First Brew - To Secondary, or not to Secondary?

[ConorO]

Hello all!

As a recently-turned 21 year-old, I've decided to partake in the fine art of homebrewing. I took the plunge and went straight to all-grain and started with a Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout clone. I brewed last Saturday and am hoping the fermentation finishes-up by this Sunday. Now, at the time of brewing I did not really pay much thought to a secondary fermentation . . . Therefore my carboy is my primary fermenter. I hear that it is much easier to do a secondary in a carboy, so my questions are two:

1) Is secondary fermentation really so beneficial that its worth the time and risk of extra oxidation?
2) Is a carboy easier to conduct a secondary in? If so, could I siphon the beer out of the carboy, clean it, and siphon it back in?

Thank you all for your time! Cheers!

 

[unionrdr]

You can secondary if you like, but it's not necessary if you're not oaking, adding fruit or the like. You can just leave it in your carboy to finish & settle out clear or slightly misty before priming & bottling.

 

[mdindy]

you really have nothing to gain for most beers, like unionrdr said, unless your aging for some time and or adding oak or fruit ect, not worth the extra effort.

 

[fsr_racer]

I have a 6.5gal plastic BMB for primary, gives me a lot of head space for vigorous fermentations, and a 5gal glass BMB for secondary in long fermentations. If I'm looking at a 1-2week primary fermentation, recently with a summer wheat, it goes straight from primary to bottling bucket; however, if I am bulk aging a strong ale, it goes to secondary in a couple days for 2 reasons, 1. to double aerate the wort, which helps the yeast in high-gravity beers, and 2. (most importantly) to free up my primary for the next batch.

 

[andy6026]

I like to secondary. If I don't I inevitably end up transferring a bit of trub and hops debris to the bottling bucket which gets in the bottles and can be cause for some volatile openings.

For your first batch I'd say toss a coin and do whatever it tells you. Next batch do it the other way. Try a couple of times of each and then you can optimally decide for yourself which way works best for you.

Your question #2: I think that carboys are usually optimal because they are often 5 gallons, whereas plastic buckets are usually 6.5 gallons. The smaller headspace in the carboy minimizes the beer's contact with oxygen.

 

[hanuswalrus]

I only secondary on bigger beers such as imperial stouts, belgian strongs, etc. I'd say try a couple beers w/ a secondary and a couple without. Find out which method results in a better beer (to your tastes). A lot of people do not secondary, some people do. It's all about finding what works best for you and your system.

One thing is for sure though, oxygen is not good for beer post-fermentation. Just do your absolute best to limit the amount of oxygen you introduce to the beer if you do decide to secondary. Limit things like head space in the carboy, splashing/churning etc.

 

[Randomnoob]

I only secondary with lagers. Rack it off the bucket, put the carboy in the fridge and let it sit for six months or whatever. Current lager I think is it in it's fifth month now.

I very rarely secondary with ales. Only when I'm adding stuff like previous commenters said.

 

[m00ps]

Agreed. I only secondary for adding brett and aging beers.

As a beginner, the less you mess with your beer once its in the fermentor, the better. DO NOT secondary

Also, the comment on oxygenation is right on. I've had great tasting IPAs that turned into muddled pale ales after a few months due to oxygen exposure

 

[ConorO]

Thank you, guys! You are giving some sound advice. I think I will go ahead and let it finish and settle in the primary and bottle after racking into the bottling bucket.

*P.S. Depending on taste, is it possible to add a small amount of lactose prior to bottling in order to give a minor sweetness? Or should that have been added during the boil?

 

[m00ps]

Lactose is usually added in the boil but its possible to do cold side. Youll want to ensure its sanitized and dissolved first though. So take your lactose and put it in a flask or something with just enough water to dissolve fully, and get it to boiling for 1min or so, let it cool, then add to the fermentor.

 

[Murph2002]

I do my primary in either an ale pail bucket or a 6.5G Big Mouth Bubbler. In either case, when fermentation is complete, and the yeast have had time to clean up their little mess, I rack to a glass carboy to cold crash, add gelatin two days later for clarity, then keg when I have the time (at least two days later). I've never had any problems with infection or oxidation, but I'm pretty careful about splashing when I rack, and I sanitize like crazy with StarSan.

You're using a carboy already, so you can do the cold crash and clarify in the same vessel. The only reason I don't is I need the headspace for the krauesen of primary, and all my carboys are only 5G.

 

[sikkingj]

Use your secondary as another primary and brew another batch - there is no reason to secondary.

 

[Gavin C]

I think a solid rule of thumb to minimize oxidation and infection for newcomers to the hobby is this. The less you dick around with the beer after you pitch the yeast the better.

• Make the wort and transfer it to the fermentor (sanitized with plenty of head space)
  
• Pitch the yeast
  
• Seal the sucker up and put it someplace at the right temperature and try to forget about it for 3 weeks.
  
• Dont open it to check it, don't measure anything, don't transfer it, don't worry about bubbles, appearance, crud on the walls of fermentor. In the mean time start your next batch.
  
• Rack the first batch to the bottling bucket and bottle or keg

There is a great sticky in the bottling section by @Revvy which is a must read for folks bottling. It's got 400+likes. Deservedly so.


Obviously this is a very general set of rules but it is applicable to the majority of beers made by home brewers. There are exceptions of course but they are few and far between.

Secondary vessels are really a home-brew hold over from a commercial model. A good rationale supporting their use rarely exists on the homebrew scale. Fruit or Oak addition would be the only solid reason.

Edit: Here's a great example of a cool looking open primary fermentor posted by @passedpawn in another thread. Doesn't really resemble homebrewing. (Granted they are open fermentors)

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwSazxo63DU&feature=youtu.be[/ame]