I have an IPA extract kit with specialty grains. The shop that put the kit together recommends that I only ferment in the primary for 10-14 days then bottle cond. for another 10 days.....no secondary. Not using a secondary seems to go against many other kits instructions. Any thoughts?
No secondary for an IPA?
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ChadChaney
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I have joined the masses here and do not do a secondary anymore, just 30 days in primary, even when dry hopping. I find cleaner and clearer beer is the result, but I am sure others will have different opinions. I use a sparge bag/paint strainer bag zip tied to my auto siphon as a filter and it works great! The added time on the yeast cake allows the yeast to clean up and eliminate a lot of baddies in the beer. Also makes for a more compacted cake and easier siphoning.
Personally, I always use a secondary. I've gone primary only in the past - but unlike Chad, I felt the beer was not cleaner. Though, I didn't think to use a filter on the syphon (nice trick!) which sounds like it works.
I remember reading somewhere that letting the beer sit on the yeast cake too long can cause some off-flavors as well. Though I'm not 100% sure where I saw that and it's quiet possible I'm mashing up information right now (feeling a little ill - hence the board crusing)
I remember reading somewhere that letting the beer sit on the yeast cake too long can cause some off-flavors as well. Though I'm not 100% sure where I saw that and it's quiet possible I'm mashing up information right now (feeling a little ill - hence the board crusing)
There's a big movement (it seems) to go to long primaries here. I did it and I love it. Less work to sanitize and less risk of contamination are the big benefits for me. Also got cleaner and clearer beer, but I also made some other improvements along that. I don't plan on going back to using a secondary.
There's a lot of threads on it. The big one is where someone wrote a transcript of a podcast where Jamil and John Palmer talked about going to long primaries. There's also a thread of a guy who let a beer sit in primary for like a year then submitted it to a competition to see if the judges picked up on the off-flavors from the yeast dying, which they did not. Sorry for no links, but they are pretty easy to find.
There's a lot of threads on it. The big one is where someone wrote a transcript of a podcast where Jamil and John Palmer talked about going to long primaries. There's also a thread of a guy who let a beer sit in primary for like a year then submitted it to a competition to see if the judges picked up on the off-flavors from the yeast dying, which they did not. Sorry for no links, but they are pretty easy to find.
I don't secondary ANYTHING that doesn't get added fruit, oak or bugs. That goes for double and RIS's to bitters and all manner of session ales. It's so much easier and less hassle than to rack to another vessel.
You'll also need a lot more than 10 days in the bottle to get them carbed & conditioned well. More like 3-5 weeks on average. some that're darker or higher gravity take longer. Patience & time are your greatest assets as a brewer.
Personally I have never NOT used a secondary. I have a problem with my great smelling Beer sitting on the settle "junk" at the bottom of my Carboy. I also completely support the off flavors being noticed even if others cant, I just dont want to chance 5 gallons. No wrong way to do it, just try both with the same beer and TASTE the difference...
It's just a process choice at this point. It's been proven that the yeast at the bottom,for the most part,are dormant,not dead. And since it's compacted on the bottom,it's not going to foul the beer. That autolysis thing was an old belief since refuted in this regard. But if you're going to bulk age it for any length of time,then rack to secondary.
