POLL : Do you typically do a secondary fermentation?

[divrack]

For the same reason I don't switch beds halfway through the night I don't secondary.
Unless putting it in a keg after a week or so counts. I do that to avoid risk of infection as I have crappy buckets

 

[wimpy]

When you brew your most common, favorite beers do you do a secondary fermentation or just use primary?

 

[divrack]

say no more

 

[divrack]

Almost always rack into carboys for a secondary fermentation. My primary fermenter is a 40 gallon cone and it is too big to cold crash in the fridge.

I like to get the beer off the lees when I do large batches as I think it clears and ages better, I often have kegs around for a year or longer.

Even “quick and dirty” beers like a hefe are less muddy with a secondary imho.

As far as this process being “ out of fashion”, how many arcane methods are you guys using just to make “authentic” beers from long ago? I know that bright, non- sour beer might seem quaint with all of the latest fads but that was the goal when I started brewing way back in 1995. So I will keep using this antique approach.

i think thats totally fine and makes sense. but i think its worth differentiating that proscess from someone new to brewing thats going to hammer their beer probably before its even finished, unnecessarily siphoning it off into some other plastic bucket, and then a couple weeks later into another bucket to bottle. just introducing o2 and bugs for no real reason. anything thats likely to sit around for a long while yea get it off the gunk, but otherwise its totally a waste of time. ive never had a problem getting clear beer from a single fermentation dumbed in a corn after a couple weeks and chilled. not that i aim for clarity in many aspects of my life.

 

[shoengine]

For the same reason I don't switch beds halfway through the night I don't secondary.
Unless putting it in a keg after a week or so counts. I do that to avoid risk of infection as I have crappy buckets

I would switch beds if I was laying in a pile of crap.

 

[deadwolfbones]

I use a secondary with fruit additions only.

 

[divrack]

I would switch beds if I was laying in a pile of crap.

Well that depends on how you define crap. Seems a bit weird to be worried about the very things that make your beer. Obviously it is time dependent and arbitrary somewhat where that line is. To continue the metaphor, I do change the sheets now and again, but I'm pretty relaxed about not doing it every day. On the other hand id consider it if I were entertaining a high maintenance lager like lady...

 

[shoengine]

Let's torture this analogy some more. I guess if you wanted to age with some fruit, you could pour it over yourself while laying in your detritus, however it seems cleaner to do that in clean sheets.

Seriously though, I do not buy at all the fear-mongering that gets tossed around anytime secondaries come up about introducing "bugs". First, primary fermentation is by far the easiest place to introduce "bugs" as there is not yet a yeast foothold, and there is no alcohol, leaving hops apparently as your only defense against the Dark Arts. Essentially, if you are capable of preparing a primary, you are more than capable of preparing a secondary, where there is either an active yeast fermentation or a plethera of alcohol protecting from minor infections.

Additionally there is always a second vessel, with the same risk of infection, no matter whether it is an intermediate device such as a keg, carboy, bucket or cask, or if it is a serving device, such as a keg, cask, brite tank or bottle. You can however get into all these arguments over O2, which I won't because they always devolve, but there is nothing intrinsicly wrong with a intermediate, second fermenting/condition vessel.

They are just very rarely needed.

 

[kh54s10]

As others have pointed out you only give yes or no. For me it is almost never. But with additions - sometimes, and with lagers sometimes. Out of 99 batches I have done a secondary 3 times - I think.

 

[waldoar15]

When you brew your most common, favorite beers do you do a secondary fermentation or just use primary?

I mostly brew lagers, so they get a long primary and then lager in kegs @32* for at least a month. I really do the same thing with the few ales that I brew though.

 

[TrubDude]

My recipes always call for a secondary or tertiary as options. I've always done that, for some reason. Its worked out for me and I usually dry hop.

I pay lots of attention to aseptic technique as I have training in the biotech industry and know how easy contamination is. But I'm open to skipping secondary when I feel ready to experiment.

 

[jerbrew]

If you count my serving keg as secondary. Otherwise, no.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Voted never, because of the way the question was worded, however the real answer is very rarely I do use a secondary.

 

[Kent88]

I don't like there only being always/never options. Could have included "rarely" or "often".

I'd say often. Life has been getting crazy lately and I can't always get stuff bottled as soon as I should.

That and I have been brewing strong beers, lagers (albeit at ale temps), and a saison that gets rhubarb in secondary. Beers that aren't really hurt by spending a little time in secondary.

 

[C-Rider]

Only lagers get a secondary.

Did my last lagering in bottles. Came out great. But what ever works works. LOL