Going from Primary to secondary? When?

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homebrewed505

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I have a Milk Stout in primary now its been there one day and is fermenting well. I see recipes say go to seconday after 5 days, but is it based on days or do you base it on if the fermentation is over? just want to know when I need to go to secondary.

Thanks
 
Definitely check the search feature as this question gets asked and answered about 7 times a week.

But in short, its never based on time. Only on fermentation activity being completely over as racking early can stall your beer.

You'll find many people don't bother with secondary and just go for a 3 week primary an then bottle/keg. Especially on beers you can't see through in the first place.
 
I go to secondary after 2 weeks, because by then I need the primary for another batch, otherwise I would leave it for 3 weeks or more.
 
Definitely check the search feature as this question gets asked and answered about 7 times a week.

But in short, its never based on time. Only on fermentation activity being completely over as racking early can stall your beer.

You'll find many people don't bother with secondary and just go for a 3 week primary an then bottle/keg. Especially on beers you can't see through in the first place.

Thanks for the information. I tried searching but couldnt quit find what I was looking for but still new to this forum. But now im clear that you wait for fermentation to be complet. I was wondering cause the few recipes I have looked at just say go from primary to secondary after 5 days and that was confusing me. Again thanks
 
Thanks for the information. I tried searching but couldnt quit find what I was looking for but still new to this forum. But now im clear that you wait for fermentation to be complet. I was wondering cause the few recipes I have looked at just say go from primary to secondary after 5 days and that was confusing me. Again thanks

Any recipe that tells you to go to secondary after 5 days is wrong. You wait until fermentation is done, and then a couple more days at least.

I no longer use a secondary at all, and keep my beer in the original fermenter for about 2-3 weeks before packaging. But if you want to use one, at least wait until fermentation is finished, and add a couple of days, THEN rack the beer. Not before!
 
ok well ill consider just using a primary, but for other beers that might need secondary how long should I keep it in there? since it will be done fermenting before you transfer it to the secondary what is your bench mark to look for in the secondary? just clarity?
 
ok well ill consider just using a primary, but for other beers that might need secondary how long should I keep it in there? since it will be done fermenting before you transfer it to the secondary what is your bench mark to look for in the secondary? just clarity?

you won't see anything in there that will tell you when it's time to rack to something else. many people leave their beer in the primary for 2-4 weeks then bottle, some go longer, but it's based primarily on the hydrometer readings. same goes for the secondary if you are using one. more time = more better.
 
you won't see anything in there that will tell you when it's time to rack to something else. many people leave their beer in the primary for 2-4 weeks then bottle, some go longer, but it's based primarily on the hydrometer readings. same goes for the secondary if you are using one. more time = more better.

well if it is done fermenting in the primary how will the hydrometer readings in the secondary differ from the primary. Wont the fina gravity already be acheived?
 
I know a lot of people do 3-4 weeks the keg, but my questions were when to go to secondary from primary, and then when is ok to keg from secondary.

Well, for many of us, the answer when to go to secondary is "never" as there are some new schools of thought on that. I'm an old winemaker, and I always used to go to secondary like clockwork, but most people (including experts) are saying that it's not only not necessary, but may be detrimental.

So you won't get an answer on "go to secondary on day _____" because it's not recommended.

But if you choose to do it, then do it ONLY after FG is reached. The SG shouldn't change in the secondary at all. It's a clearing vessel. In a commercial brewing, that clearing vessel is called a "bright tank". The beer is finished, but they want to use the primary fermenter so it goes to the bright tank to clear up a bit. You may see some sediment in secondary, but not a drop in SG. You can keg/bottle any time you want- I prefer to do it after the beer has cleared.

I usually leave the beer in the fermenter for 2-3 weeks and then rack into the keg when the beer is clear.
 
Well, for many of us, the answer when to go to secondary is "never" as there are some new schools of thought on that. I'm an old winemaker, and I always used to go to secondary like clockwork, but most people (including experts) are saying that it's not only not necessary, but may be detrimental.

So you won't get an answer on "go to secondary on day _____" because it's not recommended.

But if you choose to do it, then do it ONLY after FG is reached. The SG shouldn't change in the secondary at all. It's a clearing vessel. In a commercial brewing, that clearing vessel is called a "bright tank". The beer is finished, but they want to use the primary fermenter so it goes to the bright tank to clear up a bit. You may see some sediment in secondary, but not a drop in SG. You can keg/bottle any time you want- I prefer to do it after the beer has cleared.

I usually leave the beer in the fermenter for 2-3 weeks and then rack into the keg when the beer is clear.

Yooper thank you for the explanation that is what i was looking for.

Well I im only on my first batch but I got so many questions, I like to be informed. So after 3-4 weeks in primary can I cold crash in the primary, then go to my keg? or is that not necessary. I know its not a big deal with my stout that i got going but say a lighter colored beer?
 
many consider going to the secondary a detrimental step because you stand a good chance of infection or oxidation...
 
I know a lot of people do 3-4 weeks the keg, but my questions were when to go to secondary from primary, and then when is ok to keg from secondary.

To answer your question like everyone else has tried, there is not right or wrong answer. Part of the fun of homebrewing is experimenting. Some people rack to a secondary in a week, some don't use a secondary at all. If you choose to use a secondary, wait for fermentation to finish completely. Take a FG and then take one the next day and then the next day. If it comes out the same all three day then you can rack to a secondary. If it moves, then leave it till it stays the same for 3 days in a row. If you want, you can leave it in the primary till you bottle it, whenever you choose. The keywords in that sentence is "you choose". The general rule of thumb is this, the longer you wait, the better it will be. I go by a simple rule of "the best beer of any batch is the last one you open." So go forth young grasshopper and experiment. Cheers
 
Yooper thank you for the explanation that is what i was looking for.

Well I im only on my first batch but I got so many questions, I like to be informed. So after 3-4 weeks in primary can I cold crash in the primary, then go to my keg? or is that not necessary. I know its not a big deal with my stout that i got going but say a lighter colored beer?

Sure- any beer can be cold crashed before kegging. It'll help clear the beer, so you rack only clear beer (and less yeast and other suspended stuff) into the keg.
 
To answer your question like everyone else has tried, there is not right or wrong answer. Part of the fun of homebrewing is experimenting. Some people rack to a secondary in a week, some don't use a secondary at all. If you choose to use a secondary, wait for fermentation to finish completely. Take a FG and then take one the next day and then the next day. If it comes out the same all three day then you can rack to a secondary. If it moves, then leave it till it stays the same for 3 days in a row. If you want, you can leave it in the primary till you bottle it, whenever you choose. The keywords in that sentence is "you choose". The general rule of thumb is this, the longer you wait, the better it will be. I go by a simple rule of "the best beer of any batch is the last one you open." So go forth young grasshopper and experiment. Cheers

Well said thanks for the info!
 
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