How many of you have moved to no-secondary?

I wonder if either of you that have been home brewing for a long time have gone from always doing secondary on a typical <1.070 ale to rarely or never.

Can you tell us of your experience?

I used secondary on my first home brew batch about two years ago, because that's what the LHBS instructions said to do. Then after a lot of reading on here, I decided it wasn't necessary. Only beer since is a 1.098 RIS that I racked onto a bourbon soaked oak spiral. So basically, if I'm not racking onto oak or fruit, or I'm not going to bulk store, then no secondary.

Never anymore.

I used to before I had temp control for fermentation for clarity.

Now that I can chill in the fermenter, no more secondary for me, and I lager in the keg before serving.

With over 75 batches done I have done a secondary on about 6. The first were because the instructions said to and others because of the style. The last big beer I did was a Russian Imperial Stout. I transferred it to a secondary in a Better bottle and added 4 ounces of oak chips in 2 one gallon paint strainer bags. That was a mistake. They were very difficult to get back out of the fermenter. It stayed in secondary for over a month.

Rarely. Cream ales, blondes, IPAs, all primary. Big Red and stouts get secondary. The beer speaks for itself.

I started doing a secondary but after about 2 batches I just went all primary. 7-14 days, then if i'm dry hopping right in primary, cold crash, gelatin, package.

Works great, so much less trouble than racking off with less chance of accidents, infections and oxidation.

Almost never. Only exception is really strong stuff, which I rarely brew.

I almost always bottle beer straight from the primary. I use a secondary for wine.

I sometimes rack big beers to a secondary and it seems to help; probably from rousting the yeast and mixing in just a little O2 to help the yeast finish the job.

One beer that I use secondary on often is an IPA with a ton of hop matter in the wort. Sometimes, I'll rack into secondary before dry hopping to leave a bunch of the crap at the bottom. Or sometimes I'll just throw the dry hops in the primary. In either case, after dry hopping, I will almost always rack to another carboy and then cold crash at 40F or so for a week before kegging or bottling.

An IPA we brewed using this process won a silver medal at a competition less than a month ago, so it doesn't suck. That being said, there are lots of ways to getting to good beer, secondary or not.

I only secondary big stouts that are going to sit for a long time.



And by secondary, I mean rack to a keg (purge) and put away in the downstairs closet and forget about it until it's time to pull out the winter coats. Lol!

I've just started skipping the secondary. I still use a secondary if I want to harvest the yeast or need the primary fermenter. Oh and I did on th first lager.

I almost never secondary. But I almost always make 'regular' beers with no fruit or oak chips or goat entrails. If I did, I would likely use a secondary.

I don't blindly put all beers in secondary, but I still do use secondary, depending upon the beer. I'd say I keg straight from primary about 80% of my beers.

I only secondary beers that are going to age for a long time. But then not even all of them. I sometimes start abrew with sach and then transfer it to a glass carboy to add the bret for some aging.

In the book "Yeast" Chris White mentions that transfering to a secondary actually slows clearing. Think about it. The yeast is beginning to drop out. Some have made it, some are still on the journey to the bottom of the fermenter. Then you transfer and all the yeast that have started to drop but have not reached the bottom are all mixed up again and have to start from the top again.

Over 100 batches...never a secondary

Thank you for that everybody.

The reason I asked is that I have completed 6 brews in total and never used secondary. My last brew was the first one I dry hopped (which was don in primary of course) and I did not get the character I was looking for. I would hate if the problem would have been not doing secondary.

I will continue my research trying to understand why and improve my dry hopping technique.

Cheers
PP

I think the biggest thing for dry hopping is hitting the right time and keeping the hops out of your final product. That's at least my experience but there's a ton of folks on here way more experience than me. I bet if you describe what you are not getting out of the hops these folks can help guide you.

Yeah it really depends. Generally speaking I'd say I 'never' secondary.

