Can you get a reasonable brew without going to secondary?

I have 2.5 gallon brew and a 5 gallon brew on the go with nothing to drink.
Can I get away with bottles for the 2.5 gallon and drinking in 10 days?
The 5 gallon will go into secondary.

If not I'll have to continue on the shop bought at $3 a bottle.

SOme will argue that ales do not benefit much from secondary fermentation. Others will argue that all beers benefit from secondaries.

I only recently started using secondaries (just because I am lazy.) Prior to using secondaries, I just left things in the primary for 2 weeks, and then bottled for about 2 weeks. Those beers were fine.

However, having tried the secondary fermenting after many MANY batches, I am in the camp that it WILL improve your beer. This does not mean that secondaries are NECESSARY, but they do (in my opinion) turn a good beer into a great beer.

-walker

Walker said:

SOme will argue that ales do not benefit much from secondary fermentation. Others will argue that all beers benefit from secondaries.

I only recently started using secondaries (just because I am lazy.) Prior to using secondaries, I just left things in the primary for 2 weeks, and then bottled for about 2 weeks. Those beers were fine.

However, having tried the secondary fermenting after many MANY batches, I am in the camp that it WILL improve your beer. This does not mean that secondaries are NECESSARY, but they do (in my opinion) turn a good beer into a great beer.

-walker

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Yeah, I agree. Not only the aging of the beer improves the taste, but leaving it in secondary for a couple of weeks will help clear it as well. Clear doesn't really bother me all that much but is sure is pretty to see a nice sparkling beer in the ol' pint glass that YOU made yourself. Ugh. I want one NOW!

It should be cleaner/clearer, plus lessens the chance of yeast autolysis which can produce nasty flavors. So, necessary for "reasonable" beer....no. Better? Yes, IMO.

I'll chime in with the same opinion. Secondarys will help you to clear and allow the yeast to work out any off flavors developed in the primary. That said, I just transfered a batch of wee heavy to the secondary yesterday after nine days in the primary. It's at 6.5% abv right now and taste tests make me want to drink it now.

It's good right now but I'm going to let it rest 2 more weeks then cold condition for 1 week before bottling. If this one turns out the way I think. I'll be entering it in the Bluebonnet Competition in Feburary.

Well, I accidently hit Vote with No selected. After re-reading the question, I should vote Yes. Ah well.

Anywho, yes you can get decent beer with just primary; no it's not neccesary (which is somehow what my brain interpreted when I read the question :cross: )

Just give it at least a few extra days to make sure it's done.

I agree!

Good

I think I got the hang of it. "You can get good beer with a primary but it can turn into great beer with secondary.
Extract gets better if you steep the wort with grain (but don't boil the grain due to tannins)

all grain is the pinnacle!!!!!

So it can take mashing, sparging, cooling and all that.

But all that can be done in brew pots etc on the stove or in the garage with propane heaters.

So how does this work?

orfy said:

So how does this work?

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That my friend is the top of the line most complicated dream to have system for homebrew. It's a RIMS (Recirculating Infusion Mash System)

The tank on the right is a HLT (Hot Liquor Tank) made from a converted 15 gal keg. This tank holds and maintains hot water to achieve strike in, step, and sparge/mash out temps in your MLT (Mash Lauter Tun), that's the tank in the middle also made from a converted 15 gal. keg. This middle tank has a false bottom or manifold to filter the wort from the mash.

The last tank on the far left is the boil kettle. It too is made from a converted 15 gal. keg.

The way the system works: The HLT is filled with water to be used for mash (adjusted if necessary) the fire is lit under it and it is heated to your strike temperature. By opening valves in the piping underneath and activating the pump (in the black box on the right) You can pump the water over to your MLT to mash the grains. Now, to maintian temperatures in your mash and to achieve better filtering by the grain and clearer wort, you close the valves that sent the water in and open the valves that recirculate the wort through a coil that is in the HLT. This pulls off the bottom of the MLT and circulates it through the coil in the HLT maintaining temperature as it does and deposit's it back on top of the grain in the MLT. To complete mash, increase to mash out temps and sparge.

At the end or your mash, you open the valve that drains over to the boil pot and collect your wort while sparging. Once you achieve your boil volume, you boil, add hops, irish moss, yeast nutrient at specified time schedule and then cool the wort before transfering into a couple of 5 gal carboys. (This puppy will do 10 gal at a time.)

Pitch yeast and firment as usual.

orfy said:

So how does this work?

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It doesn't! You do until you can pay it off!

Back to the subject: Reasonable beer? Yes. But a secondary works wonders on the flavor and color (which is part of the presentation in a glass).

Okay--- so I imagine the catch is the price tag. Lemme sit down here before you tell me. *sits*

kornkob said:

Okay--- so I imagine the catch is the price tag. Lemme sit down here before you tell me. *sits*

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Are you sitting? $3,985.00

BTW Secondaries are good!

Are you sitting? $3,985.00

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But you don't for one minute need a fancy-schmanzy system like this to make good all grain beer. A converted cooler, some large stock pots and a propane burner will do just fine!

I am familiar with one multi-award winning homebrewer who uses the Papazian 'Zapap' 'holey bucket-in-solid bucket' mash tun to this day! He says he spends his money on ingredients. Go figure!

Rhoobarb said:

I am familiar with one multi-award winning homebrewer who uses the Papazian 'Zapap' 'holey bucket-in-solid bucket' mash tun to this day! He says he spends his money on ingredients. Go figure!

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No kidding, huh? A Zapap? I'll bet he has a ball controlling his mash temps, but apparently it works for him!

Just goes to show that while we can all appreciate a sweet rig, some smarts and attention to detail will go along way.

No kidding, huh? A Zapap? I'll bet he has a ball controlling his mash temps...

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Don't know about that - he might. But yes, it works for him!

That my friend is the top of the line most complicated dream to have system for homebrew. It's a RIMS (Recirculating Infusion Mash System)

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I like. But I think I'd need a few hundred brews under my belt before I could "Drive one of those"

I'm going to dump my 2.5 gallon IPA brew into bottles after 8 days and give a further 10-14 days to condition. I'll try my 5 gallon in a secondary.
I have a second 2.5 gallon which I may put straight to keg. (I'm bidding for 2 on ebay)

Walker said:

I only recently started using secondaries (just because I am lazy.) Prior to using secondaries, I just left things in the primary for 2 weeks, and then bottled for about 2 weeks. Those beers were fine.

However, having tried the secondary fermenting after many MANY batches, I am in the camp that it WILL improve your beer. This does not mean that secondaries are NECESSARY, but they do (in my opinion) turn a good beer into a great beer.

-walker

Click to expand...

You took the words right out of my mouth. (except I'm not lazy )

It's hard to see how you could vote no on this one - seriously, this is a pretty low bar to clear. The question was, could you make a reasonable beer without a secondary. Geez, who could say no to that? I have yet to use a secondary and every batch has been way beyond just "reasonable." They have all been great, each one better than anything you could buy.

I'm only on my second batch. My first has been in bottles for (?) 2 weeks. I've "sampled" at least a 6-pack of them, though. I can honestly say that once the carbonation gets up a little more, my one-carboy brew is excellent. If it gets better with a secondary I may have to retire and spend the rest of my life brewing and drinking homebrew!