Follow up questions regarding a carboy

[NHAnimator]

N00b here again...

I'm have been using a pail as a primary fermenter and, after a week or so, I rack the beer to my carboy and add the priming sugar, bottling right after that. Not quite what I think I should be doing.

I think what I really want to do is use the carboy as a secondary. So a couple of questions...

1. My thought is that after moving the beer to the carboy, I should let it sit for some period of time (2 weeks)? Then move it back into a pail and add the priming sugar and on to bottling. This basically means racking the beer twice. Does this sound right?

2. After the primary fermentation period (about a week after making a batch), how important is it to let the beer sit for a while as opposed to bottling it and just waiting to drink it. Does sitting in a carboy or other secondary produce different results/taste? I'm sure it does, but I need some insight.

Thanks much in advance again. I'm really enjoying this.
NHAnimator

 

[superjunior]

N00b here again...

I'm have been using a pail as a primary fermenter and, after a week or so, I rack the beer to my carboy and add the priming sugar, bottling right after that. Not quite what I think I should be doing.

I think what I really want to do is use the carboy as a secondary. So a couple of questions...

1. My thought is that after moving the beer to the carboy, I should let it sit for some period of time (2 weeks)? Then move it back into a pail and add the priming sugar and on to bottling. This basically means racking the beer twice. Does this sound right?

2. After the primary fermentation period (about a week after making a batch), how important is it to let the beer sit for a while as opposed to bottling it and just waiting to drink it. Does sitting in a carboy or other secondary produce different results/taste? I'm sure it does, but I need some insight.

Thanks much in advance again. I'm really enjoying this.
NHAnimator

1. this is a good idea but a lot of folks don't even do a secondary anymore unless dryhopping or adding things like fruit.
2. your primary should be much longer than a week, more like 2-3. its important to let the beer sit on primary, the yeast continue to clean up their biproducts, the beer clears, flavors blend/develope, lots of good things happen at this point. I usually let my beer sit in primary for 4 weeks with excellent results.

 

[NHAnimator]

If you leave it in the primary for a month, do you rack it to a second container while adding your priming sugar? It would seem like you would need to. How long do you then leave it before bottling? My guess would be that you would bottle immediately.

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[brewit2it]

If you leave it in the primary for a month, do you rack it to a second container while adding your priming sugar? It would seem like you would need to. How long do you then leave it before bottling? My guess would be that you would bottle immediately.

Thanks again for the feedback.

What a lot of folks do, myself included is use the carboy as primary and bulk ageing vessel then rack to the bucket for bottling after 3-4 weeks. It helps a lot if you have a bucket made for bottling since it will have a plastic valve near the bottom that you can attach your bottling wand to. As far as how long to leave in bottling bucket (get one if you don't have one, trust me), just long enough to let any trub that came while racking off the cake to resettle. I only wait 30 minutes or so but I think some folks wait 2-3 hours.

 

[NHAnimator]

Okay, thanks again. I am planning on picking up the bucket as you suggest. I just don't get to the brew store often and the one I have was not rigged with the valve. I was curious as to how long you could go after adding the sugar before you needed to bottle. Didn't want anything going on outside the bottle that should have been going on inside. Half an hour or so sounds good.