When should I move beer to a secondary fermenter

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stevens6464

stevens6464

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I have decided to brew an English Brown Ale for my 3rd batch of home brew, and like always I choose the Brewers Best Ingredient Kits, I think they make some outstanding beer.

Anyways, after transferring it into the primary I forgot to get a reading with my hydrometer. So when I was en-route to do so, I broke my second hydrometer. Very frustrating. Now I have no means to make an accurate reading. It has been in the primary for a few days and midnight will mark day five. Airlock activity did not begin until day three.

The instructions that come with the ingredient kit state that if you have a secondary to transfer when airlock activity has slowed down, BUT NOT BEFORE it diminishes. It also states that airlock activity should start within 24 hours, and mine started about day 3. So my question is this:

Since I have no means to get a gravity reading, when should I transfer to my secondary carboy? I have browsed this site and many individuals state that airlock activity should not be taken seriously and the only thing to determine when you should transfer into secondary is with a hydrometer. You see my dilemma. Any advice would be helpful, thanks.
 
I think you'll find that most of the brewers here don't even think about moving beers to secondary fermenters, and I'd agree with that approach - I almost never transfer to a seconday. Let it stay in the primary for three weeks, and you should be safe without compromising the quality of your brew. The only reason I ever transfer into a secondary is because I REALLY NEED my primary because I brewed another beer.
 
I understand completely with your response, but I too am thinking about starting another brew and would like to utilize my primary. For some reason I was under the impression that transferring to a secondary would greatly improve the clarity of my batch. Is this not true. I understand that clarity is next to meaningless, but I would like to do it for personal preference.
 
Time (and good process) provides better clarity. The key is to not disturb the trub and yeast at the bottom of your primary when you transfer to the bottling bucket or keg. I am not familier with Brewers Best kits, but I'm assuming they are extract kits (maybe with some steeping grains), so you shouldn't have a lot of "stuff" at the bottom of your primary to worry about. I'm an all-grin brewer and don't have clarity issues by not using a secondary fermentation - and I like clear beers, too. If you need to transfer to secondary and are concerned about continuing your fermentation, then you should intentionally take some of the top layer of the sediment off the bottom of your primary - that's here the yeast will be and will it help in completing fermentation of there's any doubt. It will settle out in your secondary. And you don't need to rush the fermentation - either primary or secondary. More time for the beer to settle = clearer beer. It's hard to wait, but your patience will pay off.
 
I use a secondary and I don't really care that John Palmer and others say it isn't necessary. I brew IPA mostly and I think it helps the style. To answer your question before I start rambling... I have done anywhere from 1-3 weeks in the primary and I have enjoyed great beer from anywhere in that range. I don't usually take a gravity reading unless I think something is wrong. Just give it 2-3 weeks then transfer. Be patient.

I like a secondary mainly because I can cold crash and drop most of the yeast out of suspension and then transfer. After the transfer I dry hop and there is less yeast and hop interaction. I find this to be a more desirable result. I hope that helped.
 
You don't need to secondary an English Brown.

If you are going to anyway, you'll want to wait until it has hit FG before transfer. Those instructions, like many kit instructions, are inaccurate.
 
BigFloyd said:
You don't need to secondary an English Brown.

If you are going to anyway, you'll want to wait until it has hit FG before transfer. Those instructions, like many kit instructions, are inaccurate.
Click to expand...
:mug:

Good advice.
All my brews are brown ales (some big and some session style) and I have never used a secondary to clear up or brighten them and they are always crystal clear on bottling day. If you just allow them to stay in the primary for the extra 2 or 3 weeks that you plan on leaving them in the secondary they will be just as clear.

Maybe they want you to transfer while the ale is just at the end of the fermentation and not completely done is so that there is still CO2 being produced. This might help reducing the possibility of oxidation in the secondary.

OMO

bosco
 
BigFloyd said:
You don't need to secondary an English Brown.

If you are going to anyway, you'll want to wait until it has hit FG before transfer. Those instructions, like many kit instructions, are inaccurate.
Click to expand...

I agree you dont need to secondary an english brown. I missed what style you were doing. But since you dont have a way to measure the FG I think 3 weeks should do the trick.
 
If you have a lot of trub or sediment after 2-3 weeks primary, you may want to rack to secondary for a few days, then bottle at that point.
 
bethebrew said:
If you have a lot of trub or sediment after 2-3 weeks primary, you may want to rack to secondary for a few days, then bottle at that point.
Click to expand...

If you rack carefully to the bottling bucket, you'll leave that stuff behind in the primary.
 
bethebrew said:
Agreed, assuming you didn't start with mega trub in primary.
Click to expand...

Not a worry. I don't get much trub in the primary beyond the normal yeast cake. I bag the hops, use whirlfloc, let things settle 15-20 min before transferring and leave the sludge behind in the kettle where it belongs.:D
 
This is my first time to brew a Nut Brown Ale have only brewed IPA's in the past which the directions always said to transfer from the fermentation bucket to the glass carbon. Y

It sounds like from the thread I read this isn't required? So back to my NB Ale your recommending priming in the glass carboy for 3-4 weeks and then prime, bottle and let it age about a week before chilling and sampling. Great sight and getting breweducated quickly.

What temp is recommended for fermation?
 
IRBGOLF said:
This is my first time to brew a Nut Brown Ale have only brewed IPA's in the past which the directions always said to transfer from the fermentation bucket to the glass carbon. Y

It sounds like from the thread I read this isn't required? So back to my NB Ale your recommending priming in the glass carboy for 3-4 weeks and then prime, bottle and let it age about a week before chilling and sampling. Great sight and getting breweducated quickly.

What temp is recommended for fermation?
Click to expand...

You can primary ferment this 3 weeks, no secondary, prime/bottle and let sit at room temp for three weeks (not one week) before chilling 3+ days in the fridge.

If this comes with a yeast like S-04, start the ferment at 63-64*F (as measured on the fermenter) then after 4-5 days let it warm up on its own to 67-68*F to finish. If they include Nottingham in the kit, reduce those temps by 2-4*F.
 
I have used a secondary and done a 3 week primary. For my beers you could not tell which was which. They clear just fine in primary.

To the OP: If you don't have a hydrometer you should go a minimum of 10 days to be sure it is done fermenting before transferring. Or just go 3 weeks in primary then bottle.

In answer to priming. You do not add any priming sugars to your secondary. You do this in the bottling bucket with a sugar solution just before bottling or if using carbonation tabs, they go in the bottles just before filling. After you prime and fill the bottles you need to store then in the dark at about 70 degrees for three weeks. Then chill one for a couple of days then try it. If it is fully carbonated you are good to go, if not wait another week and try another.

Fermentation temperature: Look up the yeasts optimal range and keep it in the lower end of the range until you reach final gravity. After that the temperature is not critical. Low to mid sixties is good for most ale yeasts.

I suggest that you get a hydrometer so that you know you have final gravity and no further fermentation before bottling or you risk bottle bombs.
 

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