Missed the secondary fermentor

[icantbejon]

So I'm brewing my first batch and I missed a step. I didn't expect my beer to stop the fermentation process so quickly, but it did. By the time I checked it, the airlock had already stopped bubbling completely. My directions said that I had to transfer into the secondary fermentor before the bubbling had stopped. Clearly, I messed up. Is this going to have a hugely negative affect on my beer? Did it completely ruin it? I eventually moved it to the secondary, just so that I could get it ready for bottling in the primary, but I'm still a bit concerned.

 

[RDWHAHB]

It should be fine. Lot's of people here don't use a secondary (they just keep it in the primary longer). Absolutely nothing to worry about.

 

[cheezydemon3]

A secondary is for after fermentation has stopped, but as stated, it is entirely optional.

If clear beer is your thing, a secondary is good.

 

[sgrcltpunk]

i was just like you in worrying about when to put it in the 2nd and all that but as i have heard here so many times in the week ive been on this forum let your gravity do the talking ferment in the primary until your specific gravity gets down very close to target then rack in to 2nd because the 2nd is more for clarifying than fermenting hope this helps for next time

 

[pericles]

(1) If your instructions tell you to transfer the wort to the secondary vessel BEFORE the airlock has stopped bubbling, those instructions are just plain WRONG. The purpose of the secondary vessel is to allow the wort to clarify, and to allow the flavors to coalesce. No fermentation - or only a VERY little - will occur in the secondary, so a beer that still is in the process of active fermentation needs to be left in the primary until it is done. That should take about two weeks.

(2) Don't confuse airlock activity for a sign of fermentation. The wort can ferment without ANY airlock activity, and really strong airlock activity can be coupled with a weak fermentation. Your airlock can even bubble - strongly - when the beer isn't fermenting AT ALL. To the extent that your instructions imagine that airlock activity is ANY indicator of when to move the wort, add components, bottle your beer, ANYTHING, they are WRONG.

 

[JesseRC]

I think every new brewer should just throw away any instructions that came with their kits. Do some research around these forums and understand how fermentaion and clearing work. If you undertstand what's going on, you more like be able to just wing it and make informed decisions. THERE IS NO TIMELINE. Just do what's required for fermentation to happen and practice lots of sanitation. Other than that relax , chill.

All of those instructions give horrible expectations. IT's no wonder all of my first couple of kits stopped at 1.020 and tasted horrible.

 

[Scimmia]

A secondary is for after fermentation has stopped, but as stated, it is entirely optional.

(1) If your instructions tell you to transfer the wort to the secondary vessel BEFORE the airlock has stopped bubbling, those instructions are just plain WRONG. The purpose of the secondary vessel is to allow the wort to clarify, and to allow the flavors to coalesce. No fermentation - or only a VERY little - will occur in the secondary, so a beer that still is in the process of active fermentation needs to be left in the primary until it is done. That should take about two weeks.

Ironically, the proper use of a "secondary" is to transfer it before vigorous fermentation has stopped. Transferring after fermentation is more of a bright tank than it is a secondary. Both are optional, and really only worth it in certain circumstances IMO.

 

[icantbejon]

Thanks for all the help guys. I did check my gravity...it was 1.016. I moved over to the secondary last night, so I guess I can let it sit for another week before screwing with it. I really would like to try this beer, so letting it sit is not really a happy thought. I'll try patience for the time being. Can't promise I'll stay strong though.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Thanks for all the help guys. I did check my gravity...it was 1.016. I moved over to the secondary last night, so I guess I can let it sit for another week before screwing with it. I really would like to try this beer, so letting it sit is not really a happy thought. I'll try patience for the time being. Can't promise I'll stay strong though.

You may want to find a new hobby.....or just start brewing a lot more.
Just sayin...

