New England IPA - Secondary Fermentation & Bottling

[jim12180]

I am currently seven days into primary fermentation of a New England IPA. I dry hopped it at day 5 while the fermentation was starting to wind down. But I am questioning how to proceed at this point.

I typically rack my beers to a secondary fermenter (in a glass carboy) for a little while to mellow and clear out, but this style embraces the haze and the hops. As I don't keg any of my beers, any recommendations for how to proceed to bottling from here?

-Rack to a secondary or no?
-Go straight to bottling from the primary?
-Any other pointers for going to bottling?

 

[kh54s10]

I would go straight to bottling. I only do a secondary these days when using fruit. And I don't even know if it is necessary then.

 

[olotti]

Never never never secondary any beer that isn't having adjuncts like fruit, oak chips or something else to flavor it your just increasing your o2 exposure and neipas especially will get hit with oxidation trust me I know and I don't secondary anything except my ris's that get oak, vanilla bean, etc.

So what we need to know is what we're your fermentation temps and what yeast did u use? What I do is ferment in my basement where it's low 60's so I chill to about 62 if I can then pitch then let the yeast do its thing and usually for me my peak temps are 68 deg then as it cools as primary ferm comes down I bring my carbon up to my first floor closet and let it free rise again to help thecyeast stay awake and they clean up all their byproducts. I'll let it sit until about day 10 then cold crash the carboy for 12 hrs max in my fridge in my garage then I'll bottle. I've had Greta luck this way getting a month or plus out of my bottles before they start to fall off before I would cold crash longer and due to suckback o2 was getting in and these really hoppy beers would be oxidized by 2-3 weeks. So take that for what it's worth but that's what's worked for me right now bottling these big hoppy beers.

 

[Sbe2]

I was in your predicament last week. Dry hopped day 5, then again at day 9 bottled at day 14. My FG remained constant from day 9 to 14.

My solution was to bottle right from the primary, which is a fermonster with a spigot. I attached my cane to that, and used carbonation drops for each bottle. I cap one at a time, because it has always been my process.

I figured I didn't need to sanitize the drops because I was using a brand new bag. I did spray star San on the bag where it may have made contact with the bottle.

 

[morbster]

I prefer to not bottle directly from the primary, but my suggestion echoes the others to avoid the secondary. If you need to bottle from a bottling bucket, that will be fine. Just do your best to minimize oxidation.