Do I have to use a Secondary?

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I've got the two plastic buckets brew kit: one with spigot one without. Instead of following the directions, I poured the chilled wort into the spigot bucket and decided to just let it sit in there for three weeks before bottling straight from the spigot.

Bad idea? Foresee any problems? Need more information?

Thanks,

Kong

I have the same question. I have a primary fermentation going on in a bucket with a spigot and would like to just bottle from that to keep it as simple as possible.
 
I have the same question. I have a primary fermentation going on in a bucket with a spigot and would like to just bottle from that to keep it as simple as possible.

So after reading another ten pages in a different thread it looks like the consensus is that it won't affect anything by not using a secondary except that your beer won't be as clear.
 
No, it won't. It will be clearer and better tasting if you properly ferment, condition, and use good sanitation. Whether you secondary or not.


I think others on here, beyond me have had different experiences that that...we would say quite the opposite.

Leaving a beer in primary for a month IS conditioning, btw.....

Clarity is clarity regardless of whether a beer is "proeprly germented" or not.......And my beers have been MUCH more clearer than when I ever used secondaries....I have the judging comments to back it up.

This is my yeastcake for my Sri Lankin Stout that sat in primary for 5 weeks. Notice how tight the yeast cake is? None of that got racked over to my bottling bucket. And the beer is extremely clear.

150874_473504884066_620469066_5740814_2866677_n.jpg


That little bit of beer to the right is all of the 5 gallons that DIDN'T get vaccumed off the surface of the tight trub. When I put 5 gallons in my fermenter, I tend to get 5 gallons into bottles. The cake itself is like cement, it's about an inch thick and very, very dense, you can't just tilt your bucket and have it fall out. I had to use water pressure to get it to come out.

156676_473504924066_620469066_5740815_1970477_n.jpg


Ths is the last little bit of the same beer in the bottling bucket, this is the only sediment that made it though and that was done on purpose, when I rack I always make sure to rub the autosiphon across the bottom of the primary to make sure there's plenty of yeast in suspension to carb the beer, but my bottles are all crystal clear and have little sediment in them.

Half the time I forget to use moss, and you can't tell the difference in clarity.

I'm not going to argue this with you, I've probably been long primarying on here longer than anyone...I would be doing it if I thought I t did lend something positive to my beers, despite what YOU may believe......
 
Leaving a beer in primary for a month IS conditioning, btw.....

I don't recall saying it wasn't. Or for that matter that it is detrimental to the beer to leave it in primary for a month. Heck, I just finished racking a Biere De Garde into kegs tonight (after only 2 weeks in primary) that was not secondaried. Wonderful flavor already, but it will condition in the kegs for a couple of months now before tapping.


Clarity is clarity regardless of whether a beer is "proeprly germented" or not.......And my beers have been MUCH more clearer than when I ever used secondaries....I have the judging comments to back it up.

I don't "proeprly" or "germent" my beer, and I didn't say clarity specifically had to do with fermentation. I said "It will be clearer and better tasting if you properly ferment, condition, and use good sanitation."

Maybe you just didn't use secondaries properly. I can get great clarity without fining agents, either with or without using a secondary. Was there a problem with your secondary process, or do you just have more experience now that allows you to rack your beer more cleanly? I'm glad judges think your beer is clear... Congratulations.

This is my yeastcake for my Sri Lankin Stout that sat in primary for 5 weeks. Notice how tight the yeast cake is? None of that got racked over to my bottling bucket. And the beer is extremely clear.

That little bit of beer to the right is all of the 5 gallons that DIDN'T get vaccumed off the surface of the tight trub. When I put 5 gallons in my fermenter, I tend to get 5 gallons into bottles. The cake itself is like cement, it's about an inch thick and very, very dense, you can't just tilt your bucket and have it fall out. I had to use water pressure to get it to come out.

Ths is the last little bit of the same beer in the bottling bucket, this is the only sediment that made it though and that was done on purpose, when I rack I always make sure to rub the autosiphon across the bottom of the primary to make sure there's plenty of yeast in suspension to carb the beer, but my bottles are all crystal clear and have little sediment in them.

