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when to move to secondary

Discussion in 'Beginners Beer Brewing Forum' started by travis2008, Dec 1, 2013.

 

  1. #1
    travis2008

    Member

    Posted Dec 1, 2013
    ive had a batch of irish stout going since wed night. when is the right time to move to the secondary fermenter and how long do I leave it in there?
     
  2. #2
    cluckk

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Dec 1, 2013
    Most on here will say you never bother moving to secondary--and they will be even more adamant about not moving it for a dark beer like an Irish stout. Just leave it in primary until ready to bottle. I used to use one week in primary then two weeks in secondary as a basic rule of thumb, but now I leave most for three weeks in primary then bottle. With many dark beers I find I can bottle them after two weeks.
     
  3. #3
    LuNchBoX1371

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Dec 1, 2013
    But what about lagers? dont you need to move them off the trub or is that just what im thinking up?
     
  4. #4
    BigFloyd

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Dec 1, 2013

    For long-term cold lagering (either in keg, secondary or even bottles), yes.

    Prior to that, no.

    No way I'd bother racking a stout to a secondary unless I was adding cherry puree.
     
  5. #5
    TipsyDragon

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Dec 1, 2013
    Never move a beer anywhere till it's done fermenting. Only your hydrometer will tell you when it's ready. Leave it in the secondary till your ready to bottle. No real rush.
     
  6. #6
    BansheeRider

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Dec 1, 2013
    To answer your question....if you are going to use a secondary you want to make sure your gravity readings are stable, or at FG. Rack to secondary and leave it for as long as you'd like. If it's only a couple weeks then just leave it in primary for an extra couple weeks rather than bothering with a secondary.
     
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