Oktoberfest Secondary really needed?

I'm brewing the AHS Oktoberfest right now and the instructions say to go from primary (at 50F) to a secondary (at 40) after 10 days. I don't use a secondary ever but this is to be lagered for 3 weeks at 40F. Is it necessary or can I just leave it in the primary like I normally do and drop the temp?

Do some research on the yeast first off. I go straight to the wyeast website where there is a ton of useful info. From temps to pitch rate its all there. I always transfer my beer to secondary. I think it drastically helps the clarity......One more thing. You say ten days until you transfer. Make sure its done fermenting in the primary before you transfer. Might be ten days but then again it might be two weeks. Ive only done four or five lagers so im not an expert. Try to use the search on HBT for lagering. You can find a ton of usefull info on lagering.

Yeah, I was still kinda planning to do my normal 2 week ferment then I guess I'll put it in my bottling bucket for a secondary. I'll just carefully stir in the priming sugar solution for bottling.

I just came to a realization I'm going to have another problem. If I transfer this to my only other bucket, my bottling bucket, when I stir in the priming sugar won't that disturb the sediment I just tried so hard to clear for 3 weeks in the "secondary"? Should I just leave it in the fermenter?

If you are going to style with the Octoberfest, than yes you need to lager it. Lagering is typically done by transferring it to a secondary fermenter.

You will indeed stir up sediment if you plan to bottle using the same bucket you lagered in. However, since you had already transferred the beer to a secondary, you've left behind cold break and a good amount of yeast in the primary. The sediment left in the secondary is usually just yeast that was in suspension when you transferred. So, you'll probably just end up with extra yeast in your bottles if you disturb that sediment while bottling. It might make it difficult to have a good pour from those bottles, but that is just a guess.

Another option...but its a PITA...is when you are ready to bottle. Rack the beer back into your primary, wash your bottle bucket and priming sugar then re-rack from your primary into your now clean and sanitized bottling bucket. That, or go buy a new secondary fermenter.

If you want, siphon it to your bottling bucket, rinse and sanitize your primary, and siphon it back...

Always presents another opportunity for infection, but lagers really need to be lagered.

It's time for a five gallon carboy. Please save the arguments but Walmart does have cheap PVC water bottles.

If you don't have a second vessel to lager in, then try this:

Ferment as usual, then chill it as cold as you can get it for several days. This will help the yeast flocculate and clear the beer. Transfer to your bottling bucket, mix the priming sugar and bottle. Let it carbonate at room temperatures for 3 weeks or so, then chill them all as close as you can get to 34 deg. F. for lagering.

Lagering is simply cold conditioning-- it generally doesn't matter if you do it in one vessel or a whole bunch of bottles. If I had the choice, though, I'd lager in a single vessel. Something to shoot for on your next lager, but you'll be fine on this one.

-Steve

I think I'll go with moving it from the bottling bucket to the primary back to bottle bucket at bottling time. Question: Shouldn't I wait until I hit my FG before dropping it to 40F? I'm at 1.022 right now, need to get to 1.015.

Sounds like you need more equipment...don't worry, it's justified...

You could always buy a pice a month. In a year or two you'll (almost) have it all...nah...

hlumbard said:

I think I'll go with moving it from the bottling bucket to the primary back to bottle bucket at bottling time. Question: Shouldn't I wait until I hit my FG before dropping it to 40F? I'm at 1.022 right now, need to get to 1.015.

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Yes, wait until the fermentation is done before transferring to the bottling bucket and dropping the temperature. IMHO, you can't go too cold, so if you can get it closer to 34 deg. F., the better.

-Steve