First Batch fermentation is DONE, now a racking question

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RedneckBrewer

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Our first batch is done fermenting :ban: and yes I know becuase I took a grav reading three days apart and it didn't move (FG is 1.016). Since our primary is our bottling bucket, (already got another primary so we don't have to do this again) we have to rack to a carboy anyway so we can clean the bucket.

So here's the two questions:

1. How long should it sit in the secondary? By the time we rack it, it will have been in the primary for 12 days. Also, should we cold crash it before racking back to the bottling bucket? :confused:

2. There are still some yeast rafts floating on top, what do we need to do to make sure they don't follow into the carboy?

Thanks for the help fellas!
 
Our first batch is done fermenting :ban: and yes I know becuase I took a grav reading three days apart and it didn't move (FG is 1.016). Since our primary is our bottling bucket, (already got another primary so we don't have to do this again) we have to rack to a carboy anyway so we can clean the bucket.

So here's the two questions:

1. How long should it sit in the secondary? By the time we rack it, it will have been in the primary for 12 days. Also, should we cold crash it before racking back to the bottling bucket? :confused:

2. There are still some yeast rafts floating on top, what do we need to do to make sure they don't follow into the carboy?

Thanks for the help fellas!

if you are going to rack to secondary, then cold crashing will help to clear the beer up some IMO. I would set it in secondary a week then stick it in the fridge to crash it for 3-4 days. OR just leave it in primary another week and transfer to secondary right to cold crash. THEN go buy a dedicated bottling bucket.
 
why not leave it where it is, and start your next batch in the primary you just got? most peeps don't use secondary at least for ales, i'm a newb so i dunno bout lagers if your doing a lager
 
Cool! Since it is a NUT brew, you do not want to loose too much of the nutty flavors by crashing them out too early. I say to let them age in the bottle. You may be pleased even more so in a few months that you did.
 
If it were me I would leave in primary for two weeks and secondary for three....no need to cold crash a nut brown, get some whirfloc for all future batches...

let it bottle condition for at least five

but that's just me...I do at least that for every beer I make

My best beer was a Belgian Dubbel that I left in primary for seven weeks (accidental laziness), kegged, then tapped five weeks later, beautiful!
 
I wouldn't even rack to secondary. let it sit in the primary for another week or so and then bottle it straight from there. if youre really set on racking, keep the beer in your secondary for about 2 weeks. I racked my first batch to a carboy, some yeast rafts stayed in it but I'm not worrying about em, they'll fall out eventually.

if you don't want yeast rafts in the carboy, just be careful with your siphoning and you won't have anything to worry about.
 
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