Is "Secondary" Actually Worth It?

[louie0202]

Besides in wine or mead, a secondary is just one more thing to clean.....

Some people swear by it, others don't. However if you have ****ty practices.....most likely the issue isn't caused by not having a secondary.

 

[Wynne-R]

Interesting thread. I always thought skipping secondary was just another one of those things you can get away with, but it might not be best practice. Then I see evidence from Palmer and and Jamil that secondary might actually be bad.

Here’s a couple of logs to throw on the fire:

1. It depends on the yeast. Using WLP004 I had to secondary to clear enough to bottle. You could watch it. There was a band that went top to bottom in about three days, Didn’t happen in primary.

2. Secondary is more important for bottling than keg. Kegging pretty much is secondary.

Let the flames begin!

Full disclosure, I have a pale going to bottle, tomorrow maybe, that is primary only. It’s SO4, a highly flocculent yeast. More research is required. Research is fun.

 

[Bulls Beers]

I never do a secondary anymore. With my lagers, I go from primary to keg. When I do a Kolsch or something, I leave it in the primary for a month and then right to keg to cold crash..Works great everytime...
My beers always come out clear and tasty..