Moving from primary to secondary fermentor

[HomeBrewHomie23]

Whats are the pro's and cons to moving the beer over to a secondary fermentor after fermentation is complete??

Thanks

 

[JustLooking]

First post and he want's to start a war.

 

[jethro55]

Well, it is matter of opinion and personal preferences. There are reasons why one does it with primary only and with a secondary process. Not sure that "pros and cons" describes the dilemma. There just doesn't seem to be a clear answer for this. The topic comes up about every day or so.

 

[jethro55]

First post and he want's to start a war.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah. If you like reading novels, we've got some doozies on here! But, in all fairness, even Beersmith has single & two stage brewing methods listed in their choices of brewing styles. So using a secondary, or not, is an individual choice. I don't unless I'm oaking, adding fruit, etc.

 

[Remmy]

In.

 

[HomeBrewHomie23]

Ok cool thanks guys.. I'm in the process of fermenting my first batch of beer so I was just curious what people opinions were.

 

[KeninMN]

That's like asking whether it's better to join the People's Front of Judea or the Judean People's Front. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079470/?ref_=nv_sr_1 You'll get passionate answers on both sides. My best answer is that you should do whatever works best for you, as long as you use proper sanitation and handling techniques. But, in the interest of helpfulness, here goes:

Pros:

It frees up your primary for your next batch.
It allows you to reuse a fresh yeast cake for your next batch.
You'll get less gunk in your bottling bucket without having to be super careful while racking.
The experience of some people leads them to conclude that it results in clearer beer.

Cons:

It takes more time and effort.
It can add oxygen to your finished beer, which can possibly lead to oxidation. (Although this isn't such a concern if you bottle condition.)
It can possibly lead to infection. (Practice good sanitation and it won't.)

The best advice beyond "Do whatever works for you" is to not transfer too soon. Make sure active fermentation is finished by measuring specific gravity. (Airlock activity or lack thereof, is NOT always a good indication of fermentation activity, especially near the end of active fermentation!) If you get identical readings at or near the projected finished gravity (FG) over three successive days it is usually safe to transfer to secondary (if that is what you choose to do.) A general rule is that transferring before active fermentation is complete can lead to a whole host of problems.

 

[Remmy]

Here's my thought, which is a quite simple one. Before I could cold-crash, when I brewed beers in Spring/Summer, I'd secondary almost all of my beers.

Once I had the ability to cold-crash a beer (outside during the winter months or in my spare fridge), I did. And did not bother racking into a secondary to clear-up the beer, whether it was just for looks or to drop hop particles during a dry-hop.

I almost always cold-crash nowadays in the primary. Beer is really clear. Case in point:

 

[unionrdr]

I don't secondary or cold crash. Here's a couple examples of mine;
My latest ESB

German Dampfbier

The ESB got half a Whirlfloc tablet near the end of the boil, though.

 

[jethro55]

If you are just starting out, this is not that important. The health and amount of yeast, temperature of pitching and ferment, and sanitation are the big players that are often overlooked in the beginning stages.

Oh, and we all forgot to welcome you to Homebrewtalk. Welcome!!!

 

[guitarguy6]

I mostly brew ales and used to always rack to a secondary. After listening to pretty much every brew strong podcast over the last 3 months I stopped using a secondary since Jamil and John seem really opposed to it. Since switching to primary only I haven't noticed any difference in the clarity of my beer. I rack from the primary to my keg and cold crash with gelatin finings.

 

[jethro55]

I mostly brew ales and used to always rack to a secondary. After listening to pretty much every brew strong podcast over the last 3 months I stopped using a secondary since Jamil and John seem really opposed to it. Since switching to primary only I haven't noticed any difference in the clarity of my beer. I rack from the primary to my keg and cold crash with gelatin finings.

I have read those transcripts as well, and my take on it is that old school reasons for secondary are not a factor with our modern yeasts (autolysis off flavor). And that poor transfer skills can reduce shelf life (oxidation). Although the former is straightforward, the latter is refuted by the time that it takes oxidation to be a factor. A keg goes stale in a few months, and a bottle that is refrigerated after carbonation goes longer than that. So in situations where these timetables of consumption exist, the latter point is not a factor. That being said, you have a solid foundation for your reasoning, though not always important.

 

[unionrdr]

I've had oxidation show up from a bad bell on my old capper a couple weeks into carbonating. It doesn't take until during or after fridge time to be evident.

 

[electrolight]

My 2 cents... if you are primary-ing longer than say 2 months. Maybe an early secondary is worth it... otherwise. Just leave it be.

 

[jethro55]

My 2 cents... if you are primary-ing longer than say 2 months. Maybe an early secondary is worth it... otherwise. Just leave it be.

The beers that I brew are at or below 6%. They are finished in 4-5 days, cleared in secondary in 4 days, and quite carb'ed and tastey two weeks later. It is not a pipeline schedule, just a now and then activity. Waiting for clarity in primary, clearing additives, cold crashing, and any goop in the bottom of the bottles are not for me.

 

[electrolight]

The beers that I brew are at or below 6%. They are finished in 4-5 days, cleared in secondary in 4 days, and quite carb'ed and tastey two weeks later. It is not a pipeline schedule, just a now and then activity. Waiting for clarity in primary, clearing additives, cold crashing, and any goop in the bottom of the bottles are not for me.

Same here. Except for the occasional stout I'll leave in primary for 6 months even if I don't need to... Or more often the case are my sours. Which I leave in carboys for 12-18 months. If I am going after a funkier flavour I'll only primary. If I'm going for the cleaner crisp albeit less complex flavour, I'll rack after about 2 months.

 

[fuelish]

I usually rack a few times.....oh wait, you're talking about beer...haha

 

[jethro55]

I've had oxidation show up from a bad bell on my old capper a couple weeks into carbonating. It doesn't take until during or after fridge time to be evident.

Not sure what you mean. Was it a racking problem? Or was it a capping problem?

 

[unionrdr]

The "bell" is the part of the capper that crimps the caps on the lip of the bottles. The bell on my red baron wing capper stretched out a bit apparently. The caps were just a tiny hair loose on some bottles. I got the super agata bench capper & that did it.
Anyway, the caps being a hair loose let the Co2 escape on those bottles & they oxidized. Oxidation tastes just the way it smells. Wet, musty, moldy damp basement. Yuuuuurp...