Racking to secondary this sunday

[LostBavarianMan]

And adding gel. to help clear things up. I am planning on leaving in secondary for a week. And then bottling. Here is the recipe I used. Please advise if this is going to be good enough in 2nd fermenter. Im still a noob and dont want to screw anything up this only my second batch.
4lb can Muntons Canadian Ale
2 lbs Biscuit Malt
1/2 lb Chocolat mat
2 Lbs Briess Light DME
1/2 cup Molassas
1oz Amarillo hops at 30
1 oz Amarillo Hops at 15
45 minute boil
5 gal batch.

 

[Yooper]

That's alot of biscuit malt, and the molasses is weird. I don't think I've ever done only a 30 minute hops addition with amarillo, either. Anyway, the recipe isn't very good (I wouldn't use one again from that source) but the beer might be good anyway!

I wouldn't bother with secondary at all. I'd just wait until day 21 and bottle the beer, if the FG is stable.

 

[kgg_033]

There is mixed reviews on using a secondary. The only 2 cents i will offer is this: I wouldnt bother with a secondary if you only plan on doing it for a week. i only secondary if it will be for 2 weeks or more......gives the beer time to clear a bit after the racking inevitably stirs things up alittle.
If you only want one more week to to clear it up (if you are trying to have it ready by a certain date, for example), leave it one more week in the primary.

 

[LostBavarianMan]

When I tasted from the Hydro it was very tasty. And it smelled like Chocolate bread during the boil. I think its going to be a very tasty beer.

That's alot of biscuit malt, and the molasses is weird. I don't think I've ever done only a 30 minute hops addition with amarillo, either. Anyway, the recipe isn't very good (I wouldn't use one again from that source) but the beer might be good anyway!

I wouldn't bother with secondary at all. I'd just wait until day 21 and bottle the beer, if the FG is stable.

 

[Chris1272]

I agree with yooper, racking to a secondary is an outdated practice. If you leave the beer in your fermenter for 21-28 days(28 is recommended but I understand the impatience of a new brewer) you will see a remarkable clarity in your beer with out having to add gel or any other clarifier. As for your recipe did you put that together yourself or find it somewhere? I ask not as a criticism but more as a curiosity, I have no idea how a beer with that ingredient list would taste. I would love to know how it ends up.

 

[kgg_033]

I also neglected to comment on the Gelatin in the secondary. For circumstances which would commonly use a secondary (IE dryhopping, or long term conditioning), anyone ever heard of using gelatin in the secondary? I have only heard of doing this at bottling....maybe someone could weigh in on this for 'LostBavarianMan'...I'd be curious to know as well.....

 

[LostBavarianMan]

Chris the recipe is kind of my idea however I ran it by an old timer at my LHBS and he said it sounds like it would work out pretty good. Like I said if the finished product is half as good as the Hydro sample I might be on to something.
And the hop boil was at 45 and 15 I had to look at my notes.

I agree with yooper, racking to a secondary is an outdated practice. If you leave the beer in your fermenter for 21-28 days(28 is recommended but I understand the impatience of a new brewer) you will see a remarkable clarity in your beer with out having to add gel or any other clarifier. As for your recipe did you put that together yourself or find it somewhere? I ask not as a criticism but more as a curiosity, I have no idea how a beer with that ingredient list would taste. I would love to know how it ends up.

 

[Yooper]

I also neglected to comment on the Gelatin in the secondary. For circumstances which would commonly use a secondary (IE dryhopping, or long term conditioning), anyone ever heard of using gelatin in the secondary? I have only heard of doing this at bottling....maybe someone could weigh in on this for 'LostBavarianMan'...I'd be curious to know as well.....

I don't use gelatin at all (many friends are vegetarians) but I would do it only in secondary. If you do it going to bottling, you'd have jell-o in the bottles of beer. Yuck!

 

[LostBavarianMan]

Did Hydro test last night air lock was being very still for a couple of days so popped the top and pulled a sample came in at 1.023 FG should be 1.017 but still had a bunch of krusan on top so put the lid back on and this morning the airlock is bubbling away again. Im thinking another 10 days is going to be a full 3 weeks. decided not to rack to secondary. gonna wait it out.
Oh and the sample was delicious.LOL. tasted like a mild IPA.