 

[Homercidal]

You'll be fine. I rarely use a secondary myself. You can make clear beer in a primary only if you know what you are doing. The proper yeast and proper environment for the yeast can produce very good beer in the primary. Let it sit for 3 weeks, then transfer to bottle bucket and bottle. Or, you can put it in a fridge after the 3 weeks and let it clear there for a couple of days before bottling. The cold crash will help it clear even more.

 

[sgrcltpunk]

Thanks for all the help guys. I did check my gravity...it was 1.016. I moved over to the secondary last night, so I guess I can let it sit for another week before screwing with it. I really would like to try this beer, so letting it sit is not really a happy thought. I'll try patience for the time being. Can't promise I'll stay strong though.

trust me im on my first batch also bout to start the second and i had the same feelings as you but i can tell now that patience is important. i wanted to try my beer so bad and each time you take a gravity reading of course you take a taste but if you wait and i know it sounds hard it will be worth it. i didn't yes my beer has turned out great so far but it could have been better if i had let it sit one more week in the primary and one more in the second. but for batch 2 im thinking 3 or 4 weeks at least in the primary and 2 weeks in the 2nd and a month to carb. ne way be patient comedown here to Newport News and have one of my oktoberfest beers and your beer will be good lol

 

[joety]

As it's a beginner kit, I'm sure they are using the term fermentation to really mean off-gassing. I won't secondary unless I'm still getting some off-gassing as I don't feel safe without that CO2 blanket being formed in the neck of the carboy, so I wouldn't say they are way off base with those instructions. I've found that transferring the wort alone will normally get some bubbling going, at least, enough to force the remaining air from the top of the carboy.

As to whether you are really experiencing fermentation or not (likely not if it's after a week), I don't know that that is relevant. Many prefer to let the beer sit on the yeast cake for a week or so after fermentation has stopped as it tends to improve the flavor of the beer.

 

[icantbejon]

You may want to find a new hobby.....or just start brewing a lot more.
Just sayin...

Yeah...hoping that this batch turns out ok, I plan on doing another shortly there after. Then I'll have enough built up to last me a bit.

 

[Scimmia]

Thanks for all the help guys. I did check my gravity...it was 1.016. I moved over to the secondary last night, so I guess I can let it sit for another week before screwing with it. I really would like to try this beer, so letting it sit is not really a happy thought. I'll try patience for the time being. Can't promise I'll stay strong though.

Sit back, grab a beer and a good cigar and just wait it out.

 

[pericles]

Ironically, the proper use of a "secondary" is to transfer it before vigorous fermentation has stopped.

A good discussion of the conditioning process can be found in Palmer's book, "How to Brew." The relevant excerpt is here.

 

[Revvy]

Ironically, the proper use of a "secondary" is to transfer it before vigorous fermentation has stopped. Transferring after fermentation is more of a bright tank than it is a secondary. Both are optional, and really only worth it in certain circumstances IMO.

Actually that just one of the theories... There is really no "proper" method, there are just two schools of thought (three if you count the "no secondary" method.)

This pretty much sums sums up the entire argument. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/multiple-questions-about-secondary-fermentation-140978/#post1601829

 

[icantbejon]

What is the "trub?" Is that the layer of yeast at the bottom after primary fermentation?

 

[icantbejon]

A good discussion of the conditioning process can be found in Palmer's book, "How to Brew." The relevant excerpt is here.

Good read. Thanks for the info.

 

[Revvy]

What is the "trub?" Is that the layer of yeast at the bottom after primary fermentation?

It's the layer of yeast, hops, proteins, break material and anything else, at the bottom of any vessel.

 

[Revvy]

A good discussion of the conditioning process can be found in Palmer's book, "How to Brew." The relevant excerpt is here.

But Palmer actually contradicts the part about "soapy flavors" and leaving the beer too long in several other places.

