when do you transfer out of primary?

Just curious to see whatt other home brewers are doing these days. I know a lot of brewers on the forum like the extended primary method, but is anyone racking off the trub just before or just after fermentation is complete? Just for experimentation I racked my last beer out of the primary and into the corny keg just a couple points shy of terminal gravity. At this stage there seems to be plenty of yeast in suspension, which I would guess should be enough to finish off the fermentation and clean up after themselves. This would also naturally carbonate the beer if all goes well. Has anyone tried or compared different methods? Noted any flavor differences?

Edit: wanted to add another poll option for 4 weeks or more, but editing polls doesn't seem to be an option.

Preferably when either fermentation is almost all the way tapered off or ~.001 of predicted FG. The basic rule of thumb with ales is 2 weeks. But, I watch the beer because I worry about racking to secondary if all fermentation is done. I like positive fermenter pressure for secondary after racking. Last thing I want is a suction on the airlock or oxygen just sitting there in the headspace. I am betting you will get at least 5 more different answers that will all be right. The only thing to really be cautious of is racking based on airlock activity alone and racking during a stalled fermentation.

I take a small shot glass sample after 1-1.5 weeks and taste for sweetness. If it tastes close to being done I check gravity. Then rack based on gravity.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Really none of the above. I prefer to go about 3 weeks then keg. Lately my pipeline has been slack so I have been kegging at just over 2 week.

I never move my beers before fermentation is finished.

It just depends. I rack if I want clarity, to bulk age or to dry hop. I don't if I want to drink on the young side, or if clarity doesn't matter (ie Wit) or (conversely) have a very flocculant yeast that I can easily rack off of. I will rack if I want to repitch on a yeast cake. Sometimes, when making a sour, I'll leave it on the dregs for a little extra funk.

I never rack until fermentation is totally done and the yeast has had a few days to clean up/drop out. The few times I've racked when fermentation was evident I ended up with a stuck ferment (I don;t know why).

This is one of those "everyones got an .... opinion" topics here. In general, you wont go wrong either way (within reason)

None of the above. Usually three weeks minimum before racking to the bottling bucket.

After a week which for me is not long after fermentation is pretty much done. Then stays in secondary for 2. Although based on a lot of posts I have been reading, I will likely stop transferring unless I'm dry hopping or something.

been transferring to secondary after {10 days} or {3 days of the same SG} (whatever is more) but I think from now on, I'm not going to use a secondary. My 11% barley wine did just fine after just 2 weeks in primary with no off flavors.

None of the above, no secondary for me.

My general schedule is, primary = 7 days, secondary = 14 days.

pretty much 2 weeks unless I'm lazy. i go straight from the bucket and into the keg. in the summer we drink a lot around my place so there is no time for long fermenting beers!!

Usually 2-3 weeks depending on the yeast. I wait until the krausen has fallen and give it a few days. Then I check my SG.
I usually go a week in secondary (Brite tank). If I'm dry hopping I may extend. Then I transfer to a keg with priming malt/sugar for conditioning.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew