My fermenting closet...
- Thread starter BadMitten
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Why secondary? Adding something?
The recipe I have calls for it to go to secondary.
BadMitten said:
He's asking b/c a large number of ppl on here have, after empirical comparison tests, determined that using a secondary fermenting vessel is not necessary. It's an old and often re-hashed argument in these forums. I'd say there's no real harm in it as long as you're careful not to oxidize your beer by splashing it during transfer. But the old reasons for using a second FV (autolysis, clarity, etc) are largely myths. So the primary-only camp (myself included) only use a secondary to bulk age for more than a couple of months (I've got an RIS & BDS in secondary going for 6 & 9 months, respectively) OR to add fruit, oak, coffee, etc., that they don't want to interact with a lot of yeast and trub.
In short, the recipe may be a holdover and not current practice. But the bottom line is that it is your beer, so you can do what you feel is best.
I hope you have the fermenters in a tub of some kind because as you continue to brew you are going to have a fermenter that overflows krausen making a mess on the carpet.
That's odd, because the longer my beers sit the clearer they get. Transferring to vessels gives me the same general results as I get from yeast washing...more yeast is left behind and clear beer moves on. I suppose cold crashing is also a myth.
Piratwolf said:He's asking b/c a large number of ppl on here have, after empirical comparison tests, determined that using a secondary fermenting vessel is not necessary. It's an old and often re-hashed argument in these forums. I'd say there's no real harm in it as long as you're careful not to oxidize your beer by splashing it during transfer. But the old reasons for using a second FV (autolysis, clarity, etc) are largely myths. So the primary-only camp (myself included) only use a secondary to bulk age for more than a couple of months (I've got an RIS & BDS in secondary going for 6 & 9 months, respectively) OR to add fruit, oak, coffee, etc., that they don't want to interact with a lot of yeast and trub.
In short, the recipe may be a holdover and not current practice. But the bottom line is that it is your beer, so you can do what you feel is best.
Gotcha.
I have never actually looked into whether it needed or not, I was just doing what the recipe said. Good to know though...now I have to decide haha!
Thanks!
My fermenting closet has a Pumpkin ale and a malted milk stout in it, the pumpkin called for secondary also but I'm keeping it to primary only.. Here's hoping!
pvtschultz
Well-Known Member
Pumpkin ales can benefit from secondary for addition brightening when they are made with real pumpkin guts. I just help to settle out all that extra mass that makes it into the primary fermentor.
Teromous said:
Not sure if you misread my post or are simply trying to be contrary. My point is merely that one can get perfectly clear beer without a secondary, ergo the "you must use a secondary vessel to get clear beer" is indeed a myth. If you chose to use one, good on you. It's your beer and this is a free country. Brew strong, sir.
ArtimusBeerimus
Well-Known Member
I actually just cleaned out my "fermenting closet" (which doubles as my office/storage closet) earlier today. I can really only effectively temp control one fermenter at a time in the basement during the winter, so I had three batches upstairs in my office, displacing my laundry basket and a multitude of boxes for over a month... Glad to have that floor space back!
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