Do You Secondary??

[Calvinfan1]

Hey everyone!

I've always done a secondary fermentation to improve clarity and reduce the amount of sediment, but I was wondering as I've moved heavier and heavier into kegging....is it worth it? So I'm wondering if you still use a secondary if you are kegging? I know there is an exception to be made if you are adding flavorings or spices into the secondary that you are messing with, but for a normal brew is there a benefit to transferring to a secondary and then transferring to a keg or is this just a wasted week?

 

[Arneba28]

I now only secondary if.
...I am dryhopping
...spicing
...need my large 6.5g primary for something else
...really long fermentation times and aging.

 

[Tripod]

I now only secondary if.
...I am dryhopping
...spicing
...need my large 6.5g primary for something else
...really long fermentation times and aging.

I agree with the above. Unless I'm doing one of the things mentioned, I don't risk contamination by bothering the primary at all... I'm not a kegger (yet) so straight from primary to bottles for me.

-Tripod

 

[ifishsum]

I use plastic buckets for primaries and I secondary, mostly because I want to free up my primaries for another batch. My carboys are only 5 gallons so they're a little small to primary my typical 5.5 gal batches in. I also bottle my beer.

 

[Jaybird]

he!l yes!!! don't you let a good steak rest before ripping into it?

 

[Revvy]

I leave my beers in primary for 3-4 weeks then go to bottle, they're better than when I used to secondary....

 

[kappclark]

I stay in primary for 3 weeks or so ... I know that, with right timing, I could have quite a production line going with 2 primaries, 4 carboys and 6 kegs ..

just a walk in the park compared to some of the setups I have seen in this board ..

I am nowhere near that fantasy of full production, so I guess for now I use the secondary when I need the primary for another batch ..

then again, US plastics sells the buckets for $9.96 each, so maybe another bucket is all I need ..

 

[evanmars]

Sometimes.

 

[Soulive]

I leave my beers in primary for 3-4 weeks then go to bottle, they're better than when I used to secondary....

+1...same here

 

[SenorWanderer]

yes, always.

i think that a lot of this debate exists because everyone has a different idea of why a secondary is used or why they use a secondary. one important thing to think about is breweries don't use secondaries. breweries have fermenters where the beer is fermented to it's final gravity. they get the beer out of the fermenter and off the yeast as fast as possible not only to prevent autolysis but also because fermenters are big and expensive and are always the bottle neck in the line. the closest thing to a secondary a brewery has is a clearing or conditioning tank. this is where they'll condition the beer, let it clear up, blend batches, and do stuff like dry hop. this is how i think of a secondary. i don't move my beer to "secondary" until it's reached final gravity, usually 3-5 days. depending on the beer it might stay in secondary for 2 weeks or 2 months. my beers clear much faster after they're off the yeast. i can then turn around and reuse the yeast cake. if you're worried about contamination when transferring then you need to review your sanitary procedures. i don't think you have to rack your beer to a secondary, but i have a system that works for me and i think it produces good beer. regarding the OP, i wouldn't consider a keg a satisfactory substitute for a secondary. i only put clean ready to drink beer into a keg. if you can't stand that extra week, brew more so you have more beer in the pipe! i love how the answer to so many problems is "brew more beer!"

 

[homebrewer_99]

Always...

 

[Revvy]

Calvin, if you want to know WHY many of us don't secondary and opt for long prmaries, search for this very topic. This is one of those discussion we have nearly every couple of days, so there's ton of info about this on here already.

Here's what you woulda found if you looked first.

Search Results for no secondary

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/let-beer-clean-up-after-itself-primary-what-does-mean-68823/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/gtsear...la&cof=FORID:11&q=long+primary&sa=Search#1410

 

[keiths]

Always, I need to free up my 6gal. carboys.
Except when I use my conical.

 

[Chriso]

Nope. Never do anymore. Too much work. Primary 21 days or more, then keg.

 

[MrShake]

I secondary if I am looking to let a beer age for a while and want my primary free

 

[cubbies]

I leave my beers in primary for 3-4 weeks then go to bottle, they're better than when I used to secondary....

I am not denying that your beers taste better, but I have a hard time believing that simply skipping the secondary improved the flavor of your beer. Maybe if your secondary was really old, tainted or infected. But a clean, sanitized secondary should not effect the flavor of the beer in the slightest.

