Can I secondary early?

[Wiggleplum]

Hello everyone,

I picked up two extract kits from Northern Brewer last week, and got my hefeweizen started on Friday evening; temps have been at 67 the entire time. The fermentation was explosive the first 3-4 days, and now there is a bubble from the airlock every 15 seconds steady even after 10 days. I have one 6 gallon Better Bottle (where the hefeweizen is now), and a 5 gallon food grade bottling bucket with lid. Could I move the hefe to the bucket with airlock early, so I can get my Irish red started? I am not sure if it is still fermenting or its just trapped CO2, and I have no idea how long Wyeast 3068 takes to clean up after itself. Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[RmikeVT]

Fortunate for you, Hefe's are best when they are fresh. If its been 10 days you are probably at Final Gravity (FG). I would take a hydro sample to make sure its close to your expected FG and bottle it, I wouldn't even worry about doing a secondary fermentation.

Even though your airlock is still bubbling, your fermentation is probably complete. There is a lot of dissolved co2 in freshly fermented beer, it will continue to off-gas until it reaches equilibrium.

 

[flars]

There really isn't any need to secondary a Hefeweizen. Racking to a secondary before fermentation is complete risks stalling the fermentation and diacetyl clean up by the yeast.
Take a couple of SG readings several days apart. You may be at FG and ready to bottle.
Rushing a beer will only degrade the quality of the beer. I would recommend purchasing another primary since you seem to be hooked with the brew bug.

 

[RmikeVT]

*dupe

 

[Wiggleplum]

Thanks for the advice! I could drop my hydrometer into the Better Bottle, but there is so much stuff stuck to the side of the head space that I wouldn't be able to see it. Looks like my options are to rack it to the bottling bucket and take a reading, then bottle if it is close or just play it safe and wait it out. I guess I will wait it out.

Thanks

 

[flars]

Thanks for the advice! I could drop my hydrometer into the Better Bottle, but there is so much stuff stuck to the side of the head space that I wouldn't be able to see it. Looks like my options are to rack it to the bottling bucket and take a reading, then bottle if it is close or just play it safe and wait it out. I guess I will wait it out.

Thanks

Get a Fermtech wine/beer thief to draw a sample. You also get to taste your beer as it progresses to the finished product.

 

[budbo]

If the krausen has fallen back in completely on a wheat, you are pretty much done.

 

[eadavis80]

Yeah, there's no rush here as others have stated. Like you, I need to get a 2nd primary fermenter so I can get two batches undergoing primary fermentation at the same time. Secondly, NB has told me their kits (as long as you freeze hops and put your yeast in the fridge) should be good for about 4 months, so don't feel the need to "have to start" that next kit for fear of the ingredients going bad.

 

[winvarin]

If your "secondary" vessel is a food grade bucket, why not just ferment the second beer in it?

The only reason a vessel is a primary or secondary is because that is what we call it. If it were me, I'd leave the Hefe where it is and then just bottle from the fermenter. A little extra yeast in re package is a good thing if you ask me.

And truthfully, I wouldn't secondary at all. But that's another debate entirely


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