Although if I'm adding cacao nibs to a stout, or grapefruit peel to an IPA (both which make amazing regulars in my rotation) then I'll secondary. But that has more to do with getting all the crap separated out prior to bottling than it has anything to do with a necessary process for the beer to 'be ready'.

TX_Brewing said:

Never anymore.



I used to before I had temp control for fermentation for clarity.



Now that I can chill in the fermenter, no more secondary for me, and I lager in the keg before serving.

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This is me too.

What's a secondary?

Never used one (whatever it is).

That emoticon says it all.

Not only do I not secondary, but I get the beer out of primary and into a keg as soon as possible now. There is no 3 or 4 weeks on the cake business going on here. When it hits FG, it's racked under pressure to a water purged keg. My beer has never been better.

I recently moved a yoopers oatmeal stout from grain to keg in 8 days and it was carbed and fully drinkable at 20.

Beer that has to age excessively to taste good is usually because of other process shortcomings.

I don't secondary. Ever.
>100 batches done.

No secondary
3-4 weeks in primary then into the keg
Occasional addition of gelatin if I want a crystal clear beer

Secondary? What you guys don't have conicals too?

I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about.

I've never done the secondary thing (although I've literally only just started brewing). But I see no need. I don't plan to bulk age anything longer than a month or two max which seems to be alright from what I've read with concerns to the yeast flavor ordeal.

I started using a secondary after a few batches, now I've tentatively gone back to only using it for big beers.

I only secondary for lagers and bulk storage.

I only secondary when adding fruit. Like most When I started brewing I always did secondary because the instructions said so. I've learned here that it's a waste of time and an extra chance for oxygenation and infection.

When I started brewing I never used a secondary. That was what I learned from reading on this site prior to brewing. Started all-grain, no secondary, 21 gallons at time.

I never use a secondary. Not even once for a beer but I do use a secondary for hard cider, after primary fermentation for awhile then it gets kegged. Now that I have a concial fermenter as well, I do dump the trub/yeast around day four and before dry hopping if its an IPA.

John

NoIguanaForZ said:

I started using a secondary after a few batches, now I've tentatively gone back to only using it for big beers.

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I am a complete noob. Only on my second batch. What is a "Big Beer"?

I rack all my beers basically. I think I'm in the minority, but I just do it. I know there is probably not a real reason for it, but I do anyway. I guess old habits die hard...

I only use a secondary for beers that require long periods of aging, like barleywines, RIS, etc. I can't think of another situation where I would secondary. Not even dry hopping, as I usually do that in primary.

TorMag said:

I am a complete noob. Only on my second batch. What is a "Big Beer"?

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High OG.

I stopped after reading something like this in the directions "keep in primary for 2 weeks then transfer to secondary for 6 weeks then bottle. If you're not using a secondary keep in primary for another week before bottling." Do I really want to wait longer for my beer? The reason I'm brewing is that I'm out and I need it now.

idiotsinc said:

I stopped after reading something like this in the directions "keep in primary for 2 weeks then transfer to secondary for 6 weeks then bottle. If you're not using a secondary keep in primary for another week before bottling." Do I really want to wait longer for my beer? The reason I'm brewing is that I'm out and I need it now.

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Check the gravity on 2 successive days. If the two readings are the same, the beer is at final gravity and you can bottle.

mblanks2 said:

I only secondary for lagers and bulk storage.

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Hi two questions if you don't mind.

I have heard the term Bulk Storage many times but don't really know what it means.

Also I have read people saying they secondary in a keg. Is this really a secondary ? or is it more conditioning ?

Thanks,
Cam

MaxStout said:

Check the gravity on 2 successive days. If the two readings are the same, the beer is at final gravity and you can bottle.

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That's obviously true but it's still funny for a simple beer drinker like me when reading the instructions that it should take at least twice as long for the beer to finish if you decide to secondary. Like my post stated, I want to drink my beer as soon as possible since I usually run out before brewing again. It wouldn't be so bad but even with a 5 tap keezer, 8 5gal and 2 3gal cornies and 8 fermenters I still tend to run out. Oh, plus I'm retired.