I really want to rack to a secondary...

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ZenBrew

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Ok, the title says it all. I've made a scotch ale and its been in the primary vessel for about 4 weeks. This is the first time I've left a beer in the primary vessel for the entire fermentation.

At this point, it should be ready to put into the keg, right? I feel a strong need to put it into a secondary vessel so that i can clarify it some. I feel like if i put it right into the keg it will be cloudy and won't clarify in the keg, even as time passes.

Should i just take the plunge and keg it? Is there a risk of it being cloudy?
 
Have you looked at it? I bet the hydro sample must be pretty clear by now. If your gravity is stable, cold crash and rack to keg. No worries IMO. :mug:
 
Secondaries do not have magical clarifying powers. It will clear as much, or more, if you leave it in the primary for two weeks. It will clear as much in a keg as it will in a secondary, especially if you put it in your fridge, kegerator, or keezer. Maybe cold-crash before kegging or try gelatin. Or secondary if you want, it's your beer.
 
DirtyOldDuck said:
Secondaries do not have magical clarifying powers. It will clear as much, or more, if you leave it in the primary for two weeks. It will clear as much in a keg as it will in a secondary, especially if you put it in your fridge, kegerator, or keezer. Maybe cold-crash before kegging or try gelatin. Or secondary if you want, it's your beer.

I second this.
 
I took a sample about 3 weeks ago and it was decently clear and i believe it had stoped the active fermentation at that time.

I can take another sample tomorrow to see how it is doing before i keg it.

I think the reason I'm nervous is because i made an ESB last year and after a week i moved it to the keg thinking i could use it as a secondary. After ten days i suck it into the fridge. It never cleared up. But that is way different because the yeast didn't have time to finish up, right?
 
I can see secondary vessels don't have clarifying powers. Just hard to break a habit, you know? :)
 
I still always secondary for a week, but only because I'm a sloppy siphoner. I can't seem to rack from a primary without sucking up some of the yeast cake and the secondary gives that a chance to settle back out. If you're not a Brew McShakeyhands like me, then just go right to the keg.

Besides, if you throw it in the keg, by the time it carbs it'll have settled out in the keg as if it were a secondary. The first pull of the keg will bring out that sediment and you'll have clear sailing (drinking) after that! :mug:
 
I still always secondary for a week, but only because I'm a sloppy siphoner. I can't seem to rack from a primary without sucking up some of the yeast cake and the secondary gives that a chance to settle back out. If you're not a Brew McShakeyhands like me, then just go right to the keg.

Besides, if you throw it in the keg, by the time it carbs it'll have settled out in the keg as if it were a secondary. The first pull of the keg will bring out that sediment and you'll have clear sailing (drinking) after that! :mug:

I'll second this. I never get a clean siphon. Plus the extra practice of sanitation can be nice. I'm a biochem major by training so I'm a bit anal about keping my equipment clean.
 
Although.... This falls squarely under my first rule of homebrewing... "It's your beer so you get to do whatever the hell you want with it"... So do what feels right to you.
 
ChshreCat said:
Although.... This falls squarely under my first rule of homebrewing... "It's your beer so you get to do whatever the hell you want with it"... So do what feels right to you.

Yup, do what feels right.
I stopped doing a secondary unless i was conditioning or dry hopping. I would rather have a cloudy brew than a spoiled/oxidized one. I would keg it and let it condition for a few weeks in the fridge if the beer has been at terminal gravity for a couple weeks. Should clear up nice.
Look what the pros do. They ferment till terminal then rank to a brite tank where then they dispense and/or package after some conditioning time. Them fermentors are prime real estate , need to free that up.
But do what ya gotta do.
 
Yup, do what feels right.
I stopped doing a secondary unless i was conditioning or dry hopping. I would rather have a cloudy brew than a spoiled/oxidized one.

you cant blame the secondary for your lack of sanitation and ability to siphon.
 
amandabab said:
you cant blame the secondary for your lack of sanitation and ability to siphon.

Sure you can, especially on the oxidation issue. Every time you transfer, being as careful and sanitary as you can, there is a chance to introduce bacteria. Key word "Chance". It has not happened to me personally the dozen or so times i did.
I would add that this should be a constructive discussion and your comment certainly was not.
 
I feel a strong need to put it into a secondary vessel so that i can clarify it some. I feel like if i put it right into the keg it will be cloudy and won't clarify in the keg, even as time passes.

Should i just take the plunge and keg it? Is there a risk of it being cloudy?

Instead of relying on what you feel, why not keg it from primary and observe what happens? Just be careful when siphoning. My beers are always crystal clear coming out of the tap, and that has more to do with them sitting at 38 F carbonating for 2 - 3 weeks then a secondary/primary.
 
I'm confused...the reason those of us who extend our primary by a month do so because we've found that our beer is actually CLEARER then even when we've racked to a secondary. It's to cut out a step. The yeast cake compresses pretty hard over that month, and all you need to do is rack carefully above the tight trub layer, you'll find very little sediment when transfered over. Do you think moving it to another vessel is going to somehow cause more yeast to flocculate than has done so over the last month?

You're already planning to keg it, and if you set and forget, that means prolly three more weeks to carb, and it's going to be cold crashing that long anyway, so it's going to be even more crystal clear. So why add a further step?
 
Should i just take the plunge and keg it? Is there a risk of it being cloudy?


This is how I do it.

Keg it, put some suger in it, put a lttle pressure on it, and let it carbonate.


Then when it is ready put it in your "cold thing".

Any yeast that is still there will settle just the same as it would if you put it in your secondary.

SO the first beer you serve will have some yest it it... drink that yourself or give it to some "heath-food-nut".

Even my Hefeweissens clear up after a few weeks in the "Keezer"...

If you really want want it clear....

Pull some beer out until it clears up a bit and then shakes the keg; this will redestribute the yeast at the bottom of the keg with much of it around the driptube. let it sit again for a couple days a draw off a little more beer.

Moveng things to secondaries is just to much work;;; things to clean, and worries about sanitation....

Remember getting it cold will cause a lot of yeast to fall out and thats all you want to happen any way.

DPB
 
Alright, i got over my fears and I simply racked it to the keg. I was amazed, it was very clear! Some yeast did get in there, but I'm sure it will fall out as it chills over the next couple of weeks.

I think i will be skipping the secondary from now on.

Cheers all! :mug:
 
I can see now that's why you do it! Sometimes different is scary, but this wasn't nothing to be scared of at all! :)
 
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