racking to a secondary? really?

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Except for wheat beers, I always use a secondary.

It clears it up, gives more time to clean up off tastes etc., and leaves less yeast in the bottom of the bottle.
 
This is one of my favorite debates. I've tried both methods. I like to use a secondary because it tends to produce beers that look and taste cleaner. As a bonus, using a secondary usually prevents having yeast sediment at the bottom of the beer bottles. On the negative side, I really think it takes longer to carbonate beer that has been in a secondary for very long - maybe a lot of yeast settles out of the brew or just becomes less active due to aging in the high alcohol environment. One other item that warrants discussion is the flocculence of the yeast strain. Some yeasts (S05 is a good example) flocculate out pretty well, so they would be well suited to using without a secondary.

My regular process has evolved into a week in a 6 gallon primary, 2-3 weeks in a 5 gallon secondary, into a corny keg. As with the fella I quoted, I have noticed that I have to force carbonate (rather than just adding corn sugar with no secondary). I think the beer is much clearer and cleaner having spent some weeks off of the yeast cake in the primary. There are a handful of styles that I won't secondary because either the yeast flavor or clarity is part of the style (German wheat, Belgians, etc.). Sanitation is the key, either way!
 
i rack into a secondary because i've got 3, 5 gal carboys so it frees up my larger primary carboys.
 
For my regular Black Diamond Pale Ale, I just go three weeks in the primary, then to bottle, and let it sit for a couple of weeks. I am not real concerned with clarity but these come out pretty well.

I use second stages for specific purposes (like making fruit beers).

The whole discussion always ends up being about personal preferences, and no two brewers have exactly the same processes and preferences, so what pleases some won't please others.
 
Let's be honest....Moving beer from one container to another does not in any way, shape, or form accelerate clearing.

Gravity and time clears beer. This process occurs on or off the yeast cake.

Proven methods for accelerating the clearing process include:
  1. Gelatin (binds to proteins)
  2. Cold crashing (flocculates yeast)
  3. Media filtering (expensive)
  4. Centrifuge (ungodly expensive)

+1. That is the best advice I've ever heard, and not just because you're another SA brewer.:rockin:

When I made some Edwort's Apfelwein last month. I waited 6 weeks to clear. After that, I said to myself, "why am I not doing the same thing with my beers?" NO rules or guidelines. Just wait until it clears in Primary then keg. As for stouts, well I guess I use my hydormeter after 3 weeks. The good thing about time, is that the longer you wait, the yeast cake gets more compact.
 
I agree with what most are saying, and nearly came to the same conclusion myself. I was going to just primary my stout, but it stopped at 1.020.. So I decided to rack it.. A day after racking it was bubbling again.. Check it again in a week and it had dropped to 1.018.. Not a huge drop i realize, but it was something.. Not sure if it would have done the same thing in the bottle or if I would of had bottle bombs... Just one reason to secondary...
 
I agree with what most are saying, and nearly came to the same conclusion myself. I was going to just primary my stout, but it stopped at 1.020.. So I decided to rack it.. A day after racking it was bubbling again.. Check it again in a week and it had dropped to 1.018.. Not a huge drop i realize, but it was something.. Not sure if it would have done the same thing in the bottle or if I would of had bottle bombs... Just one reason to secondary...

Sorry, your logic is backwards. Racking takes the beer off the yeast cake which severely slows fermentation because, well, you just removed the vast majority of yeast from the remaining sugars. ;)

If you do secondary, racking too early can and will result in problems including (1) bottle bombs, (2) poorly attenuated beer, (3) off flavors.
 
Sorry, your logic is backwards. Racking takes the beer off the yeast cake which severely slows fermentation because, well, you just removed the vast majority of yeast from the remaining sugars. ;)

If you do secondary, racking too early can and will result in problems including (1) bottle bombs, (2) poorly attenuated beer, (3) off flavors.


My point was it was stuck at 1.020 for a week, didn't move.. Transfered to a secondary and wholla, a .002 drop.

How would you suggest restarting fermentation in the primary?
 
My point was it was stuck at 1.020 for a week, didn't move.. Transfered to a secondary and wholla, a .002 drop.

How would you suggest restarting fermentation in the primary?

The few times I've encountered "stuck" fermentations was the result of using a highly flocculant yeast. Rousing the yeast by gently stirring the cake with a sanitized spoon has always resolved the problem for me.

Assuming you didn't stir up the yeast cake when transferring to secondary, there's really not an explanation for a slight (0.002) drop in gravity other than temperature change or measurement error. Most likely, you transferred a small amount of yeast (from the cake) into the secondary and that bought you a few gravity points.
 
The few times I've encountered "stuck" fermentations was the result of using a highly flocculant yeast. Rousing the yeast by gently stirring the cake with a sanitized spoon has always resolved the problem for me.

Assuming you didn't stir up the yeast cake when transferring to secondary, there's really not an explanation for a slight (0.002) drop in gravity other than temperature change or measurement error. Most likely, you transferred a small amount of yeast (from the cake) into the secondary and that bought you a few gravity points.