Ok, good for you. Clearly our processes differ with regard to bottling. I have never had to rack that much yeast in a bottling bucket to get bottles to carb. Never had problems with bottles carbing up beautifully within 3 weeks. Usually 2.


I'm not going to argue this with you, I've probably been long primarying on here longer than anyone...I would be doing it if I thought I t did lend something positive to my beers, despite what YOU may believe......

Oh, good. Thanks for not arguing...:rolleyes: Again, I didn't say it was a bad thing. Just that many people are just as successful with methods other than a long primary. Conditioning happens in secondaries, kegs, and bottles too. I'm glad your process works for YOU. :mug:
 
A few questions for the experts watching this thread:

Do buckets vs carboys produce different extended-primary results?

What is the ideal temperature range during an extended primary?

Is it okay to move the bucket around (ie, up and down the stairs) once the hard yeast cake, seen in Revvy's photo, forms?
 
dmorrison said:
A few questions for the experts watching this thread:

Do buckets vs carboys produce different extended-primary results?

What is the ideal temperature range during an extended primary?

Is it okay to move the bucket around (ie, up and down the stairs) once the hard yeast cake, seen in Revvy's photo, forms?

First, not an expert.

Buckets vs Carboys: I use both and can't tell any difference.

Temp: I've had wildly fluctuating temps and still made really good beer.

Moving the Bucket: this only works if you hug it and wisper sweet nothings to your yeast. Otherwise they get offended and will ruin your beer out of spite!
 
A few questions for the experts watching this thread:

Do buckets vs carboys produce different extended-primary results?

What is the ideal temperature range during an extended primary?

Is it okay to move the bucket around (ie, up and down the stairs) once the hard yeast cake, seen in Revvy's photo, forms?

Either is fine as long as it is well sealed - no "leak" other than the air lock.

Ideally, I would recommend the temperature be the same as during fermentation, maybe a little cooler even. However, as long as it isn't too long, warmer is OK. The warmer it is the more the flavor will change. You might like these flavors, or you might not. Try it both ways and decide for yourself.

As long as you are gentle, moving it around is not a problem. It would be best to let it sit for a day afterward to let any yeast that got stirred up to settle before bottling etc. Then again one doesn't have to wait if they don't want to.
 
I'm about to brew a lager from a kit, would it be okay to leave in the primary for 3 weeks, or should I transfer it to a secondary?
 
Are you going to bottle or keg? If kegging, I'd go ahead and let it ferment for 3 weeks in primary and then keg it up. This is what I like to do. If you have a typical fermentation, it should be done by then. If it turns out that it is not quite done by then, with kegging you don't run the risk of of bottle bombs.

If bottling, I might transfer it to a secondary once it has reached it's FG. Let it go 2 more weeks and then bottle. I personally don't like the subtle yeasty flavors, particularly in typical lagers, that one can get from leaving the beer on the bulk of the yeast for longer time periods. That is YOUR call to decide what flavors you want. Some folks will secondary (at lagering temps) and then bottle. I liked to bottle and carbonate, and then lager to make sure I've got enough yeast in suspension to properly carbonate the beer.

Then there is the diacetyl rest issue. If you start your fermentation warmer, and then cool to fermentation temps, then you'll want to do a diacetyl rest about 4/5ths of the way through active fermentation. If you can cool it to fermentation temp right away, then you can skip the diacetyl rest. This works for me.
 
Here's a question for an old thread - I'm going to be doing my second brew in a couple of weeks. I'd like to try "secondary" fermentation, but I'm thinking of doing the following:

1. Prepare the wort, and do primary fermentation in a large glass carboy for a week.
2. Transfer the brew into a bucket (carefully) and clean the glass carboy.
3. Transfer the brew back into the glass carboy and leave it for 2 weeks.

Good idea?
 
Here's a question for an old thread - I'm going to be doing my second brew in a couple of weeks. I'd like to try "secondary" fermentation, but I'm thinking of doing the following:

1. Prepare the wort, and do primary fermentation in a large glass carboy for a week.
2. Transfer the brew into a bucket (carefully) and clean the glass carboy.
3. Transfer the brew back into the glass carboy and leave it for 2 weeks.

