Rack to secondary

[jimmylaw]

OK. Quick newbie question.

I'm currently fermenting my third batch of homebrew, Midwest's Power Pack Porter. (First was Cooper's Lager- all extract, second was Brewers Best Imperial Pale Ale- the coopers was overcarbed and weird tasting and the Imp PA is getting delicious).

The Porter has been in the fermenter for 8 days or so. Airlock activity has dwindled significantly over the past couple of days. Maybe one burp every 2-3 minutes.

I will be out of town for at least two weeks (maybe three) starting next weekend (the 19th-20th).

Should I rack to secondary this weekend before I leave? Or leave it in the primary while I'm out of town? If I leave it, it may be in the primary for upwards of 5 weeks.

Does anyone have any experience with this kit?

 

[zeb]

Well I hope I can sum up the flow of responses you will get regarding this... Leave it in your primary instead of racking.

You are going to get alot of responses from alot of people who will tell you that there is no need to rack to a secondary, which its benefits greatly out number racking. I racked my first too early and payed the price by having a undrinkable mess.

I think you will like the outcome from leaving it in for that time period. I left my last brew in for 2 weeks, then racked to dry hop and it stayed that way for another two weeks, and nows its been bottled for 4 weeks and tastes delicious.

 

[pkeeler]

You are going to get alot of responses from alot of people who will tell you that there is no need to rack to a secondary, which its benefits greatly out number racking. I racked my first too early and payed the price by having a undrinkable mess.

I don't think it is possible to ruin your beer by racking. Most likely, the beer was a mess before.

I think you will like the outcome from leaving it in for that time period. I left my last brew in for 2 weeks, then racked to dry hop and it stayed that way for another two weeks, and nows its been bottled for 4 weeks and tastes delicious.

So, you racked at 2 weeks, but think the original OP should leave his in the primary for 6 weeks? I'm confused.

 

[pkeeler]

Should I rack to secondary this weekend before I leave? Or leave it in the primary while I'm out of town? If I leave it, it may be in the primary for upwards of 5 weeks.

You can probably leave it. From what I can tell, 95% (maybe higher, but not 100%), of the time it doesn't hurt to leave it in the primary 4 weeks. Probably 6 weeks. However...it will definitely be okay in a secondary that long. If you are going to worry at all, and posting this question shows some angst, then rack it and enjoy your vacation.

 

[Nurmey]

Welcome to HBT!
I leave all my beers a minimum of 4 weeks in primary. Yeast does a lot more than ferment beer. If left in the primary it will clean up its waste (off flavors) and clean up your beer. This takes about 3 weeks to complete.

Leave your beer while you are traveling and take care of it after you return. At that point you can bottle it or move to secondary for aging.

 

[jimmylaw]

OK. Based on the responses, I'll leave it in the primary.

Second question: if I wanted to add some vanilla enfused bourbon to the brew, should I add it to the primary, or wait and add it at bottling or secondary?

Has anyone tried adding flavors directly to the primary after about 5 weeks in?

Thank you everyone for your advice. This site is an awesome resource for the newbie brewer.

jb