New brewer with a few questions

[Andy Bullock]

Hi all! Brand new to brewing and to the site. I've read a lot about brewing over the last few weeks so I know just enough to be dangerous and probably too risky at this point. I've got a couple of questions that I know some of you can help me with or point me in the right direction.

I've got my first batch in primary right now (Fresh Squished IPA that came with the brew kit) and I think it's about to be finished fermenting.

Question 1 - should I rack to secondary before dry hopping? Instructions say to dry hop in primary for a week, but I would like to open up my primary for another batch. Too much oxygen introduced if I do this? Does primary have to be COMPLETELY done fermenting?

Question 2 - Any secrets to getting all of the floating matter to come out of suspension? Mostly hop pieces right now from the pellets that were in the boil. Didn't know if these just tend to settle out over time, or if I need to do some kind of filtering before bottling.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[RPh_Guy]

should I rack to secondary before dry hopping? Instructions say to dry hop in primary for a week, but I would like to open up my primary for another batch. Too much oxygen introduced if I do this? Does primary have to be COMPLETELY done fermenting?

Secondary = bad. Too much oxygen exposure.

It does not needed to be finished fermenting (and ideally shouldn't be) when you dry hop.
3-4 days is long enough for dry hops. No need to wait a week.

Any secrets to getting all of the floating matter to come out of suspension? Mostly hop pieces right now from the pellets that were in the boil. Didn't know if these just tend to settle out over time, or if I need to do some kind of filtering before bottling.

Just try to move as little of it as possible to your bottling bucket or keg. Jostle it around 12-24 hours before packaging and move it to where you will be transferring so it will be able to settle before you rack.

Cheers & welcome to HBT!

 

[doogie]

Most of us no longer use a secondary unless lagering or other special conditions. The risk of infection and oxidation out-weigh the benefits for most. For the floating material, sometimes a jolt (lift the fermenter an inch or so and put it down) will make floating stuff fall after a day or so. The transfer to your bottling bucket should leave behind as much of the matter (yeast, trub & hop pieces) as possible. Any that makes it's way to the bottles should settle out when conditioned and chilled.

 

[Jag75]

Welcome to the Forum ! Like the others have said secondaries are not needed unless storing for a long time. o2 is no good unless your aerating for pitching yeast. With hoppy beers oxidizing is more prominent. Everyone has their own way of doing things and you will find your niche. I personally leave my beer in the fermenter for about 3 weeks. Patience is up there at the top along with temps and sanatazation imo. Agree with the hops . No need to dry hop for 7 days . 4 day dry hop is plenty. On my IPAs I dry hop 4 days before I package. As for the hop particles they may sink down after a while but I always use bags so I dont have to worry about it . Congrats on your 1st beer and enjoy the hobby. You will learn a ton of stuff hanging around here . There are so many people here full of great advice and knowledge. They've really helped my brewing excel .

Definitely make sure the fermentation is completely done before bottling by checking via hydrometer. It's amazing the force of a bottle bomb has.

 

[Andy Bullock]

Thanks for all the quick responses guys! I wondered about the oxidization with the extra step of racking to secondary. Sounds like I will probably just let it be in the primary and see if a buddy might want to help me bottle on a week night. Would you guys expect the fermentation to be wrapping up within 5-7 days? I steeped some specialty grains, the sugar amount was probably negligible - then went 6lbs golden malt LME and then another 3.15 golden malt LME with 20 minutes left in the boil.

Chilled to high 70's then pitched US-05 - didn't really seem to take off for about 48 hours but is slowing now - edited to add that my fermentation temp has been pretty steady around 62F

 

[davidabcd]

To ensure it's done, take two gravity readings a day or two apart. The time varies as to when a beer is finished fermenting. Best one can say is it's probably done in 5-7 but you also want the benefit of leaving it in the fermenter longer.

 

[Andy Bullock]

To ensure it's done, take two gravity readings a day or two apart. The time varies as to when a beer is finished fermenting. Best one can say is it's probably done in 5-7 but you also want the benefit of leaving it in the fermenter longer.

I guess I don't have a problem leaving it in the primary a little longer, but then my dilemma is down to when to add my dry hops. One said to do it while there is still a little bit of active fermentation going on, and another said 3-4 days before bottling **shrug** I guess at this point it's probably just finding out what I like to do by trial and error. Thanks again guys for the responses!

 

[Jag75]

FWIW I dont dry hop when it's in the fermentation period unless it's a NEIPA . West coast IPA I dry hop 4 days away from packaging , which is around day 15-17. Just to touch on the fermentation temp I noticed you said you chilled to the upper 70's then pitched. I wanna say the high for Us05 is 75. Once fermentation starts up it will get warmer so if you pitched at say 78 more then likely your temp got into the 80's.

 

[davidabcd]

One said to do it while there is still a little bit of active fermentation going on, and another said 3-4 days before bottling **shrug**

So the idea with dry hopping for 3-4 days (beginning when the beer is nearly finished fermenting and then bottling) is to catch the optimum hop aroma. It can be a little confusing; it requires experience and knowledge. Not that you can't do that, but it's not as straightforward as "add the dry hops on day 10 of fermentation."
For ease of process, you can dry hop on day 10, for example, and see if the beer is ready after two weeks using your hydrometer.

 

[Jag75]

I think people tend to dry hop at the end of fermentation to keep out o2. There is still co2 being pushed out so you can decrease oxygenating your beer . Like I said everyone does it the way they like it . I've never bottled or kegged a beer in less 10 days . When I dry hop I purge with co2 and force out any o2 that was allowed in .

