Hows it look?

[WileyCoyote88]

1st brew of an ale. Did primary for 8 days and just moved it to secondary.
Hows it look? I expected to have more head.

 

[jrgtr42]

Looks fine to me. You won't get any head (uh, huh huh huh) until it's packaged and carbonated.
IN the future, though, unless you're needing to bulk age, for instance on wood, or fruit or souring, there's really no advantage to doing a secondary - just leave it in primary for the extra time.
Transferring extra times can lead to oxidation and unwanted 'bugs' - both literally and yeast and bacteria, getting into your beer and giving further off-flavors.

 

[IslandLizard]

Looks good!

Next time think of skipping the secondary altogether. They're not needed, and can cause infection and most likely oxidation of your beer. Leave the beer where it is. Dry hop, add fruit, cocoa, right to the "primary."

Everything will settle out and the beer will clear.
When bottling, rack the beer from the middle section, between the trub layer and the beer surface. Lower the siphon as the level drops. Tilt the vessel toward the end to keep the siphon well deep.

Stop transfer when trub starts to get sucked up. Use one of those flow inverter tippies.

 

[WileyCoyote88]

Thnks! I heard that the secondary fermentation helps to add clarity to the beer. I agree there is a contamination risk but probably small.

 

[Knightshade]

Hazy is the trend tho ya?

Secondary = extra cleaning, potential infection, def oxidation?

 

[WileyCoyote88]

Hazy is the trend tho ya?

Secondary = extra cleaning, potential infection, def oxidation?

Ya but im a trend setter not a trend follower lol.
But ya this is my 1st run so i might take you guys advice for the nxt beer

 

[AJinJacksonville]

I'd rather be a follower with a little haze rather than a trend setter with an oxidized or compromised brew...

 

[Knightshade]

Everybody has different methods, but it is more about learning your own path. I've only done secondary for a couple small batch ciders, and while they turned out pretty darn tasty I kinda wonder if they might have been better if I hadn't.

Which..is why I'm running through the same process again and not doing secondary this time to compare. Woot...I have an excuse to produce more cider, and my wife is heartbroken she'll have more cider readily available.

 

[WileyCoyote88]

Color changed from brown to dark brown after a few days in secondary. Normal?

 

[wsmith1625]

Beer darkening is a sign of oxidation. Nothing you can do about it now, but I would eliminate the secondary fermenter for your next batch. Also, if the finished beer is good, drink it quick because oxidation will make your beer go stale quickly.

 

[kartracer2]

"Edit, could be O2 I guess," but I think;
Should be good. In the first pic there was "floaties", bits of trub, yeast bunches and CO2 being produced and the convection currents keeping them suspended. As the fermenting ends these things settle out and the beer clears yet looks darker. No worries.
Cheers
Joel B.

 

[WileyCoyote88]

Beer darkening is a sign of oxidation. Nothing you can do about it now, but I would eliminate the secondary fermenter for your next batch. Also, if the finished beer is good, drink it quick because oxidation will make your beer go stale quickly.

Dang will do. Thnks!

 

[WileyCoyote88]

"Edit, could be O2 I guess," but I think;
Should be good. In the first pic there was "floaties", bits of trub, yeast bunches and CO2 being produced and the convection currents keeping them suspended. As the fermenting ends these things settle out and the beer clears yet looks darker. No worries.
Cheers
Joel B.

Good info. Thnks!

 

[IslandLizard]

Color changed from brown to dark brown after a few days in secondary. Normal?

Suspended yeast always makes a beer look lighter due to scattering [EDIT] of light. When the yeast settles out, it will look as if the beer turns darker.

Not saying that the secondary is helping your cause, oxidation happens when exposing beer to air, but it's not the whole picture.

 

[WileyCoyote88]

Suspended yeast always makes a beer look lighter due to scattering. When the yeast settles out, it will look as if the beer turns darker.

Not saying that the secondary is helping your cause, oxidation happens when exposing beer to air, but it's not the whole picture.

So is it going to kill the flavor? It was in primary for 8 days and now secondary for 3 days.. i was planning on waiting another 10 days to bottle but should i bottle sooner now?

 

[kartracer2]

Bottling depends if the beer has fully fermented. A stable gravity reading ( checked a day or two apart) is the best way to know that it is. If it's done, then it's mostly up to your schedule as it will continue to clear as it sits.
"Scattering", I couldn't get that word to my keyboard (LOL) but it's the best word for it. I had about 5 others in my head but they really didn't sound right. Any way,,yeah,,,
Cheers,
Joel B.

 

[IslandLizard]

So is it going to kill the flavor? It was in primary for 8 days and now secondary for 3 days.. i was planning on waiting another 10 days to bottle but should i bottle sooner now?

Air/oxygen will oxidize your beer, usually darkening it over time. In hoppier beers you lose hop flavor and aroma quickly too.

Just stop doing secondaries.* They don't make your beer clearer or doing it faster, or do anything better compared to just leaving it in the "primary" fermenter until ready to bottle. Transferring beer always introduces air to it (unless you do closed transfers, under CO2).

* There are a few exceptions, all well outside beginner brewer territory.

Kit instructions are notoriously outdated, and even contain wrong information.

When signs of fermentation start to slow down moving the fermenter to an area that's stays a few degrees warmer can help her finishing out. Temp drops, even a few degrees, are counterproductive, they can stall a fermentation. That's why more advanced brewers use a temp controlled ferm chamber, a dedicated fridge usually.

When all signs of fermentation have ceased for a few days, wait until the beer has cleared (or pretty much), take a gravity sample. If it's close to your expected FG, do it again 3 days (or longer) later. If both are the same it's usually safe to bottle. Yeast still does a lot of conditioning after the big turbulent event.

Don't stick that siphon or racking cane all the way on the bottom in the trub. Use a carboy cap or siphon clip on a bucket to keep the cane suspended halfway between the trub and beer level. Lower cane as beer level drops, tilt fermenter toward the end to keep the siphoning well deep, and stop transfer when you start sucking up yeast/trub or right before. Use one of those flow diverter tippies on the bottom of the cane/siphon.

And, uh, please use a Brewhauler, or leave her in a crate, to move/handle glass carboys.

 

[Snuffy]

Yeah, as yeast settles out the beer can look darker. I've used secondaries for years w/o noticeable difference in the beer. I have gotten where I use it mostly for dry hopping now and stay in the primary if the recipe doesn't require it. I just use a hose on the primary spigot that reaches the bottom of the secondary or lay the siphon hose on the bottom and transfer nice and easy with as little splashing as possible. Biggest reason I have for not using a secondary would be just to avoid cleaning it.