Secondary Fermentation?

will not using a secondary make a big difference in the taste of my beer? I'm trying to figure out why all my beers have the same funky aftertaste and i know i have never done secondary. could there be hops molecules in it or something leaving and weird aftertaste? its always cloudy when you pour.

Secondary is usually more for clearing than fermentation. That is unless you choose to add fruit at that time which will then restart fermentation.

The funky after taste could be from a number of sources however whether or not you secondary would not be the problem. As for being cloudy your racking or bottling procedure could be suspect. The taste could be fermentation temps, sanitizing issue's, or something along those lines.

Cloudy is likely to be due to pre-mature bottling. Are you allowing 3-4 weeks before you bottle?

It's not because you don't secondary. As far as the funky taste goes, it could be a number of things. If you describe your brewing process, type of extract (if used), water source, yeast, fermentation temps and times etc. we can probably give you some ideas.

+1 it's not from lack of 2ndary that you are getting that problem. However, you'll need to explain more to figure out why it is.

I would guess you're not waiting long enough.

I use a secondary most of the time. It only takes a few minutes and it’s a great place to add extra hops or fruit/spices. I read and hear it does good things for clarity and, more importantly, flavor because your giving your beer time to finish fermenting in a fresh container, off the collected yeast at the bottom of the primary fermentor. cheers

I hear that the #1 reason for funky flavor is what water you use. If you are using your tap water, most likely this is the cause.

Your off flavor could be from too high a mash temp
What temp was your mash?

This thread is 8-1/2 years old. Just sayin'...