Secondary or Not?

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elktaker

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Yeast White Labs 001
Extra Pale Ale Clone
6 lbs. Golden Light DME
2 oz. Magnum 60 min.
1 oz. Chinook 15 min.
1 oz. Chinook 5 min
Pitch temp 72 degrees
6.5 gal car boy on 15 Jan 2015
Temp of wort 62-72 mostly 64-66
Fermentation has slowed down as of today: 24 Jan 2015
Questions:
1) With CO2 = 16-18 bubbles per min has the primary fermentation slowed to the point that I can rack to secondary?
2) I am leaving for a week on Monday (today is Saturday), would leaving the wort in the primary until I return in a week be a, not a good thing but okay, or a, terrible thing definitely rack to secondary today, thing?
3) Should I risk taking a hydrometer reading? I will only be able to take two readings before I leave on Monday.
This is my first brew and I am as nervous as my first child. Not quite but I am anxious.
 
elktaker said:
Yeast White Labs 001
Extra Pale Ale Clone
6 lbs. Golden Light DME
2 oz. Magnum 60 min.
1 oz. Chinook 15 min.
1 oz. Chinook 5 min
Pitch temp 72 degrees
6.5 gal car boy on 15 Jan 2015
Temp of wort 62-72 mostly 64-66
Fermentation has slowed down as of today: 24 Jan 2015
Questions:
1) With CO2 = 16-18 bubbles per min has the primary fermentation slowed to the point that I can rack to secondary?
Racking to the secondary now may stall the fermentation. Racking to a secondary should only be done after fermentation is complete, or not at all.

2) I am leaving for a week on Monday (today is Saturday), would leaving the wort in the primary until I return in a week be a, not a good thing but okay, or a, terrible thing definitely rack to secondary today, thing?
Leaving your beer in the primary for at least three weeks is the best thing you can do for it.

3) Should I risk taking a hydrometer reading? I will only be able to take two readings before I leave on Monday.
Hydrometer readings aren't necessary for at least 12 days after active fermentation had begun.

This is my first brew and I am as nervous as my first child. Not quite but I am anxious.
Click to expand...

Go away and let your yeast do their thing. You will have good beer.
 
elktaker said:
Yeast White Labs 001
Extra Pale Ale Clone
6 lbs. Golden Light DME
2 oz. Magnum 60 min.
1 oz. Chinook 15 min.
1 oz. Chinook 5 min
Pitch temp 72 degrees
6.5 gal car boy on 15 Jan 2015
Temp of wort 62-72 mostly 64-66
Fermentation has slowed down as of today: 24 Jan 2015
Questions:
1) With CO2 = 16-18 bubbles per min has the primary fermentation slowed to the point that I can rack to secondary?
2) I am leaving for a week on Monday (today is Saturday), would leaving the wort in the primary until I return in a week be a, not a good thing but okay, or a, terrible thing definitely rack to secondary today, thing?
3) Should I risk taking a hydrometer reading? I will only be able to take two readings before I leave on Monday.
This is my first brew and I am as nervous as my first child. Not quite but I am anxious.
Click to expand...

Check with me in a couple months and I'll tell you if your beer needs to be in secondary.

Oh, wait. Nevermind, your beer doesn't need secondary, just more time in primary. Maybe ask in another 2 weeks if it has been in primary long enough.:cross:
 
I second the no secondary motion. Wait is that possible? Seriously though, unless you have a really big beer, just let it ferment out in the primary.
 
Great; I just ordered a secondary fermenter because all I heard from my lhbs was that I needed to use a secondary so that my beer would be cleaner and clearer.
 
mark1765 said:
Great; I just ordered a secondary fermenter because all I heard from my lhbs was that I needed to use a secondary so that my beer would be cleaner and clearer.
Click to expand...

It's good advice, at least for me. I always secondary as soon as the vigorous ferment stops. My primary vessel is a lot easier to clean at that point and I get a lot less trub in the bottles.
Some do, some don't. No harm, no foul either way.
 
mark1765 said:
Great; I just ordered a secondary fermenter because all I heard from my lhbs was that I needed to use a secondary so that my beer would be cleaner and clearer.
Click to expand...

Whether or not you use a secondary vessel, it's always good to have extra fermenting vessels around. However, in my experience, LHBSs like to recommend extra equipment because they know they can make the sale. That being said, I do not think an extra vessel is a bad investment.
 
kombat said:
Except when you accidentally oxidize or infect your beer in doing so.

There are a handful of good reasons to employ a secondary vessel, and I don't see any of them applying to the OP's situation.
Click to expand...

Right on kombat! Especially when there just isn't time. The risks you mention are indeed real for the beginners. Similar to not scraping the chunks off the primary after a month in the bucket/carboy. If the processes for cleaning and transferring are sound, then the risks of either process are the same. The results are not much different with the exception of some heavily debated details.
 
FWIW, the only time I transfer to a secondary anymore is when dry hopping with leaf hops. Otherwise I find it to be too much extra work with no real reward.
 
jethro55 said:
It's good advice, at least for me. I always secondary as soon as the vigorous ferment stops. My primary vessel is a lot easier to clean at that point and I get a lot less trub in the bottles.

Some do, some don't. No harm, no foul either way.
Click to expand...


^^^This. I secondary all my beers, even if I'm not dry hopping or adding other additions post 1°. I also keg condition all my beers.
It's the way I started & it has worked well for me.
I think that's the key- whatever works for you and gives you results you're happy with in the end.
 
govner1 said:
It's the way I started & it has worked well for me.
I think that's the key- whatever works for you and gives you results you're happy with in the end.
Click to expand...

So much truth to this statement. There's such a science behind brewing it's easy to forget that there are so many different ways to get the desired results.
 