Yeah it started bubbling again after I transfered it to secondary. I am sure I stirred some up when transfering.. Lately I have been rocking my fermenter once the bubbling begins to slow.. Don't do it before or you will make it angry :)
 
Is it natural to have some large floaties in the primary before transferring to the secondary? After I transferred there is definitely less, but will this all fallout or should I plan on gelatin? I used irish moss extract in the boil, but I guess I figured it would be clearer from the beginning.
 
If you brew with extract, it will only get so clear. Floaties in the primary is par for the course if you mean on top. Floaties in the middle might still be fermentation taking place. Gravity readings are the best way to know. If you want to add gelatin, you add it to the secondary when you transfer. And there has been just as long a debate about whether you rack on top of the gelatin, or pour it in afterward.
 
I mollest all my carboys. Once krausen falls or after 7 days. I'll shake the **** out of them. It knocks off some of the krausen off the top walls and always restarts fermentation for me. Hey I like to get physical, nothing wrong with that.:rockin:
 
I do a combination of various methods in most of my brews. I'll dry-hop in the primary AFTER vigorous fermentation has completed. Then, after the beer has been sitting on the hops for about two weeks, I will rack to secondary and leave it there until it is clear. This also keeps little bits of hops from finding their way into the bottle.

It seems that when this question comes up, there are as many responses as there are responders.
 
I mollest all my carboys. Once krausen falls or after 7 days. I'll shake the **** out of them. It knocks off some of the krausen off the top walls and always restarts fermentation for me. Hey I like to get physical, nothing wrong with that.:rockin:


Don't you run the risk of airating it and contaminating the beer by doing that?
 
Don't you run the risk of airating it and contaminating the beer by doing that?

There's a lot of co2 in there after 7 days. I dont take the airlock off or anything. Plus on the carboy , i kinda swirl to knock the side gunk off. I dont think any oxygenation will occur.
 
Any reason you can't dry-hop or add fruit/oak/orange peel in the primary? I'm thinking to add orange peel and coriander to a beer - if I can do that in the primary, I would.

Not sure anyone responded to this.

The only negative I can think of is when and if you decide you want to repitch from the yeast slurry. Otherwise, I don't see any problem with your approach at all.
 
So this question has something to do with this thread...
Is it possible to get a super bright crystal clear beer without filtering, just by letting it sit long enough? I mean SUPER clear... like St. Pauli clear. My beer comes out nice colors and is fairly clear, but not like big brewery clear. Am I making myself clear?
 
So this question has something to do with this thread...
Is it possible to get a super bright crystal clear beer without filtering, just by letting it sit long enough? I mean SUPER clear... like St. Pauli clear. My beer comes out nice colors and is fairly clear, but not like big brewery clear. Am I making myself clear?

Yes. Once fermentation is verified complete, get it cold and let it sit.

Selecting the proper flocculation of the yeast helps.

Things like Irish Moss/Whirlfloc/SuperMoss in the boil can help to speed this along. Gelatin after fermentation will also help to clear the beer up.
 
I like to primary for 7 days and secondary for 7 days with most ales just to get the beer off the sediment and yeast in the primary. It really does help to clear the beer and remove some bitey flavors sometimes. Is it necessary? No. Is it risky? Only if your sanitation isn't up to snuff. Which could spell trouble for your beer before it makes to to the secondary.
 
I just racked an IPA that had seemed to be stalled on fermentation in the primary to a secondary and it is going crazy. I probably could have stirred it but I would say that this is just if not more effective and should provide a little clarity too.
 
I'm surprised no one else has noticed this:

When bottling the beer...

If I don't use a secondary, I notice there is a big difference in flavor from the 1st bottle to the last bottle. Usually the last bottles are hoppier than the first bottles.

Using a secondary gives me consistant flavor across all my bottles.

Anyone else notice this?
 
The Dude abides! Brewbowski

All that fuss is not needed.
Using a single stage fermenter. I brew for 5 or maybe 6 days, then it gets bottled. End up with 66 excellent bottles of clear, well carbonated, premium beer that I will start drinking two weeks later - yes it improves maybe 1 percent with more conditioning time. But even at a week old it's better than anything at the beer store!
 
I only use a secondary if I'm dry hopping.

Here's an APA I brewed with no secondary, just a couple weeks in primary and then bottled. Clear as a bell:

eds_haus_pale.jpg
 
Newcomer here. I have done 3 beers so far. 2 stouts and 1 Bavarian Wheat. The two stouts we just ok and the wheat was in the fermenter for 2 weeks until the FG was the same for 3 days. I then transferred it to a 2nd bucket using an auto-syphon from which I bottled immediately. Should I have placed either the fermenter or the bottling bucket into the refridgerator to chill the beer and help it clear before I bottled?
 
Thanks, that's what I needed to know. I just opened my wheat beer after 1 week in the bottle. There is some haze but it's not too bad. I think it tastes pretty good and has a nice head to it.
 
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