Space (and money) constraint transfer to secondary?

[biohaz7331]

I currently have a nut brown ale in my primary and in the instructions it says primary two weeks, bottle two week. I have one 6.5 g primary and a 5 gallon secondary. Would it hurt to transfer my ale to a secondary after one week so I can put my new american amber ale that is coming into the primary? Also is it not advisable to transfer until the foam top of the beer sinks back down or can I do it after just one week? I just don't want to cut the fermentation short by transferring early and I would rather wait to have another beer fermenting if this would adversely affect my beer.

 

[duboman]

There is no problem transferring to secondary however, yeast do not work by calendars so before you do anything you need to verify primary fermentation is complete. This is done by taking two separate readings over the course of 3 days. When you get to the 6th day take a reading. Then take another on the 8th day. If they are the same and at the expected FG then fermentation is complete and it is safe to rack. If not then you need to wait another day or two until you get a stable reading, unchanged.

 

[RM-MN]

Instead of worrying about when to transfer to secondary and did you wait long enough, spend some of your hard earned cash for another fermenter and get busy on the next brew on your schedule instead of the yeast's schedule. Better yet, buy two fermenters so you won't be so tempted to transfer to secondary too soon. Then use your 5 gallon secondary for making a good cider.

 

[biohaz7331]

Oh okay so I need to take multiple readings throughout and sanitize like hell every time I dip into it. I am just going to get a turkey baster because I forgot to buy a beer thief.

 

[duboman]

Oh okay so I need to take multiple readings throughout and sanitize like hell every time I dip into it. I am just going to get a turkey baster because I forgot to buy a beer thief.

No, you just need two readings and if you have star San fill up a spray bottle to proper dilution, spray your Baster and grab a sample. Taste it and toss it, takes all of 5 minutes!

 

[biohaz7331]

Instead of worrying about when to transfer to secondary and did you wait long enough, spend some of your hard earned cash for another fermenter and get busy on the next brew on your schedule instead of the yeast's schedule. Better yet, buy two fermenters so you won't be so tempted to transfer to secondary too soon. Then use your 5 gallon secondary for making a good cider.

As tempting as that is I may at least get one other primary but I don't have that much space and I only have enough space in my fridge for one keg at a time so I'll see how it plays out

 

[biohaz7331]

There is no problem transferring to secondary however, yeast do not work by calendars so before you do anything you need to verify primary fermentation is complete. This is done by taking two separate readings over the course of 3 days. When you get to the 6th day take a reading. Then take another on the 8th day. If they are the same and at the expected FG then fermentation is complete and it is safe to rack. If not then you need to wait another day or two until you get a stable reading, unchanged.

How would one determine what the expected FG would be?

 

[Dan]

Given your situation, here is what I would do.

Skip the secondary, it really isn't necessary.

If you don't want to spend money right now and have a bottling bucket you could always ferment in that bucket and then transfer your now fermenting beer to a carboy to bottle and use the original fermenter as a bottle bucket for the second beer. You might just need an extra hand during the bottling stage. Somebody to hold the autosiphon while the other person bottles.

Make sense?

Edit. Also if you don't have a lid and airlock for the bottle bucket just put a peice of saran wrap or foil over it.

 

[biohaz7331]

Oh yeah I get what your saying. I have a bottling bucket but I bought it just for sanitizing equipment so I could just buy a lid for it and air lock but I just hate fermenting in plastic so I'll probably end up buying another fermenter. Correct me if I am wrong but I should transfer a beer to secondary if I want it clear and it specifies transferring it. Doing a transfer does not rid it of all yeast because there is some in suspension or is the sole purpose to clear it up and no more fermentation takes place?

 

[Dan]

A secondary... There is a split in the homebrewing community about this topic. Many threads on the subject actually but it always comes up because brew kit instructions usually mention a secondary fermenter and can get a person to believing it is the almighty saving grace to clear beer.

I'm not going to speak for anybody else but me. I have found no need to "secondary ferment". It's not even an accurate term because by the time (now beer) is transferred to a secondary it should be fully fermented. Again, just speaking for me, there are conditions a secondary is a good idea depending on what is being added to the beer, wood chips, fruit. But not for dry hopping. That can be sucessfully accomplished in the primary.

