When to move Belgian trippel from primary to secondary

Yes I know lots of people here don't believe in the need to move to secondary, but this is my first brew and I am brewing two more shortly that I will need my primary for. Also I don't want to rush this and want to leave it in secondary for awhile to get those last few gravity points.

SG was 1.083. Its been 5 days, still bubbling. How long should I want to move it to secondary? Base it on time or gravity readings? Thanks

always base racking on gravity. if its stable over a few days its good to go.

Gravity not time. I'd make sure to get the "last few gravity points" in primary. Here is the thing, you get the benefit from it sitting on the yeast as it helps clear the beer of fermentation byproducts. Why not just use the secondary for the primary of your next brew. Or, once the gravity hits terminal, if you do not taste any significant off flavors that might warrant leaving it on the yeast longer, bottle age it to get it rounded out.

My triple is in the same stage right now, finishing primary. I always move based on three things: (whether directly to serving vessel or secondary)

Gravity
Diacetyl reduction
Yeast floc and trub settling

Gravity needs to be at desired terminal.
After fermentation the yeast needs time to reabsorb the diacetyl it produced. I smell my beer, if there are any buttery notes, it needs more time.
Last thing i look for is that the primary trub and yeast should have at least partially settled before moving.

Bensiff said:

Gravity not time. I'd make sure to get the "last few gravity points" in primary. Here is the thing, you get the benefit from it sitting on the yeast as it helps clear the beer of fermentation byproducts. Why not just use the secondary for the primary of your next brew. Or, once the gravity hits terminal, if you do not taste any significant off flavors that might warrant leaving it on the yeast longer, bottle age it to get it rounded out.

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My secondary is a 5 gallon carboy not 6.5. Considering this is in a 6.5 gallon and its all the way to the brim, I dont think I want to use the 5 gallon for primary (I guess with a blow off I could)

I'm going to give it 2 weeks from brew date (next weekend) and I'll take a gravity reading, then go from there. I'm assuming it doesnt matter where I take the reading from?

Its about gravity, not time.

jms5180 said:

My secondary is a 5 gallon carboy not 6.5. Considering this is in a 6.5 gallon and its all the way to the brim, I dont think I want to use the 5 gallon for primary (I guess with a blow off I could)

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I think he was hinting at not using a secondary at all. But, for my tripels I use a secondary and age it for two months after primary fermentation before bottling.

jms5180 said:

I'm assuming it doesnt matter where I take the reading from?

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Probably from the hole in the top of the carboy.

So I took a gravity reading and the tripel is down to 1.02 from 1.083. Right in the FG range and putting me at 8.3 ABV.
There is still a pretty big krausen on top but shouldn't this fall? Not sure if I should put into secondary or leave it in primary. Or if its almost ready to bottle and I can age it for a long time in the bottles?

Aging in bulk is best for most styles. If it still has a good krausen it still could be fermenting away. Sometimes though the krausen will get "stuck" and persist even though fermentation is complete. It is safe to give your fermentor a little swirl to get the krausen to fall. Then just was another day to let things settle out before racking.

jms5180 said:

So I took a gravity reading and the tripel is down to 1.02 from 1.083. Right in the FG range and putting me at 8.3 ABV.
There is still a pretty big krausen on top but shouldn't this fall? Not sure if I should put into secondary or leave it in primary. Or if its almost ready to bottle and I can age it for a long time in the bottles?

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The only way to know if it is ready to bottle is if you are getting consistent gravity readings over several days. Since this beer is a Tripel, the yeast will be slow to finish. Meaning it is critical that you give them enough time to finish their party and clean up after themselves. DO NOT BOTTLE NOW! I guarantee that your yeasties need more time. Trust me, it will be worth the wait. Unless bottle bombs are your thing.....

ZombieBrew83 said:

The only way to know if it is ready to bottle is if you are getting consistent gravity readings over several days. Since this beer is a Tripel, the yeast will be slow to finish. Meaning it is critical that you give them enough time to finish their party and clean up after themselves. DO NOT BOTTLE NOW! I guarantee that your yeasties need more time. Trust me, it will be worth the wait. Unless bottle bombs are your thing.....

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Not in a rush, have another brewing that I expect to finish first. Just want to make sure I do this right as its my first brew

I'll leave it for another week(3 total) then put into secondary for a month. Then bottles

does this plan sound alright?

jms5180 said:

Not in a rush, have another brewing that I expect to finish first. Just want to make sure I do this right as its my first brew

I'll leave it for another week(3 total) then put into secondary for a month. Then bottles

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You should be very please with this time line. This beer will continue to mature in bottles with time as well. Patients truly is a virtue when brewing Belgian style beers. Keep posting updates of your progress!