Secondary Fermentation, then keg

Is it retarded for me to use a secondary carboy and then keg?

If the recipe needs secondary, sure why not....

Spyd3r said:

Is it retarded for me to use a secondary carboy and then keg?

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Yes.

See:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/why-do-people-use-secondary-136972/

I'm gonna use a swamp cooler to ferment in, so in that instance...glass is the way to go?

Despite what some folks might say, there's absolutely nothing wrong with doing a secondary if you want to. I almost always secondary my beers, whether kegging or bottling the batch. I've had better results that way.

Glass isn't necessary to use the swamp cooler method. I primary in plastic buckets and use them in the swamp cooler, then rack to a glass carboy for the secondary but I don't bother actively cooling at that point.

ifishsum said:

Glass isn't necessary to use the swamp cooler method. I primary in plastic buckets and use them in the swamp cooler, then rack to a glass carboy for the secondary but I don't bother actively cooling at that point.

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Really? Higher temperature doesn't affect the beer after primary fermentation?

I secondary and keg too. I think I get less yeast in the keg that way. I usually leave it in the primary for 3 or so weeks then rack. After a week or so in the secondary, I will cold crash and then keg it.

I always secondary before I keg also. I find an extra step to let stuff setting out gives me a good clear beer. Some may say a secondary is pointless but to me it gives one more chance to play with my beer making stuff and sneak a sample.

Nope. I usually don't have my primary available long enough to fully clear sediment before kegging. Cold crashing in secondary before kegging is even better.

It depends. Remember, brewing is a craft, and every craftsman has his or her own opinion about what's best. Personally, I've been going straight from the fermenter to the keg for a couple of years now, but I'm still not satisfied with the clarity until a beer has been sitting for a month or more. I may experiment with going back to bulk conditioning for lighter beers, to see if it helps them clear. I think I'm also going to start crash cooling and adding gelatin to see if that helps.

It's all a matter of preference. Brew as you like, and you'll always be happy.

Should you keep the secondary at primary temps?

Spyd3r said:

Should you keep the secondary at primary temps?

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I don't bother, and the beer doesn't seem to have suffered for it. The off flavors generated from high fermentation temperatures happen during the lag phase and the most active part of fermentation. So generally after a week or so from pitching time, it's less important to keep the temps under 70.

Don't get me wrong, I'll keep them below 70 if it's convenient. But this time of year I have to use a water/ice bath to keep the primary temps down to 65 or so. It's kind of a PITA and it takes up more space, so I only do it for the first week or so. After it goes into secondary, I usually start a new batch in the swamp cooler and keep the secondary carboys in another room with no temp control. The beers taste fine and they still clear up.