to secondary or not to secondary, that is the question

so i have my second brew in primary right now, and american pale ale, and while its been in there, i visited my lhbs and bought me a shiny new glass carboy and am anxiously waiting to use it (ive been using a bucket, so im excited about the upgrade ). the question is should i transfer my brew to secondary in the carboy (does it need it?), or should i hold off and use the carboy as the primary for the smoked porter i plan on next? gracias gents

If the carboy is big enough (6.5 gallon size), it would make a fine primary. If it's smaller (5 gallon size), it's really too small for a primary.

The APA doesn't really need a secondary, IMO the only reason to secondary is to add more fermentables that may start a second fermentation or to free up a primary fermenter for another batch. And I agree, if one of those vessels is 5 gallons, then it is on the small side for a primary.

Not to split hairs with Yooper, but you can use a 5 gallon carboy/vessel as a primary. You just need to take some precautions first. Such as use fermcap when adding it to the fermenter. Using a blow-off tube for the first week (or so) to prevent your airlock becoming embedded in the ceiling.

I've used vessels that are 5-5.16 gallons in size for 5 gallon batches. You get under 5 gallons into bottles, but you can still use them. Just make sure you DON'T put more than 5 gallons into them. Also make sure you don't pitch an entire starter in after adding 5 gallons of wort. Basically, be smart about using it.

For glass carboy's, they make tubing that fits right into the bung-hole. Use that for the blow-off tube, having the other end in a bucket half-filled with StarSan/sanitizer solution. Basically, it's a large airlock.

I've upgraded the size of my primaries beyond 6 gallon recently. I have two 6.6 gallon and two 7.75 gallon SS fermenters to use now. :rockin: I even have a vessel that I could use for 10 gallon batches (13.3 gallon capacity). I've moved past the 'need' or desire to see my wort fermenting, or the yeast going to town. I can tell by the temperature increase inside the fermenter that the yeast is doing it's thing. I let them work in the dark until they've finished doing what they do so well, before I bottle/keg it up... :rockin:

thanks for the feedback guys. well that blows, it is a 5gal. why is the size important? should i return it for a bigger one?

jpr210 said:

thanks for the feedback guys. well that blows, it is a 5gal. why is the size important? should i return it for a bigger one?

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Headspace, typically, for krausen and such... You can keep it for fermenting 3-4 gallon batches (such as mead) later... Or for aging a batch on oak or something where it makes sense... But if you're looking to primary, and don't want to take the extra steps, you'll want at least a 6 gallon fermenter... Even then, there will be times when you'll need a blow-off tube... Same for the 6.5 gallon buckets...

if i already have the blowoff tube is all well then?

Rack the Pale Ale to the glass carboy. You can watch it clear over time. Rack onto some gelatin to help it, and /or add dry hops.

That will free up the bucket for the Smoked Porter. It's not necessary to use a secondary for a lot of beers, but nothing says you can't. I secondary about 90% of my beers; often it's to get at the fresh yeast for use on the next batch.

btw, happy 4th of july to all my fellow homebrewers on here

jpr210 said:

so i have my second brew in primary right now, and american pale ale, and while its been in there, i visited my lhbs and bought me a shiny new glass carboy and am anxiously waiting to use it (ive been using a bucket, so im excited about the upgrade ). the question is should i transfer my brew to secondary in the carboy (does it need it?), or should i hold off and use the carboy as the primary for the smoked porter i plan on next? gracias gents

Click to expand...

I use plastic buckets, my general rule is this, 30 days primary then keg if it is under a starting gravity of 1.080 Above that i will SOMETIMES use a secondary, for the really really big brew above1.100 but between 1.080 and 1.100 depends on how much it has slowed in 30 days, if it is still bubbling at all, it gets secondary, if not i keg. This works well for me.

If you already have the tube, go for it.

IMO racking a brew to another vessel to clear is completely unnecessary and adds more chances of contamination (not that you'll get it every time, but more chances, IMO, is a bad idea)...

Giving the brew a little more time on the yeast will get you the same results as racking and gelatin will, with far less effort. I don't rack to dry hop either, put them right into primary about a week before bottling. IF I'm going to wash the yeast, then chances are I'm not dry hopping the batch. Since I use just a few yeast strains, I can always wash from a coming batch, or already did from a previous batch, so I can sacrifice the yeast from that batch without issue.

All my brews go at least a full month in primary. Many are going 5-6+ weeks in primary. ALL are excellent brews, that are super clear, taste great (people are still surprised when they try mine, that you can make something that good in your home)... There are people that have left batches on the yeast/in primary for 6 months (or longer) without any ill effects. Far better, IMO, to go a bit longer in primary, then to risk the negatives of racking to another vessel for X days/weeks just because you want a brew to clear.

IF you're planning on adding flavor elements, such as oak, or something else that makes actual sense to get off the yeast, then ok. Or to get off of one element before adding another (to stop the contribution of the first). Long term aging is another reason to rack, but I'm talking about several months here, not weeks.

There seems to be a lot of back and forth on whether or not using a secondary is necessary; both of which appear to have their merits. In your case (and I'm in the same situation), one reason to use a secondary is to have more than one batch going at once without having to buy another fermenter. So after you rack to the secondary, you can put fresh wort in the primary.

Happy 4th!!! And a big thanks to all those who serve.