About secondary fermentation in Cooper's non-airlock fermenting vessel

[makislav]

Dear colleagues,

I am currently brewing a stout for x-mas. It has been in the primary for two weeks. I am thinking to transfer it to the secondary for three weeks.

My question is this: Is there any problem in secondary fermenting it for so long in this Cooper's fermenting vessel (http://www.innhousebrewery.co.uk/im....co.uk/extralarge/093345coopers_fermenter.png) which does not have an airlock in it? Is there any chance of getting oxygen to the beer with such a long secondary fermentation?

Cheers.

 

[HaDaL]

You need airlock not only for preventing the oxygen to enter inside the fermenter but also for letting co2 and other gases to go out.Even after finishing of fermentation and during the secondary, it is likely that the co2 was already dissolved in beer be converted to gas form.Also some other possible gases likely will be produced by yeast cells during their clean-up procedure as well as by the other reaction/interaction being occurred between different compounds in the secondary fermentation.

 

[makislav]

Thanks for the reply!

Do you think that I should secondary ferment or not at all?

 

[flars]

There would be no risk leaving your beer in the primary for the additional weeks. Unless this is a really big stout, I would check the SG in a few days and check again in three days. If the SG readings are the same, FG has been reached.
If the second sample doesn't have CO2 in it, give the beer a few more days for sediment to drop out. Sediment will begin settling out when there in no longer rising CO2 to hold the sediments in suspension.
My beers are typically in the primary for three weeks. The beer goes into the bottling bucket clear. I no longer use a brite tank, secondary vessel, for clearing the beer.

 

[HaDaL]

Thanks to the modern high quality yeasts We use, You can do all stages of fermentation in one bucket without the much concern about the problems caused by the process of yeast cells autolysis and staying beer on the yeast sediments for a long time.But this does not mean using of two or more fermentation vessels is pointless because It has its own advantages.

 

[HopSong]

I have a DIY and really like it as a PRIMARY. I would never transfer to the DIY as a secondary. Why..? The beer is not producing CO2 in sufficient quantity, if at all, to prevent oxidation. I don't see a reason to secondary a stout unless you plan on adding something to it as an adjunct flavoring. If you want to secondary, transfer it to a vessel that is very close to the volume of the beer so as to not have any significant "air" space above the beer.