Again, just my point of view. The yeast and proteins floating around in beer will settle out just fine in the primary fermenting vessel. Will it give you more clear beer if you secondary? I have not found that to be the case. What gives you clear beer is time.

Don't be afraid of plastic. It actually has a few advantage over glass carboys. 1. Easier to clean and dry hop. 2. Cuts out the light.

 

[david_42]

Sounds like you want to free up the larger bottle, makes sense. Ordinarily, people don't use secondaries any more, but that's not why you want to transfer. Simple solution, give the primary a swirl to resuspend the yeast and transfer to the smaller bottle. The fermentation should be mostly done, so don't worry about getting all of the yeast.

 

[duboman]

How would one determine what the expected FG would be?

Divide your OG by 4 to get approximate FG: example

1.060=60/4=1.015

 

[biohaz7331]

Yeah it makes sense from both sides of the secondary point of view depending on what it is or what's being added. I suppose I'll use the bottling bucket to do my American amber and then do something with my 5 gallon secondary. Thanks for the info and I did like how you presented your info without raging that you always have to do secondary.

 

[biohaz7331]

Divide your OG by 4 to get approximate FG: example

1.060=60/4=1.015

Ah thanks for the info!

And to verify what you said yes I want to free up my 6.5 gallon but I will probably just use my bottling bucket to ferment. Another question though would it actually be a good idea to swirl the primary and get the yeast floating if I did want to transfer it.

 

[kh54s10]

Ah thanks for the info!

And to verify what you said yes I want to free up my 6.5 gallon but I will probably just use my bottling bucket to ferment. Another question though would it actually be a good idea to swirl the primary and get the yeast floating if I did want to transfer it.

If you take the gravity readings and your fermentation is finished, do not swirl up the yeast cake. If it is not done and you want to free up the primary, swirl it up and transfer most of the trub. It can finish in the secondary (This is not the best practice.) Be sure to sanitize very well.

As already said, do not fear plastic. I would wager that more than half of homebrewers ferment in plastic. I use both buckets and Better Bottles. I do not use a secondary and my beers are usually very clear.

I DO fear glass.. Well, not really but I do not want to take the risk of hurting myself by breaking a carboy. I also don't want to deal with the extra weight. Read the threads of accidents with shattering carboys.

 

[biohaz7331]

Okay I took a gravity reading but how do you convert if the temperature is off some. The beer in the hydrometer was around 70-72. The og was around 1.042 and the gravity reading I just took was 1.010 so I believe it is done but I don't know if the temp would throw it off too much. Should I wait for the foam on top of the beer to sink back in or just transfer because it won't hurt. Thsnknyou so much for the info it is greatly appreciated! As a note I did read about breaking carboys but I prefer them so far and I'm 21 so they aren't too heavy for me yet.

 

[duboman]

Okay I took a gravity reading but how do you convert if the temperature is off some. The beer in the hydrometer was around 70-72. The og was around 1.042 and the gravity reading I just took was 1.010 so I believe it is done but I don't know if the temp would throw it off too much. Should I wait for the foam on top of the beer to sink back in or just transfer because it won't hurt. Thsnknyou so much for the info it is greatly appreciated! As a note I did read about breaking carboys but I prefer them so far and I'm 21 so they aren't too heavy for me yet.

Gravity reading would be 1.011 with temp correction. IMO you should wait 1 week for the krausen to drop and help clear the beer and then rack to secondary to finish clearing. Of course you can let it sit in the primary for 2 weeks if you like as well

 

[biohaz7331]

Yeah I've come to realize its all about time even though I'm impatient to have some beer that's good. I can wait so thanks everyone and where do you find temp correction chart/conversion?

 

[biohaz7331]

Anyone know of where to find the temperature hydrometer conversion chart?

 

[lactardjosh]

I use this one:
http://www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/

 

[stratslinger]

Divide your OG by 4 to get approximate FG: example

1.060=60/4=1.015

This is not always going to be accurate, depending on several factors (yeast strain and, if you're brewing all grain, mash temperatures being the two biggest - freshness and/or content of your extract can be another biggie for extract brewers).

The best way to know if you're at your FG is to get consistent gravity readings 3 days in a row. Take a gravity reading when you _think_ you're at or near FG, then take one 2 days later. If it matches, then that's your FG.