Racking to secondarry?

[auto180sx]

I've pulled the trigger on a Imperial Stout from Northern Brewer, and was wondering if it was ok to leave it in the primary for 4 months(ish?) and go straight to bottles? I want to avoid a secondary if at all possible... Also, I have got some oak chips to use with it if that makes a difference.

Cheers!

 

[Brewsmith]

There's no need for a secondary, but you don't have to leave it for 4 months, either. I would not leave the primary that long, but I would be fine leaving it for a month, and then bottling at that point.

 

[eltorrente]

I gave myself an arbitrary limit of 1 month in the primary maximum. After that it's time to keg or bottle, and let age for however long it takes after that.

 

[gr8shandini]

It's perfectly OK to leave it in the primary for several months. Many brewers on this site will argue that it actually improves your beer, but I don't believe that to be so. If it were me, I'd just bottle and free up your fermenter for another batch. It'll age just as well in a bottle as in the primary. It'll also help you find out exactly how much time it needs. Unless it's a really big beer (1.075+) six weeks to two months will probably be plenty.

I haven't had the urge to oak a beer, so I can't comment on that. I'd assume you can just toss it into the primary, but someone with more experience might be able to help on that front.

 

[dimmy32]

how can you wait that long !?
One month is my maximum....lol.

 

[VillageBrew]

There's no need for a secondary, but you don't have to leave it for 4 months, either. I would not leave the primary that long, but I would be fine leaving it for a month, and then bottling at that point.

^+1^

A full month or a little longer is ideal. Bottle it and then sit back and wait. This way you can pull a bottle to taste the differences in the resting stages.

 

[TheFlyingSparge]

There's no need for a secondary, but you don't have to leave it for 4 months, either. I would not leave the primary that long, but I would be fine leaving it for a month, and then bottling at that point.

+1

I prefer to condition in the bottle or keg.

 

[auto180sx]

Thanks for the quick replies! So, I have some more questions for you guys now:

-How does bulk conditioning differ from bottle conditioning aside from one being in a bottle, the other in a secondary taste wise?

-Is two months in the primary sufficient time to get the taste of the oak chips in? I am also a Bourbon drinker, so I am thinking of soaking them prior.

-What "benefits" are gained from racking to a secondary? From everything I've read it just seams like its clarity (which I don't need in a stout,) and supposedly no off yeast flavors from sitting on the yeast cake.

 

[NigeltheBold]

Thanks for the quick replies! So, I have some more questions for you guys now:

-How does bulk conditioning differ from bottle conditioning aside from one being in a bottle, the other in a secondary taste wise?

-Is two months in the primary sufficient time to get the taste of the oak chips in? I am also a Bourbon drinker, so I am thinking of soaking them prior.

-What "benefits" are gained from racking to a secondary? From everything I've read it just seams like its clarity (which I don't need in a stout,) and supposedly no off yeast flavors from sitting on the yeast cake.

I can't answer your first two questions, but I can vouch for the third one because I've used secondary on some beers, and only primary on others. In my experience, it seems like there is less sediment in the bottom of my bottles after using secondary. The beer may be slightly clearer, but you can get clear beer without using secondary fermentation (depending on the type of beer and whether or not you use cold conditioning, use of finings, etc.)

As far as the yeast flavors are concerned, I've heard arguments for and against letting the beer sit on the yeast longer than usual. Some people claim that if you leave beer sitting on the yeast cake, you may get off flavors. Others claim that the yeast will continually clean up the beer and make it taste better if you leave it on the yeast for awhile. Personally, I wouldn't let the beer sit on the yeast more than a month or two. That's just my opinion though...

 

[TheFlyingSparge]

I would recommend placing your oak chips in a cheesecloth bag for soaking and sampling every 1-2 days until desired flavor is achieved. You'd be surprised at how quickly the beer will pick up oak flavor. I don't use it anymore, but once ruined a batch with oak chips. Left them in an IPA secondary for two weeks. The oak completely smothered the beer and made it undrinkable.