I'm sick! Can I still rack to Secondary?

[Brewbelly]

I dropped my first wort into primary 8 days ago (Good Ole Brown Ale from nwextract) and am ready to rack it to secondary. With all the nice weather happening, my allergies have made me sick.

Should I stay away from my beer for fear of contamination? Or should I be totally fine?

 

[k1200rsvt]

If it is allergies that should be fine I would go for it. If you were sick that would probably be fine if you were careful, but I would wait if I were sick.

 

[rocketman768]

Are you going to sneeze into the beer? Seriously though, just relax and let your beer stay in the primary for another week or two. The yeast will clean up their by-products and off flavors faster if you don't pull the beer off the yeast, and you'll end up with a cleaner taste.

 

[Brewbelly]

@k1200rsvt
Well, I'm not sure if my sickness is due to allergies. I am only assuming it, because everything is in bloom and pollinating in my area.

@rocketman768
So you are saying it's pointless to secondary anyway? ...that the primary will give the same effect?

This is my first brew, I need to have it in my draft system ready to drink by April 24th. I'm fine with leaving it a bit longer, but I really want it to be great. My brother is coming to visit the 24th. So whether to not secondary, or not touch until i'm better, or secondary anyway, yatta yatta are things I'd like to know. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[masonsjax]

Many here do not secondary, including myself (except for certain situations). The choice to secondary or not is mostly a personal preference, it doesn't hurt either way, but if you choose to do so, your beer will be much better off if you first let it sit in primary for at least 2 weeks. I leave most of mine for 4 weeks, then rack to a keg for carbonation and serving.

 

[Julohan]

I use to use a secondary. In my own opinion it is pointless unless you are conditioning for a long time. Some do it when they add additions. I don't even do that though, and have had no problems yet.

 

[wyzazz]

If you leave the beer in the primary and on the yeast for 3-4 weeks, it gives they yeast time to clean up any off-flavors they may have produced as they were making your beer. Just leave it in there until you're ready to keg, and then force carb it. The first pint you pull will be all yeast and sediment, the next 3-7 will be cloudy, the rest should be clear as a bell if it's been in the kegerator for a few days.

 

[DavidHawman]

Well unless you cant help but sneeze into your beer I'd wait. Otherwise you are no more likely to infect than if you felt fine.

Human pathogens are not likely the bacteria that will spoil your beer anyways.

 

[CiscoKid]

Well unless you cant help but sneeze into your beer I'd wait. Otherwise you are no more likely to infect than if you felt fine.

Human pathogens are not likely the bacteria that will spoil your beer anyways.

Exactly. Sick or allergies, don't stand over your open primary with your runny nose, coughing and sneezing, and expelling your bacteria-laden mucus and saliva all over everything and everyone around you.

Other than that, you're fine! Your beer won't catch the swine flu...

As for secondary. Add me to the list of people on here who say "don't bother with a secondary unless you're really going for a super clean, super light style." I go 3-4 weeks in the primary and then straight to the keg.

 

[Dr_Gordon_Freeman]

I dropped my first wort into primary 8 days ago (Good Ole Brown Ale from nwextract) and am ready to rack it to secondary. With all the nice weather happening, my allergies have made me sick.

Should I stay away from my beer for fear of contamination? Or should I be totally fine?

There's no reason for you to move it to secondary so soon, if at all. Wait another two to three weeks and bottle.

 

[Hoppus_Poppatopolis]

You can have it ready by the 24th which is only a little over two weeks from when you pitched the yeast, or you can have it be great. You can't have both.

 

[KCBrewer]

Let it set while you get well. I did a secondary after about 7 days on my first brew (a wheat beer) not knowing any better, and then around 7 days secondary. It took it about 2 weeks in the keg for the tart green flavor to mellow out. Also, the secondary is primarily to improve clarity, which you aren't going to notice as much on a brown ale anyway. Go get well in the comfort of knowing that your beer is too.

 

[Gremlyn]

Unless you have a bacterial infection, you have no greater chance of infecting your beer than if you were not sick. Just don't sneeze in it, not now...not ever.

 

[Reddheadedstepchild]

Or if you do sneeze into your brew just name it SNOTIMUS REX!

 

[Frank99]

If you use a secondary, you're clearly a communist and enemy of Democracy! Ok, maybe a slight exagerration. IMO you should let it sit another week until you feel better. Basic Brewing radio just did an experiment and basically waiting a week or two to rack to secondary/bottle/keg had positive effects, so don't worry about it.

 

[Brewbelly]

Thanks for all the great info. I will probably return my Better Bottle i just purchased for secondary then. I'll just leave in primary and then go straight to keg.

 

[SaintAnky]

You could keep that Better Bottle and use it as a primary. I started out using a bucket for primary and a 5-gallon carboy for secondary. Now I use them both for primary. Usually at the same time!

 

[Brewbelly]

I skipped the secondary racked to keg today!! OG= 1.054, FG= 1.012, no contamination either so far!

Thanks for the help guys!

P.S.
It feels like I am outside the waiting room, waiting for my wife to give birth. Haha. (to speak of how it feels waiting on the beer)

 

[Julohan]

I say keep the second one as well. Then you can make more.