Rack to secondary or keep in primary?

I'm looking for opinions and rationale on whether it's better to let beer finish attenuating in the primary fermenter until it's time to keg or bottle, or rack to a secondary after initial fermentation. What are the pros and cons for either approach?

I'm sure there is lots of debate you can find on this in the forums. I also recommend you experiment and see what works for you.

A few pros/cons:

Racking to secondary increase the risk of oxidation.
Leaving in primary too long could produce off-flavors from autolysis (dead yeast). How long is too long depends on lots of variables.
Some say secondary promotes clarity--but an undisturbed primary should also clear as the main factors here are time and gravity.

In practice I do both. Most of my ales I just primary, maybe clear with a fining like Isynglass or gelatin (if I'm not reusing the yeast) and then keg. I can turn an ale in 10 days this way. My lagers I do like to secondary because I like giving them a long conditioning period in a fridge and off the yeast cake. Also wood aged, fruit, or spiced beers are always done in a secondary for me.

Thanks. I'm making what will likely be an endless series of IPAs. The first few I racked to secondary, but since then, I've kept it in primary until bottling. The guys at my LHBS are trying to talk me out of it, but I can't get any good reasons either way.

Are you dry hopping? Dry hopping in primary would prevent you from reusing the yeast... though I wouldn't reuse the yeast cake from an IPA anyway. Also, a longer dry hop may put you in the autolysis/too-long range for being on the yeast in primary. So dry hopping might be an argument for using a secondary.

I dry hop in my kegs with a piece of dental floss to pull the hop sack out so I don't secondary my IPAs.

I rarely use a clearing vessel. I normally only rack to a carboy if I'm oaking or aging something, or making a lager. I always rack a lager, because the lagering period is lengthy and lagers are to be without yeast character.

I normally leave an ale in the fermenter for about 10-14 days, and then either dryhop right in the fermenter, or package. I make mostly APAs, IPAs, and a hoppy amber but I make an occasional oatmeal stout or cream ale in addition to a few lagers.

I've never left a beer in primary more than three weeks, but I've been happy with the schedule of 2-ish weeks or so.

Cool. Another vote for the way I've been doing it. Aside from long lagering periods, are there any compelling reasons to rack?

Viejo said:

Cool. Another vote for the way I've been doing it. Aside from long lagering periods, are there any compelling reasons to rack?

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For a beer that will be bulk aged a long time, I'd rack to reduce the headspace (I primary in a bucket). Also, if I'm harvesting yeast sometimes I will rack to a clearing vessel before adding fruit or oak. Otherwise, I don't often bother.