Tertiary Fermentation?

How many of you do a tertiary fermentation - racking from secondary to another clean carboy?

I know that many brewers see it as unnecessary, and whenever I put a brew in secondary, I tell myself to leave it alone until it is ready to bottle. However, I always get the "bug" to tinker with stuff and end up racking it to another clean carboy because I think it will result in a clearer beer.

I understand that there is some risk of infection here, but I'm always very careful about being sanitary . . . and once the yeast has done its job, beer is a fairly inhospitable place for most nasties.

Anyone else rack again after secondary? The only reason I ask is because I am trying to convince myself to leave my Belgian Wit alone . . . even though fermentation is nearly done and I see a lot of yeast caked in the bottom of the carboy . . . I want it off of that cake!

Only for a specific purpose, not as a general rule. Check the thread on this forum about fruit beers - tertiaries are the rule rather than the exception because the fruit normally goes into the secondary.

I've always heard that if you rack again, you'll go blind and hair will grow on your siphoning hand. That was enough for me....

I'm planning on a tertiary tomorrow. Racked a blonde ale to secondary last weekend and witnessed too much activity for my liking since...airlock activity, excessive foaming, extra yeast cake than normal. So she moves again to another carboy and then 2 weeks in tertiary. (plus I've got another batch on the same schedule and this will help spread them out....shouldn't type like this when referring to the blonde).

A more experienced brewer than I told me that a tertiary was not that unusual and to rack gently.

I'm going to rack my Imperial Hellfire to a tertiary tomorrow. I dry hopped it almost two weeks ago and I want to get the beer off of the hops. This will be another first for me. I wish I would have dry hopped into the tertiary but oh well.

RichBrewer said:

I'm going to rack my Imperial Hellfire to a tertiary tomorrow. I dry hopped it almost two weeks ago and I want to get the beer off of the hops. This will be another first for me. I wish I would have dry hopped into the tertiary but oh well.

Click to expand...

That is certainly a wicked looking brew . . . it looks ready to bust out of that carboy and kick someone's a$$. Got a recipe floating around for that?

:rockin:

Looks like you could just pull the airlock and poke a straw in. That IS mighty fine looking !

sonvolt said:

That is certainly a wicked looking brew . . . it looks ready to bust out of that carboy and kick someone's a$$. Got a recipe floating around for that?

:rockin:

Click to expand...

Dude gets the credit for this.
Look at this thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=5362&highlight=06.06.06
Here is the extract recipe:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6808
and the All Grain:
Changed. Here's the latest:

06.06.06
A ProMash Recipe Report
-------------------------------
Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 15.00
Anticipated OG: 1.076 Plato: 18.35
Anticipated SRM: 13.6
Anticipated IBU: 54.7
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
40.0 6.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2
13.3 2.00 lbs. Munich Malt Germany 1.037 8
13.3 2.00 lbs. Rye Malt America 1.030 4
10.0 1.50 lbs. Honey 1.042 0
6.7 1.00 lbs. Flaked Rye America 1.034 2
6.7 1.00 lbs. Smoked(Bamberg) Germany 1.037 9
3.3 0.50 lbs. Aromatic Malt Belgium 1.036 25
3.3 0.50 lbs. Crystal 40L America 1.034 40
3.3 0.50 lbs. Special B Malt Belgian 1.030 120
Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.75 oz. Chinook Whole 13.00 35.2 60 min.
1.00 oz. Northern Brewer Whole 9.00 16.6 30 min.
1.00 oz. Willamette Whole 5.00 3.0 5 min.
2.00 oz. Willamette Whole 5.00 0.0 Dry Hop

Yeast
-----
White Labs WLP028 Edinburgh Ale

Notes
-----
secondary on oak chips

Only for barleywines after dryhopping.

sudsmonkey said:

I've always heard that if you rack again, you'll go blind and hair will grow on your siphoning hand. That was enough for me....

Click to expand...

THat's what causes it . . . my grandpa always told me it something else . . .

That's a creepy looking brew! hehe

I 'messed up' and used two much dme in a batch. I then re-racked into a third fermentor and let it rest for a few more weeks.. It went from being an ucky thick mess to a lighter, tastier beer. I've done a few others since then, and I whole heartedly support Tertiary racking!!!

If you keg, it also takes that extra little bit of yeasty beasties out of your first draw.

You may want to add a little more yeast afterwards in order to bottle. (I'm SOOOO done with bottling. Kegging is the best!)