Secondary question

[Scoot]

So, I'm preparing for my first brew. I've been reading a book so I know what is going on and all the good stuff, and I got a recipe that I want to try from the book. The primary needs to happen for 8 days at 60 degrees, which is totally doable. The part I'm hung up on is the secondary. The instructions for the secondary are 14 days at 60 degrees. What is the point of doing the secondary if I'm not introducing new spices or additives to the brew? Would I get the same results if I bottled after the primary and let the secondary do it's thing in the bottles instead of another carboy? It just doesn't make sense to me to have all the flavors meld in another carboy that I have to clean/sanitize, if they can meld in the bottles just as easily. Any info that you all could give on this subject would be great!

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

That's actually a good question. Your approach is totally doable, but the advantages of secondary are that you will get less yeast into each bottle. This means you won't be disturbing as much when you try to pour a beer. The beers will have the potential to be clearer, depending on how well you pour. In order to combat this, you could leave it in primary for a bit longer, but your run a risk of off-flavors if you go much beyond, say, a month and you are still likely to siphon more yeast.

But yeah, otherwise, there's no reason you couldn't just go from primary to bottles. I do it on a lot of my beers. But in that case, I recommend at least 3 weeks in primary... and maybe then some gelatin or other additive to keep the yeast planted on the bottom of the fermenter when you start your siphon. That is, unless you like massive farts, in which case I recommend bottling after about 8 days and getting as much yeast into each glass as possible.

 

[cubbies]

Secondary fermenter is actually an incorrect term. Secondaries are not for fermenting at all. They should be called clearing tanks. Essentially you are giving the beer a place to condition and clear while freeing up your primary fermenter. Now, you can absolutely bottle straight from your primary; many people do. You would need to give it more than 8 days though. Your beer will need at least six weeks before it starts to hit it's peak of flavor. So if you are bottling from your primary I would go at least three weeks, if not four.

 

[TheJadedDog]

Going straight from the primary to bottles is fine, just remember to keep it in the primary until you are certain fermentation is complete (otherwise you risk getting bottle bombs). If you go this route I would suggest leaving your brew in the primary for at least 14 days.

 

[david_42]

Since you are using a carboy, just watch the beer clear. The top (clear) portion will be darker, the bottom more opaque. This is very obvious & when the boundary stops dropping, rack & bottle.

Secondary is a term that is meaningful in wine making, but not in brewing. It's just clearing.

[Unless you are doing something disgusting like adding fruit to beer. We need a "yuck" smiley.]

 

[Yooper]

The only other comment I have is in regards to temperature. The primary doesn't have to be at 60 degrees for 8 days. It really depends on the yeast you're using, and 60 might be a bit cool for many ale yeasts. So, once you have your yeast, then you decide the fermentation temperature. Also, it may or may not be 8 days. I would say leave it at least a week to 10 days, but there is no "law" that says it will definitely be done in 8 days. That's a loose guideline.

 

[Joker]

Going directly from the primary to bottle might be a little tough as well. You will need a bottling bucket or some other vessel to add the priming sugar since it needs to be mixed into the brew to ensure all bottle carb you don't want to do that in your primary.