Leaving an ale beer in the primary fermentor for a total of 2-3 weeks (instead of just the one week most canned kits recommend), will provide time for the conditioning reactions and improve the beer. This extra time will also let more sediment settle out before bottling, resulting in a clearer beer and easier pouring. And, three weeks in the primary fermentor is usually not enough time for off-flavors to occur.

John Palmer

As a final note on this subject, I should mention that by brewing with healthy yeast in a well-prepared wort, many experienced brewers, myself included, have been able to leave a beer in the primary fermenter for several months without any evidence of autolysis.

There's been a big shift in brewing consciousness in the last few years where many of us believe that yeast is a good thing, and besides just fermenting the beer, that they are fastidious creatures who go back and clean up any by products created by themselves during fermentation, which may lead to off flavors.

Rather than the yeast being the cause of off flavors, it is now looked at by many of us, that they will if left alone actually remove those off flavors, and make for clearer and cleaner tasting beers.

Leaving the yeast alone, and letting the krausen fall through will act like a filter as it sinks, pulling down any proteins and other off flavor causes.

That's why also many of us leave out beers on the yeast cake for 3-4 weeks, and skip secondaries. To let the yeast do their thing.

 

[icantbejon]

That's why also many of us leave out beers on the yeast cake for 3-4 weeks, and skip secondaries. To let the yeast do their thing.

So you actually recommend skipping the secondary?

 

[Revvy]

So you actually recommend skipping the secondary?

One would say I am probably the biggest proponent of that on here, or at least written the most on that topic. And there's hundreds of threads discussing in on here. You don't have to look too far to see them.

 

[icantbejon]

One would say I am probably the biggest proponent of that on here, or at least written the most on that topic. And there's hundreds of threads discussing in on here. You don't have to look too far to see them.

Well it's good to know the varying opinions. I looked over several of the threads on secondary fermentation after I posted my own. As I'm just learning, I like to keep an open mind.

 

[scone]

So you actually recommend skipping the secondary?

So there is a caveat here, which is this. If you're primary fermenter is a plastic pail (many of ours are) then leaving it for a long time after fermentation is over will allow oxygen to leach through the plastic into your beer, which is bad. The plastic is permeable, and the active production of co2 is what keeps it out during active fermentation. You'll notice that the primary-only folks on here all use glass as their fermentation tank.

I'm not sure of the time-frame for "too long" in the plastic primary, but maybe Revvy or someone can chime in.

EDIT: I should add the "better bottles" can be considered non-permeable in this case, even though they are plastic

EDIT #2: This post is unfounded, ignore what I just said.

 

[icantbejon]

Does anyone make a brown glass fermentor akin to a brown beer bottle?

 

[Revvy]

So there is a caveat here, which is this. If you're primary fermenter is a plastic pail (many of ours are) then leaving it for a long time after fermentation is over will allow oxygen to leach through the plastic into your beer, which is bad. The plastic is permeable, and the active production of co2 is what keeps it out during active fermentation. You'll notice that the primary-only folks on here all use glass as their fermentation tank.

I'm not sure of the time-frame for "too long" in the plastic primary, but maybe Revvy or someone can chime in.

EDIT: I should add the "better bottles" can be considered non-permeable in this case, even though they are plastic

That whole "Oxygen permeability" of bucket argument has been pretty much disproven , for the time we're talking about anyway, so it should not be a caveat and taken off the table.

The amount has been proven to be as negligable as any other container, and more than likely was propaganda by the glass industry. The same argument HAS been made about better bottles as well, and few of us believe that either.

You have to remember that there is co2 blanketing your beer and pushing out. So if there's co2 pushing out, there's nothing getting in.

We're not talking month and months like wine makers (though some more than likely do leave their wine in buckets to little effect) we're talking a month or 6 weeks at most for beer.

 

[scone]

That whole "Oxygen permeability" of bucket argument has been pretty much disproven , for the time we're talking about anyway, so it should not be a caveat and taken off the table.

Hard to keep up with home-brew tech sometimes. :cross: Thanks for clearing that up.