Well I'm at a loss here, the brew that is in my primary now we be one week old tomorrow. It is a Brewmaster's select Boston Lager that I bought locally and they recommend transferring it to a secondary after a week. The only reason that I am considering it is to try to bottle the clearest beer I can. This is only my second batch so I am as new as they come and want to get the best results I can.
 
Since it is your second batch and you want it to be as clear as possible, here is an idea on how to proceed.

Measure the FG at this point to ensure it is near where it is supposed to be. I'm gonna bet that it is good to go after a week with that yeast and the amount of fermentables in your recipe. There is hardy any risk to FG measurement. Just sanitize the tools normally. And sample the taste. It will taste unusual to the beginner, but off flavors will be apparent. (After a few batches you might actually prefer drinking this fresh uncarbonated warm beer - I do !)

Some beers and processes end up producing a very clean primary - i.e., the krausen drops well and the trub compacts well on the bottom. If that is the case then you might just skip the secondary on this one and be careful not to disturb the primary for a few days before bottling. You need to move it to the location where you will siphon a few days ahead of bottling. And keep the siphon well away from the trub.

If the krausen is messy and hanging out on top, then a move to secondary for a few days will enable you to have less mess in the bottles. (I have had many krausens just form a firm sponge on top and never ever drop.) Try to use a secondary vessel that will be pretty full after the transfer so as to reasonably minimize air volume to less than a gallon. Sanitize everything as normal. Make another FG measurement on bottling day and it should be very close the same as before. And take another taste sample to help confirm the taste qualities.

Either way it should be very good beer. And if there is sediment in the bottles, just handle and pour carefully to avoid it. It will be fine. Heck, some of my early batches had 3/8 inch of trub in the bottom of the bottles. They were very good beers. I just had to leave an inch or so of beer behind as I poured.
Have fun and let us know how it goes.:mug:
 
Okay, now that I have been reading everything I can about moving my brew to secondary I will do so today, I think.
My question to all of the helpful poster on this issue is this:
I made the jump to use the hydrometer. The recipe gave FG as 1.013-1.015. My hydrometer read 1.014. Right in the middle of the range. Is the wort ready to go to secondary?
TIA
 
Yes, assuming that the hydrometer is accurate. You can make a simple check on the hydrometer by measuring a flask of room temperature water. It should read very close to 1.000.
 
I'll add a postscript about the move to secondary. It is recommended to use a siphon hose that is long enough to reach down to the bottom of your secondary vessel and curl around sort of flat so as to avoid splashing. That way it will fill from the bottom. Lots of splashing can contribute to what is called oxidation. Oxidation is something that causes off flavor over time after it is bottled. Have never had it happen even after a year in bottles, but it does happen to some brewers.
The same thing goes for bottling- you need to use a "bottling wand" that fills bottles from the bottom.

Light exposure is another thing to avoid . So keep the vessels in the dark by covering them.
 
elktaker said:
Okay, now that I have been reading everything I can about moving my brew to secondary I will do so today, I think.
My question to all of the helpful poster on this issue is this:
I made the jump to use the hydrometer. The recipe gave FG as 1.013-1.015. My hydrometer read 1.014. Right in the middle of the range. Is the wort ready to go to secondary?
TIA
Click to expand...

Why aren't you taking the advice from flars and RM-NM? Doesn't it make more sense to leave the beer be, until it's done, and then bottle it. Both have 500+ likes and 5000-some posts, been here a long time and are credible resources.

If you want to rack to a secondary, fill a Homer bucket up with water, and rack it to your secondary. Repeat as often as you like. Your beer will thank you for it, and later you'll be thanking us.
 
Just happened to have distilled water on hand and at the correct temperature. On the hydrometer it says to calibrate at 68f. The hydrometer is right where it is supposed to be. Yahoo!
As an edit to my last post, I did drink the wort used in the hydrometer test and I think it is palatable.
 
Secondary is only necessary if you're brewing a really big beer, or you want to dry hop or add fruit (and even those you can do in primary)
 
rdavi01v said:
Can one dry hop to the primary?
Click to expand...

Yes - lots of brewers do. And many would say it is "necessary" to do that in secondary.

necessary = obligatory, requisite, required, compulsory, mandatory, imperative
..... that's different than homebrewing process preferences
 
jethro55 said:
Yes - lots of brewers do. And many would say it is "necessary" to do that in secondary.

necessary = obligatory, requisite, required, compulsory, mandatory, imperative
..... that's different than homebrewing process preferences
Click to expand...

And many would be wrong and still preach it forever.:rockin:
 
rdavi01v said:
Can one dry hop to the primary?
Click to expand...

Yep - let the yeast drop out and toss in the hops.

My SMaSH take on Arrogant Bastard was 21 weeks in primary, dry hop the last 4 days. Ferment was completed in 10+/- days. Got great reviews in a blind beer tasting that included a pro brewer in Portland, ME. They couldn't believe it was homebrew when the label was revealed.
 
Just to let everyone know that was kind enough to respond, out of the bottle this beer is really exemplary! I am having a hard time drinking some of my favorite commercial beer.
Thank everyone for the guidance.
 
elktaker said:
Just to let everyone know that was kind enough to respond, out of the bottle this beer is really exemplary! I am having a hard time drinking some of my favorite commercial beer.
Thank everyone for the guidance.
Click to expand...

As you continue brewing your own, it will become increasingly difficult to drink commercial beer as you develop a desire for flavor in your beer.:mug:
 
I make similar beers as you are posting from extract. I stopped doing a secondary and noticed an improvement. I believe there are only a few types of beer you really need a secondary for, like if you are dry hopping fruit or leaving your beer in there for a month you might want to move it to a secondary. Other than that, seems best to leave it in there!
 

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