To the original topic, I most always use a secondary. First of all, I only have two primaries, so it helps me open up some a primary so I can brew more and secondly because my primaries wont fit into my chest freezer for a cold crash. Plus, it is just they way I have always done it. There is certainly nothing wrong with skipping it.

 

[Calvinfan1]

Interesting responses!! I am a glass primary/glass secondary person and have plenty of 6.5s to go around, so it's not really a matter of needing the extra carboy or the beer faster. I think the concept of preventing kegging the beer too fast and then having green beer is speaking to me the loudest.

Do any of you use a keg as a secondary? You know, leaving the beer in there a while before adding CO2.

 

[Chriso]

I am not denying that your beers taste better, but I have a hard time believing that simply skipping the secondary improved the flavor of your beer. Maybe if your secondary was really old, tainted or infected. But a clean, sanitized secondary should not effect the flavor of the beer in the slightest.

I don't think you understand exactly the comparison he is drawing.

He's not saying that not using a secondary is improving the flavor.

He's saying that USING a longer primary INSTEAD of a secondary is improving the flavor. Not the act of skipping 2ary itself, but the act of leaving the beer on the yeast cake for 3, 4, however many weeks in order to clean up the flavor.

Jamil uses and advocates this method, and that's all the reference I need to do it myself.

 

[cubbies]

Ah. I see. Yeah, I usually end up leaving my beer on the cake for 2+ weeks anyways. I just secondary so I can cold crash.

 

[Revvy]

I don't think you understand exactly the comparison he is drawing.

He's not saying that not using a secondary is improving the flavor.

He's saying that USING a longer primary INSTEAD of a secondary is improving the flavor. Not the act of skipping 2ary itself, but the act of leaving the beer on the yeast cake for 3, 4, however many weeks in order to clean up the flavor.

Jamil uses and advocates this method, and that's all the reference I need to do it myself.

+1 on this...

I'll refer you once again to what Palmer says about this...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/709419-post3.html

Letting the yeasts clean up their own waste products while still on the yeast cake is what improves my beer....

I and many of the poeple who have tasted my beers, including some bjcp judges notices the difference....whether you believe I'm full of **** or not cubbie...

 

[Tonedef131]

Do any of you use a keg as a secondary? You know, leaving the beer in there a while before adding CO2.

Sort of. I leave most beers in the primary for 2 or so weeks and then rack it into a keg that has been flushed with CO2. This keeps my beer from having much exposure to oxygen and I can batch age, lager and even dry hop in the keg if necessary. The only time I use a secondary is if I am oaking/infecting/fruiting a beer. Otherwise it's less to clean, less time racking, less chance of infection and less exposure to oxygen.

Oh, and meads...I always use a secondary for meads.

 

[cubbies]

+1 on this...

Whether you believe I'm full of **** or not cubbie...

I certainly didnt mean to offend. I just misunderstood what you were saying. My mistake.

 

[schristian619]

I always secondary. I leave in primary for 2 weeks, then rack and condition for AT LEAST 2 more weeks, dry hopping if necessary. Then keg and set at serving pressure for 2 more weeks. This may be a long time from grain to glass, but I'm happy with the results.

 

[cubbies]

That is pretty much my schedule exactly except for the second week of secondary I chill it to below 40 to help the beer clear.

 

[SkinnyShamrock]

Yes.

And apparently you can't have a message that just says yes, so here's some extra text to make the board happy.

 

[Malticulous]

I think some beers can be better with a secondary. I have only have used a secondary with one of my ten batches so far. I need more experience but I think it's all just part of the recipe.

 

[Brew-boy]

I never there is no need too.

 

[Bigsnake]

I do.

I only have one primary and two secondaries. I'm waiting for one to finish up right now so I can stick it in secondary and get another batch going in primary.

 

[FishinDave07]

I do.

I only have one primary and two secondaries. I'm waiting for one to finish up right now so I can stick it in secondary and get another batch going in primary.

+2, thats the only reason i do it sometimes.

 

[Anbrew]

I make at least three batches for every yeast cake. I usually leave in primary 7-10 days then brew again, rack off, and drain the fresh wort onto the cake. I wouldn't trust using a 4-week old yeast cake from a longer primary multiple times. If you make 3 beers on it, the cake is now 12 weeks old, ouch! Here come the meaty flavors...

(Note: I have 8 6.5 gallon carboys, so no cocern about having primaries vs secondaries)