Can I Rack?

[WhatsOnTap]

Hey guys, I've got the newbie "itch after the pitch" and I'm wondering: If my airlock is down to 40 seconds between burps can I move my beer to the secondary? It's been in the primary for 7 days. Also, any thoughts on bentonite as a clarifier? If that's all I have should I use it by itself after racking to the secondary? Thanks in advance for the help...

 

[loopmd]

Patience, Grasshopper

No problem racking to the secondary. It's been 7 days and as long as the krausen has fallen, get 'er off of it. As for clarifiers, I usually ask why you want to use it? The only reason I used it was for other people, and then I did not like the way it carbonated in the bottles, so I never use clarifying agents anymore. Leave it in the secondary longer if you want to clear your beer up more. (i know, it's patience, grasshopper!)

loop

 

[WhatsOnTap]

Yeah, the only reason I wanted to use bentonite was to combat chill haze but it's not a huge issue to me anyway. If my buddies don't like the way it looks then it's just more for me, brutha! Well, thanks for the advice - I've gotta get to sterilizing!

 

[WhatsOnTap]

Well, I got that batch into the secondary and everything seemed to be progressing great... I love the smell of a freshly opened fermenter! One question I did have was regarding airlocks. I noticed that sometimes with the pressure change of putting on or taking off the lid of a bucket-style fermenter, a little water (I don't use sanitizer in my airlock) gets sucked down into the tank. Does anyone else notice this phenomenon and if so, should I lose sleep over it at any point regarding infection?

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

I don't think you have much to worry about, although I would avoid the practice in the future. I always remove my airlock and place it on a clean paper towel before I try to monkey with the lid on my bucket.

 

[david_42]

I also remove the air lock when I'm removing/replacing the lid to avoid seal sucking and prevent the air lock from getting busted if the lid releases abruptly. A 99 cent paint bucket opener from Lowe's helped with the latter problem.

 

[loopmd]

This has been talked about before too. Some people put cheap vodka in their airlock. I just do like the others and take the airlock out before I take the lid off.

loop