should be a non-issue when it comes to secondaries. This idea i have is new in my head but my reason being: if you leave the beer in the bottles long enough, the sediment/yeast should fall to the bottom- you are going to have this no matter how many vessels you use. If you pour the beer correctly the amount of sediment at the bottom of the bottle should not matter...catch my drift. IT may take a little longer in the bottles but should be the same time as a few extra weeks in a secondary. IF you keg: well the keg is pretty much a secondary anyways. ??does that make sense???
 
I use one only for particular purposes. My normal "house beer" (a very hoppy American Pale Ale) get three or four weeks in the primary, then right to bottle. If clarity is important, use a secondary for sure.
 
I have brewed for over 20 years estmate 500 brews and always used only a primary fermenter. After reading some articles here I tried using a secondary. Already the results are showing a real improvement. I used to decant from a bottle to a jug to remove the sediment but now the sediment is barely a dusting of the bottom of the bottle. I used a 1 2 3 method. I am seriously thinking of going for a full month in the secondary.

I always believed I had the perfect method but using a secondary removes the beer from the primary sediment and the beer loses a yeasty flavour.

One other thing I found out years ago. I use a 60 litre primary fermentor as I was told by someone that impressed me with their results and that was that if you are fermenting 20 litres of beer you need good head room to allow the foam to sit on top of the beer not be compressed down into it. This also adds to any slight off taste. I actually threw my first 25 litre fermentor away. I should have kept it as a secondary.

I am about to get two more secondaries to allow beer to mature in them prior to bottling. I do not have air locks on them. I screw the lids down tight and let the small amount of Co2 preasurise slightly.

Drinking Munich Lager
Primary Dark Ale
Secondary Aussie Draught
Next Aussie Lager

The Aussie brands are generic supermarket brands which produce great beer and can be the basis of adding other ingrediants such as Honey,Malt or Hops
 
Gentlemen,


"A secondary never hurt any brew... "
Homebrewer_99


"The ale 'should be' reracked off the 'primary trub'
when the Krousen falls. Then left in the secondary for 7 days,
and bottled."

Since I make basically the 'same thing' every time
I hardly ever use a hydrometer anymore.
{8Lbs D.M.E. with speciality grains steeped in.}
'Mein acht pfund Hammerbier'

By 'should be',
I, 'of course',
don't mean that
'it should be'!
But just basically that it can be done that way.
And that I do that it way, probably because 'Kelly' at the Homebrew Headquarters, Dallas,
told me to do it that way,
{old Kelly knows his business.}

There is a 2" - 3" layer of trub in the bottom of the primary after reracking, and nearly as much in the secondary.
I don't want that sxxx in my ale.
Stuff floating around in my ale!
Yuck!

I always have used a secondary.
For 15 years!
It makes ale which is clearer and has less crud in it.
Crud which I would consider aesthetically objectionable
to see floating around in my ale.

It is hot summer weather in Texas now.
I am outa beer however and money too!
So as I was cleaning out the knife shop today
{the barn}
and getting ready for fall.
{I have 53 knives I started 2 years ago before I was assaulted
by a gang of cowards and my spine crushed.
But my law work is done and the matter is out of my hands.
Four people, three of them cops,
will die in prison. They messed with the wrong man.}
But I will get these 53 skinners and stabbers finished by X-mas
and then 'I can really go to Disneyland!'

Meaning, of course,
that I can 'git ignert and go coon hunting'.
Me and Sandymay



J. Winters VonKnife
http://jacksknifeshop.tripod.com/
 
"The ale 'should be' reracked off the 'primary trub'
when the Krousen falls. Then left in the secondary for 7 days,
and bottled."
Sorry I don't agree that that.

If you are going with that method then I think those time scales are too short for all but the smallest of beers.
Even then it's pushing it.
Each beer is different, even if you extend those times then it may still not be right for some brews.
For some beers I do not use secondary.

If you do not have the experience to decide for yourself then I would use one.
 
IF you keg: well the keg is pretty much a secondary anyways. ??does that make sense???

Technically it is conditioning since its being stored longer. However, I don't want my first two pints to be trub. Now I do use kegs as conditioning vessels but I tranfer to a clean keg for dispensing.
 
The secondary is also the spot for doing additional clarification, such as adding Isinglass or gelatin.
 
I currenty have 2 primaries, 2 carboys and 2 kegs. In order of brewed, everything gets transfered when a keg kicks it. That is my schedule. So everything gets a secondary, usually for close to a month, but sometimes less, it all depends on the beer intake of that time period. My beers are defiantly not worse for it.
 
I use a secondary mainly to guard myself against my own impatience.
I ferment in pails, so I can't see my beer. After 2 weeks I'm really aching to see it again, but it's too soon to bottle, and anyway, if I bottled it, I would end up drinking it green through my lack of patience. So I rack it to secondary, that way I am forced to keep my grabby hands away from it while it ages some.

So, in other words, I guess whatever suits you best is best for your beer?
 
OK - I use a secondary just to give me something to do and to free up a 6.5g carboy for another brew.

I've tried NOT using a secondary but as OhioBrit says

guard myself against my own impatience
 

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