 

[Andy Bullock]

FWIW I dont dry hop when it's in the fermentation period unless it's a NEIPA . West coast IPA I dry hop 4 days away from packaging , which is around day 15-17. Just to touch on the fermentation temp I noticed you said you chilled to the upper 70's then pitched. I wanna say the high for Us05 is 75. Once fermentation starts up it will get warmer so if you pitched at say 78 more then likely your temp got into the 80's.

Yeah, that makes sense. Probably should have waited a little longer, but it had been over a half hour and I was worried about bacteria. Stuck one of those temp stickers on my carboy and it has stayed right around 62 through the fermentation though.

 

[Jag75]

Do you have an immersion chiller?

 

[Andy Bullock]

Do you have an immersion chiller?

No, not yet. This is my first batch, so I wanted to make sure I was going to get into it like I thought I might before I started spending all kinds of money. This one was just an ice batch in an old tub sink in my basement. It's probably safe to say that I've found my new favorite hobby already, and my wife is thrilled

 

[Jag75]

No, not yet. This is my first batch, so I wanted to make sure I was going to get into it like I thought I might before I started spending all kinds of money. This one was just an ice batch in an old tub sink in my basement. It's probably safe to say that I've found my new favorite hobby already, and my wife is thrilled

Good stuff man lol! My wife can relate .

 

[balrog]

Half an hour is no issue. Some folks put the lid on the boil kettle and set it aside, "no chill method" overnight.

 

[Andy Bullock]

Half an hour is no issue. Some folks put the lid on the boil kettle and set it aside, "no chill method" overnight.

This just makes me uneasy - I know I'm a newbie, but everything I've read talks about the importance of cooling wort quickly. Has to be some validity to it or all you experienced guys wouldn't have wort chillers Somewhat curious as to what this "no chill method" does to the end product though.

 

[balrog]

There's lots on the interwebs about it.
Uses less water but leaves hops in contact longer with hot wort so that must be factored.
Here is just one of many things I found in quick search.

 

[Andy Bullock]

There's lots on the interwebs about it.
Uses less water but leaves hops in contact longer with hot wort so that must be factored.
Here is just one of many things I found in quick search.

Thanks for the link. That makes me feel a little better about letting it sit in the sink with the lid on it for an hour or so if I need to get it down to pitching temp. I've also considered some higher temp kveik strains with minimal cooling, but it's 32F up here today so my house wouldn't be warm enough to warrant a high temp yest like that. The US-05 seems to be one of the "standards" for the beers I like. However, I do have an Imperial Juice (A38) on the way for an "experiment" after my first couple successful batches.

 

[devilssoninlaw]

I'm a novice brewer and probably always will be but I've always used a secondary and never ran into problem. I usually rack it after about a week in the primary, it will free up your primary and help with clarity and yeast harvest. At that point it's still fermenting and any CO2 will drive out oxygen.

I had the same concern about using a secondary and was contacted by another experienced brewer that told me as long as everything is properly sterilized, the worry about a secondary is way over blown. I guess if he wasn't correct all the suppliers would warn against it in their instructions. Good Luck and brew on !!!

 

[Day-Day]

I'm a novice brewer and probably always will be but I've always used a secondary and never ran into problem. I usually rack it after about a week in the primary, it will free up your primary and help with clarity and yeast harvest. At that point it's still fermenting and any CO2 will drive out oxygen.

The real issue with secondary is more about how little you have to gain. You can clear a beer and harvest yeast perfectly fine without utilizing a secondary vessel. I agree that the infection aspect of secondary is way over blown...but the oxidation issues are not, especially if you're just using a racking cane and not purging with CO2.

I just don't see what there is to gain by transferring your beer off the yeast after a week... especially if you are going to package it a few weeks after that.

Have you tried not racking to secondary and seeing how your beer comes out?

 

[devilssoninlaw]

I have tried the same beer with and without a secondary fermenter and didn't notice any difference. I guess again I have to wonder why every kit I've tried has a secondary in their instructions?

Andy said he wanted to free up his primary, I just wanted him not to freak out over the secondary boogey man.

 

[catalanotte]

I have tried the same beer with and without a secondary fermenter and didn't notice any difference. I guess again I have to wonder why every kit I've tried has a secondary in their instructions?

Andy said he wanted to free up his primary, I just wanted him not to freak out over the secondary boogey man.

I’d agree that with good transfer technique, you don’t do any harm. I stopped racking as a regular step many years ago mainly to help simplify my brewing. If I need the larger primary carboys or if I am going to dry hop and don’t want to foul the yeast for reuse, I will rack to secondary without concerns. I have also left very light beers in primary for up to a month without issues.

Either way works, don’t feel the need to rack but don’t be afraid to do so for a good reason.

 

[Andy Bullock]

I have tried the same beer with and without a secondary fermenter and didn't notice any difference. I guess again I have to wonder why every kit I've tried has a secondary in their instructions?

Andy said he wanted to free up his primary, I just wanted him not to freak out over the secondary boogey man.

I’m leaving my ipa in primary for another week. I’ve decided to just try and make a small batch of apple cider/ale in my secondary to keep myself occupied

 

[Day-Day]

I have tried the same beer with and without a secondary fermenter and didn't notice any difference. I guess again I have to wonder why every kit I've tried has a secondary in their instructions?

Andy said he wanted to free up his primary, I just wanted him not to freak out over the secondary boogey man.

Secondary boogey man... haha !!! I'm going to use that one.