When is it safe to move to secondary?

impatient · Jan 2, 2009

I have a batch of brew that was boiled a week ago. After the major fermentation slowed, I wanted to up the alcohol, so I added 2lbs of dextrose. This kicked fermentation back in.

My question is; I want to start another tomorrow and I need the bucket that the beer is in so that I can attach a spiggot and put the new brew in. There is still krausen in the bucket.

Is it safe to move it to a carboy when it is that active?

If so, how gentle should I be? Is it good or bad to get aeration at this point?

McKBrew · Jan 2, 2009

You do NOT want to move the beer to secondary while fermenation is going on. The absolute minimum for a beer in primary is 7-10 days and that is assuming you didn't add more sugar to it.

You are better off getting another bucket or waiting to brew.

HOOTER · Jan 2, 2009

Secondary is not for fermenting, so if your brew is still fermenting, leave it in primary. Secondary is for things like clearing, aging and dry-hopping.

Panzermann · Jan 2, 2009

What kind of beer is this and why would you dump an extra 2lbs of Dextrose in after fermentation has begun? Gonna be an interesting tasting brew more than likely.

impatient · Jan 2, 2009

I agree. I just siphoned some off to check the gravity. I don't know exactly what it was to begin with, but, I have what beertools estimated which is 1.092. I wanted to get a measure on the gravity in order to determine when it is done.

Now the gravity is 1.027. I think that is correct. The temperature was 68, so I added .001 to 1.026.

However, I drank the sample. It has so much alcohol already that it takes your breath away slightly. How do you mellow that bite?

HOOTER · Jan 2, 2009

namloh_nwahs said:
However, I drank the sample. It has so much alcohol already that it takes your breath away slightly. How do you mellow that bite?

That's a big brew and will require some aging. Don't judge it this early. Give it plenty of time in secondary and bottles. It will probably always have some alcohol warmth (because it has alot of alcohol :drunk:

) but it should mellow with time.

impatient · Jan 2, 2009

How much aging are we talking? I am totally new at this. I was trying to whip out a drinkable high alcohol beer. I guess it is not that easy.

enderwig · Jan 2, 2009

namloh_nwahs said:
How much aging are we talking? I am totally new at this. I was trying to whip out a drinkable high alcohol beer. I guess it is not that easy.

Did you say the OG was 1.092? If so, I myself would age a 1.092 beer for at least 4-6 months, depending on the style, maybe more.

impatient · Jan 2, 2009

If I dry hop it when I move it to secondary, will that help over-power the alcohol?

Yooper · Jan 2, 2009

namloh_nwahs said:
If I dry hop it when I move it to secondary, will that help over-power the alcohol?

It'll taste hoppier, but it'll still have that warmth and alcohol bite.

If it was my beer, I'd age it a bit and not add anything right now. If you have a carboy to rack it to, you could even let it sit a couple of months in the carboy. Then taste it and see if dryhopping is needed.

ifishsum · Jan 2, 2009

namloh_nwahs said:
If I dry hop it when I move it to secondary, will that help over-power the alcohol?

not likely. A 1.092 brew is just probably gonna take a few months to mellow out, and that same aging will probably decrease the aroma from the dry hop.

Since you juiced it up, you basically started the clock over again as far as the fermentation process goes so I'd give it at least 7-10 days from when you last added sugar before racking to secondary. Then just give it some time to mellow.

Panzermann · Jan 2, 2009

Looks like you are going to find out that making a high alcohol content beer is not necessarily the best tasting beer when all is said and done.

I wouldn't worry about getting some massive alcohol content until you mature in your home brew skills.

HOOTER · Jan 2, 2009

Panzermann said:
I wouldn't worry about getting some massive alcohol content until you mature in your home brew skills.

I fully agree. If your serious about home brewing start with some simple, low gravity extract ale recipes. Perfect those and then move on to bigger brews.

Oh, and spend some time on this forum. You'll learn a thing or two. I know I have.

enderwig · Jan 2, 2009

HOOTER said:
Oh, and spend some time on this forum. You'll learn a thing or two. I know I have.

Second that! This forum is the best resource you have at your disposal when it comes to brewing beer, don't be afraid to use it. When I first started brewing, I probably spent 4 hours a day reading the posts on this site, and it improved my brewing immeasurably.

WBC · Jan 2, 2009

You are using this in your car too, right?

impatient · Jan 2, 2009

ifishsum said:
not likely. A 1.092 brew is just probably gonna take a few months to mellow out, and that same aging will probably decrease the aroma from the dry hop.

Since you juiced it up, you basically started the clock over again as far as the fermentation process goes so I'd give it at least 7-10 days from when you last added sugar before racking to secondary. Then just give it some time to mellow.

It is still bubbling steadily. How much do think the gravity will come down from 1.027. When I drank the sample tonight, it had no sweet taste at all. However, it has a 3 inch krausen and a lot of positive pressure still.

impatient · Jan 2, 2009

WBC said:
You are using this in your car too, right?

Might as well. Everyone else here in Iowa does it

HOOTER · Jan 3, 2009

impatient said:
It is still bubbling steadily. How much do think the gravity will come down from 1.027. When I drank the sample tonight, it had no sweet taste at all. However, it has a 3 inch krausen and a lot of positive pressure still.

That's about 70% attenuation as is. It may not drop much more. Let her go a couple weeks, then rack to secondary and forget about it for a month or two. Your not going to bottle this one anytime soon. Sorry.

impatient · Jan 3, 2009

HOOTER said:
That's about 70% attenuation as is. It may not drop much more. Let her go a couple weeks, then rack to secondary and forget about it for a month or two. Your not going to bottle this one anytime soon. Sorry.

Ok. After a couple months in secondary, will the yeast still be alive for carbonation when I bottle it?

Yooper · Jan 3, 2009

impatient said:
Ok. After a couple months in secondary, will the yeast still be alive for carbonation when I bottle it?

Yes, you can usually plan on them being viable even after a couple of months. If the beer is crystal clear, though, you may want to consider adding a little more yeast when you go to bottle the beer.

I had a beer in secondary for about 12 weeks at a cold temperature, and I was concerned about the possibility of non carbing. The beer was crystal clear, and I thought it might not carb up for me. (It probably would have, but I was worried about it!) I boiled and cooled my priming solution, then added 1/2 package of dried yeast to that, and stirred it well in the bottom of my bottling bucket. Then I racked my beer into that and bottled.

impatient · Jan 3, 2009

YooperBrew said:
Yes, you can usually plan on them being viable even after a couple of months. If the beer is crystal clear, though, you may want to consider adding a little more yeast when you go to bottle the beer.

I had a beer in secondary for about 12 weeks at a cold temperature, and I was concerned about the possibility of non carbing. The beer was crystal clear, and I thought it might not carb up for me. (It probably would have, but I was worried about it!) I boiled and cooled my priming solution, then added 1/2 package of dried yeast to that, and stirred it well in the bottom of my bottling bucket. Then I racked my beer into that and bottled.

How did that turn out? Was the beer cloudy out of the bottle?

Nurmey · Jan 3, 2009

I have bottled crystal clear beers that have been sitting six months in a secondary and never had a problem with there not being enough yeast to carbonate. Someone on this board naturally carbed his beer after it had been in the secondary for a year and didn't have a problem. Yeast is microscopic and there is always some left in suspension no matter how clear it is.

When is it safe to move to secondary?

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