When do i switch from primary to secondary?

So was a student up at UC Davis. We had a actual brewing program (which i was not a part of) but i did take an intro to brewing class which is what got me into home brewing.

We didn't learn actually how to brew beer in the class, more just the theory behind it and had cool speakers like ken grossman.

So my question is at what point to i switch from my primary fermenter to my secondary fermenter?

One of my professors told me once the foam clears, which is usually about 5 days. It has been 5 days and the foam has not cleared. Im not freaking out or anything i just want to know how long should i wait for it to clear?

6,7,8... days?

This is an extract kit if that matters.

After that, whats a standard time to leave it in the secondary fermenter?

Thanks in advance.

The "standard" anymore isn't even to use a secondary at all. Leave it in the primary for 2-3 weeks and bottle.

If you're going to dry hop or something, then a secondary becomes more useful, IMO.

I usually don't transfer to a secondary unless I am doing a batch that needs to dry hop, or I am trying to clear a beer with gelatin or something.

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Boerderij_Kabouter/Secondary_fermentation_and_why_it_makes_me_crazy/

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Hey I thought we were going ot start using the uber post that HAD BOTH our info...I have..you cheater you

Here...the major discussion is covered here, it shows both sides of the discussion in one place;

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/multiple-questions-about-secondary-fermentation-140978/#post1601829

Thanks guys those were both very helpful.

Interesting. I brewed my 1st batch last Wed. and was trying to figure out when I should be ready to move over to secondary. I posed this very question to my LHBS guy today when I was purchasing supplies. My LBHAS has 30+ years experience, is a very knowledgeable guy, and brews 50-100 gallons every weekend. He told me that he goes to secondary after 1 week that 2 weeks is the max that he would recommend for primary. He kind of poo-pooed the idea of a long primary and told me that too long of a primary can create a number of possible problems. From reading various threads on this board as well as the comments on this thread, I know that the current idea is to go for a sustained primary and skip the secondary. What is the basis for staying in primary and skipping the secondary? Thanks. Montanaandy

Montanaandy said:

My LBHAS has 30+ years experience, is a very knowledgeable guy, and brews 50-100 gallons every weekend.

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Is this a typo? If it's not... HOLY CRAP

No not a typo. It is a family HB business that has been around forever. The 2 sons currently run the business and so they have been involved in the home brewing business since they were teens.

Montanaandy said:

No not a typo. It is a family HB business that has been around forever. The 2 sons currently run the business and so they have been involved in the home brewing business since they were teens.

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Well, the idea of moving it from primary to secondary immediately after fermentation has a couple of origins. One is that many of us come into beer brewing from winemaking, which actually does require a true "secondary fermentation".

Another is that it's true that leaving the beer too long on the dormant yeast on the bottom of the fermenter will cause some undesirable flavors. The problem is determining what "too long" is. So, many people started moving the beer as soon as the fermentation was complete, to get the beer off of the trub as soon as possible.

Over the past several years, many brewers have discovered that a month or even longer is NOT too long, and indeed gives the yeast some time to clean up after itself a bit. It depends on temperature, yeast strain, wort composition, etc, but it's been generally accepted that up to a month at optimum fermentation temperatures for the yeast strain poses no risk.

I'm generally in favor of moving my beers to a secondary vessel for conditioning. That being said, I often don't get around to doing the transfer. If you are thinking about it, here's what I'd ask myself:

Do you have pretty good control over your fermentation temperature, and have the yeast in their ideal temperature range?

If you answered YES, RDWHAHB, leave it where it is.

If you answered NO, then I would seriously consider getting the beer off of the unhappy yeast.

Do you have the equipment which allows you to carefully move the beer from vessel to vessel with minimal disturbance and splashing?

If you answered YES, then go for it.

If you answered NO, then it is better to ust leave it where it is.

Is it a full flavored beer, or is it a light delicate style?

If you answered full flavored, then leave it where it is.

If you answered light and delicate, then transfering it off of the yeast is recommended.

Everyone's tastes are different. If I leave the beer in primary for several weeks I find that I get subtle yeasty/bready flavor. In many of the styles I brew (typically lighter styles) I find this a bit distracting, and personally consider it a flaw. Others have no problem with this flavor being present, and even want it there.

Neither choice is wrong, nor is one better than the other. Decide what you want to do, and then ignore anyone who says you shouldn't do it that way. It's your beer, and your choice.

As a general rule of thumb in my 10+ years of brewing. I'm stuck in the habit of primary for 1 week and secondary minimum of 2 weeks, longer for bigger beers and such. I don't know why I still do things this way other then it's the way I was tought and I'm an old dog that don't like new tricks. The trouble of transferring to secondary's is no big deal to me so I just keep doing it.

The other main reason is I tend to harvest my yeast from the primary and after a week I usually have plenty of still viable yeasties to work with.

I've read the pros and cons to both methods and as my beers turn out great and very clear across all styles, I don't have a desire to fix what's not broke for me.

my .02

Yooper - what you state seems to be the consensus certainly on this board and what many others also are leaning towards.

I really have no idea why the LHBS guy advocates 1 week primary 1 week secondary. I think that this is the way the guy has always done it and I guess that it has worked well for him so he sticks with it. However, I personally want to keep up with the latest developments or improvements. To each his/her own.

I think you hit the nail on the head in that you need to find the sweet spot - the length of time that you can ferment and gain the advantages of longer fermentation versus going too long and picking up some undesirible traits. Thanks, Montanaandy

Up until the batch that I bottled on Friday, I'd been doing 2 weeks in the primary and then bottle. This batch (brown ale) stayed in primary for 3 weeks at a pretty steady 68 - 70F, and I think it tastes better pre-carbonation than my previous batches.

So here's one vote for don't bother with secondary.

I almost always do a secondary, and here's why.

Along with the "It's the way I've always done it" excuse, I have one 6.5 gal carboy and two 5 gal carboys. I primary in the 6.5 then transfer to the 5 to make room for the next batch. I probably could just use a blow off tube and start in the 5 gal, and I have done that, but like I said old habits die hard.

That being said, my next batch is going to be an IPA and I'm going to dry hop. After that I think I'm going to try the Primary-only method.

I'm doing a Nut Brown Ale right now and it has been in the primary for 11 days now. The batch took right off when I pitched the yeast (a few hours) and didnt spike too quick. Since then it is still going and the airlock bubbles about once ever 12-15 seconds.

My question is should I wait for the airlock to stop completely before going to secondary or is now a good time. If I dont do it today its going to be another 5 days until I'm home again..

Thanks for the advice.