Good idea?

That is fine but the more times you transfer you risk oxydation and infection. I would just buy a plastic bucket or another carboy and secondary in there. Make sure the bucket has an airlock.
 
That is fine but the more times you transfer you risk oxydation and infection. I would just buy a plastic bucket or another carboy and secondary in there. Make sure the bucket has an airlock.

That's my issue now - I have a very nice glass carboy... and a large bucket with a flimsy lid. The bucket isn't suitable for anything but bottling I don't think, so that's why I thought reusing the carboy was the best bet. After I get a few more batches under my belt, I'll invest in a second carboy (and hide it from the missus)...
 
That's my issue now - I have a very nice glass carboy... and a large bucket with a flimsy lid. The bucket isn't suitable for anything but bottling I don't think, so that's why I thought reusing the carboy was the best bet. After I get a few more batches under my belt, I'll invest in a second carboy (and hide it from the missus)...

What kind of beer are you making? "Secondary" is a misnomer, in the big business they call it a "bright tank" and is used solely for letting more sediment to settle out making a clearer beer. For example it is useless to "secondary" a Belgian wit because it will never clear, on the other hand a light lager should be transferred off the yeast and trub before lagering. I rarely secondary anymore and if I want clearer beer I use gelatin in the keg. Food for thought.
 
What kind of beer are you making? "Secondary" is a misnomer, in the big business they call it a "bright tank" and is used solely for letting more sediment to settle out making a clearer beer. For example it is useless to "secondary" a Belgian wit because it will never clear, on the other hand a light lager should be transferred off the yeast and trub before lagering. I rarely secondary anymore and if I want clearer beer I use gelatin in the keg. Food for thought.

Well my first batch is an IPA, and it's pretty cloudy when I transferred to bottles. I just figured removing the gunk/cake off the bottom of the carboy and returning the brew back would help, but I guess if I just waited an extra week it might have clarified a bit more.
 
Well my first batch is an IPA, and it's pretty cloudy when I transferred to bottles. I just figured removing the gunk/cake off the bottom of the carboy and returning the brew back would help, but I guess if I just waited an extra week it might have clarified a bit more.

If you can crash cool your carboy get it as close to freezing but not frozen, make up gelatine and pour in, wait few days to clear, then transfer clear beer to bottling bucket. No secondary needed. Just my two cents.

BTW. Welcome to the addictive world of homebrewing.
 
You don't even need to use gelatin from what I understand, though it does a great job.

You have no reason to secondary, it won't help clear your beer. It's sitting on the trub, that stuff doesn't just start floating back up into the beer (unless you move your carboy around). Once fermentation is done, give it some time to settle out... And if you can cold crash, it would help speed things up. If you do move the carboy before bottling, try moving it at least 24h in advance to let things settle back down.
 
.........
You have no reason to secondary, it won't help clear your beer. It's sitting on the trub, that stuff doesn't just start floating back up into the beer (unless you move your carboy around). Once fermentation is done, give it some time to settle out... And if you can cold crash, it would help speed things up. If you do move the carboy before bottling, try moving it at least 24h in advance to let things settle back down.

Secondaries, don't really make a big difference in terms of clearing. That being said, doing only a long primary does change the flavor of the final beer compared to using a secondary. Peoples tastes vary as to which they prefer. It is a personal preference - and can depend on the beer style.

NewWestBrewer is correct, it is fine to do as you propose, but there is increased risk POTENTIAL - just work slow to keep and splashing to a minimum - you want nice smooth flow.
 
Thanks for the BYO article, it provides some great perspective and runs counter to what many home brewers I've engaged on this have swear by.

Actually the very first basic brewing and byo magazine collaborative listener/reader experiment did something similar last year.

Quote:
May 28, 2009 - BBR-BYO Experiment Results
James Spencer, Steve Wilkes, and Chris Colby, editor of Brew Your Own magazine, taste James' experiment beer and read the results from brewers around the world.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/basicbrewing/bbr05-28-09results.mp3

BYO article- http://***********/component/resour...xperiment-does-delayed-racking-harm-your-beer
 
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