1-2-3 method? How does it work.

Hey i just brewed a HONEY BROWN , its been a long time since i brewed, i kinda forgot some stuff...
FEB2 -brewed... its been 9 days,
should i be transferring to a secondary now for 2 weeks?
Oh and how do i transfer to secondary. do i just pour?

1-2-3 is a guideline, don't transfer until you reach your final gravity.

Transfer using a siphon, or better yet an autosiphon, DON"T pour it.

I do 2-1-3. I like to leave the beer sitting on the trub for two weeks. After two weeks I know it is finished, and then on more week in secondary for clearing. Either way, it is still three weeks from brew day to bottling day.

mrk305 said:

I do 2-1-3. I like to leave the beer sitting on the trub for two weeks. After two weeks I know it is finished, and then on more week in secondary for clearing. Either way, it is still three weeks from brew day to bottling day.

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Seriously, why not leave it on the trub for one more week instead of taking the trouble to transfer? Won't it clear during that extra week in primary also?

1-2-3 is referring to one week in the primary, two in the secondary, and three in the bottles/keg to condition -- but it's just a guideline. Generally, the "norm" is to leave it in the primary until it has finished the majority of fermentation, rack (don't pour) into secondary and let it settle/clear for two weeks, then rack (don't pour) into a bottling bucket, bottle, and let it condition for three weeks. Check the specific gravity along the way to ensure it has finished fermenting prior to bottling.

Many folks do differently than the 1-2-3 method; lots of folks just bottle from the primary and forgo the secondary, some use different schedules.

Good luck,

Rick

read me - www.howtobrew.com

It sounds like you need a refresher course. the above URL, and our wiki here will benefit you.

NitrouStang96 said:

Seriously, why not leave it on the trub for one more week instead of taking the trouble to transfer? Won't it clear during that extra week in primary also?

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You can do this. Many brewers skip the secondary as it is only required for certain beer styles. If you want to bulk age for longer than 4 weeks it is generally recommended that you rack to primary in order to get the beer off the dead yeast cells.

I've done both the 1-2-3 method and the keep it in primary longer then bottle/keg method. Either works just fine.

Awesome, thanks. I was just wondering if it's worth it to worry about trub-caused off-flavors in that short period of time.

One of my motivations in racking to secondary is that it allows some degree of laziness on my part in getting it into the bottles. Once it's in the secondary I don't have to worry about off flavors from excessive time on the trub.