Enough yeast in secondary to bottle?

[DirtyPolock]

I am new to the homebrew "cult" and I can't wait until I try my first brew, I have a nut brown ale that is ready to drink after 26th. I'm sure that I'll open one up a little early because I can't wait and it will be a good learning experience to know what it tastes like to open it up early and compare it to the last bottle.

I am unable to find an answer to a question either through google or in this forum. First let me say that I have seen that the entire secondary fermentation question can be a highly debated topic so lets try to avoid this debate of whether or not you should rack to a secondary versus an extended primary. If I do rack a beer to a secondary carboy, how long can it condition before I would need to add more yeast before bottling due to the yeast settling it in order to carbonate the bottle? I'm sure that it depends on the type of yeast (ale v/s lager) and the degree of flocculation, but is there a general rule of thumb or should I not worry about this?

 

[Revvy]

If it has been over 6 months in secondary, add more yeast.
If it has been less than 6 months and it is a barleywine or other high grav beer, 1.080 or above, you can add some or you can let it carb on it;s own knowing it may be at least 3 more moths to carb up....

Anything, "normal" and under 6 months, you don't need to add any more yeast.

One thing you can do, no matter how long, and whether it's in long primary or secondary, is simply rub the bottom of your racking cane/autosiphon back and 4th across the bottom of the carboy once, this will kick up some of the yeast and carry it over into the bottling bucket. I do it back and forth once, and let about 1 minutes worth if yeast go through, then lift it off the bottom til it runs clear. Then after about another minute I carefully lower it back to the bottom.

It will run yeasty for about maybe another minute, or less, but the beer will quickly form runnels in the trub and it will run clear. This will pretty much gaurentee you have enough yeast transfered over.

And keep the beer above 70 while bottling (regardless of lager or ale) will wake them up enough to work for you.

 

[david83]

One thing you can do, no matter how long, and whether it's in long primary or secondary, is simply rub the bottom of your racking cane/autosiphon back and 4th across the bottom of the carboy once, this will kick up some of the yeast and carry it over into the bottling bucket. I do it back and forth once, and let about 1 minutes worth if yeast go through, then lift it off the bottom til it runs clear. Then after about another minute I carefully lower it back to the bottom.

It will run yeasty for about maybe another minute, or less, but the beer will quickly form runnels in the trub and it will run clear. This will pretty much gaurentee you have enough yeast transfered over.QUOTE]

so you actually want to transfer some of the trub of the bottom into the bottling bucket when adding the priming sugar.if im not understanding you correctly sorry and please correct me,but wont that create a cloudy beer or does this clear on its own in the bottles?

 

[Nurmey]

I've never stirred up the yeast and I left many beers for 6 to 8 months in secondary and never had to add yeast at bottling. There are gazillion yeasts in suspension, even in crystal clear beer.

 

[Revvy]

so you actually want to transfer some of the trub of the bottom into the bottling bucket when adding the priming sugar.if im not understanding you correctly sorry and please correct me,but wont that create a cloudy beer or does this clear on its own in the bottles?

It kicks up a little bit of yeast.....if it's in secondary there is very little "trub" at that point (meaning proteins, breal material, and hops) just yeast.

And in 5 gallons the amount carried over by doing so is so insignificant as to actually make your beer "cloudy." It is really no more that if you sprinkled another packet of yeast into your bottling bucket, which IS what you are considering isn't it?

 

[david83]

i was just asking a generalized question about what you said because if its beneficial to the beer to have yeast from the trub whether in primary or secondary then i would try what your speaking of.

 

[Revvy]

The op wants to know if there's enough yeast at bottling time to d the job, doing what I suggested makes sure that enough yeast is carried over.

It may or may not make a difference, like nurmey said. But having helped bottlers with their issues I have come up with several things that, whether they are needed or not, insure the beer gets carbed. And that's one of them.

I know since I primary for a month, my trub layer is quite compact and my beer is ultra clear, I do that to make sure that I get yeast in the bottling bucket.

It works,

And my beer is still clear.

 

[DirtyPolock]

Thanks for the suggestions. I wouldn't have though about kicking up a little bit of the yeast in the secondary. I wouldn't expect this process to create a cloudy beer as with my first batch it sat in the primary for 2 weeks, and it went straight to bottling (after a transfer to a bottling bucket). It looked pretty cloudy in the bottle but after about 3-4 days it looks pretty clear, through the bottle at least.

 

[Revvy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I wouldn't have though about kicking up a little bit of the yeast in the secondary. I wouldn't expect this process to create a cloudy beer as with my first batch it sat in the primary for 2 weeks, and it went straight to bottling (after a transfer to a bottling bucket). It looked pretty cloudy in the bottle but after about 3-4 days it looks pretty clear, through the bottle at least.

The longer you leave you beer to sit, whether it's in a long primary, a long secondary, or a long period in the fridge, or all of the above the clearer you beer will be.

To me, two weeks in hardly anytime in primary.

Like I said my beers sit in primary for a month. And my beers score very high in appearance, especially clarity and their taste. There's not at least one beer in one contest I enter that a judge mentions how clear the beer is. And half the time I forget even to add moss.

And again, the longer you chiil your beer, before drinking, the clearer it will be. Your yeast will flocculate out, and your sediment cake in the bottle (if any, I get very little after a month in primary, DESPITE rubbing once across the bottom of the primary to pick up yeast) will be really tight, so you will get very little into your glass.

Even less if you pour to the shoulder.

I have found three month old beers in the back of my fridge that were so clear and the yeast cake was so cpmpacted in the bottle that I could upend it and no yeast came out.