Bulk priming in secondary?

[ewnardone]

Hi all,

This is my first post with a question about my first beer. I am working with a few kits to learn the process and get the "how to"s down.

I have the Brewers Best Summer Ale in my secondary now, and it should be ready to bottle at the end of the week. I have read a few threads where guys have promoted bulk priming in their primary as long as it was stirred gently. In my case, there isn't going to be much trub at all because I have already racked to a secondary. I just worry about the extra oxidation and exposure from racking to a bottling bucket if I don't need to.

Any advice or experience would be appreciated.

 

[Heavywalker]

No issues if you add the priming sugar right before bottling and bottle from the secondary. Just pour in your sugar water with the correct amount of sugar for your desired carbonation level and gently stir to mix throughout the beer.

 

[Yooper]

No issues if you add the priming sugar right before bottling and bottle from the secondary. Just pour in your sugar water with the correct amount of sugar for your desired carbonation level and gently stir to mix throughout the beer.

That's exactly right. The thing is, though, that the whole purpose of a secondary, which is a clearing vessel, is totally defeated by doing this. I'd really suggest getting a bottling bucket for the few bucks it would cost (you can make one out of a Home Depot bucket if you don't have a brew store near you), and not mix up the trub and risk any oxidation.

 

[IslandLizard]

+1 to Yooper (of course).

Sticking your secondary inside a cold refrigerator (36-42°F) for a day (or 2) will make even clearer beer. Than rack to bottling bucket, leaving the yeast sediment on the bottom of the secondary, prime, and bottle. There will be enough yeast left to carb up your bottles.

Now how long has this beer been fermenting? How do you know it's really done by the end of the week?

 

[ewnardone]

+1 to Yooper (of course).

Sticking your secondary inside a cold refrigerator (36-42°F) for a day (or 2) will make even clearer beer. Than rack to bottling bucket, leaving the yeast sediment on the bottom of the secondary, prime, and bottle. There will be enough yeast left to carb up your bottles.

Now how long has this beer been fermenting? How do you know it's really done by the end of the week?

Eventually I would like to get to the point where I am able to refrigerat, but that's not an option quite yet. But considering the whole reason I went to the secondary was to get it as clear as possible, I will probably rack it to a bottling bucket.

As far as how long, I don't have a hygrometer yet (next purchase for sure) so I racked it from the primary after 7 days when the fermentation had just about died down. I thought that since no fermentation occured in the secondary that additional time was really for clarity and flavor. It has been in the secondary for 2 weeks, which I have read is pretty standard for what some guys like to do.

 

[ewnardone]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. Really does make this a better experience to be able to read up on everything, and bounce ideas off of people who have done it before.

 

[IslandLizard]

It takes a few batches and lots of reading to get to the nitty gritty of brewing. The yeast has no calender or set schedule, so you need to understand where it's at. Most middle gravity ales fermented at room temps are done in 3 weeks, but realize that a few need more time. Two matching hydrometer readings 3 days apart and close to the expected FG may confirm that in 99% of the cases...

As Yooper said, secondaries are not really needed for straight ale fermentations. Yeast is still working hard, long after visible sign have vanished. Keep reading, HBT is a great resource. And enjoy that beer!