Racking to secondary

[matty13]

I brewed an American IPA last Sat and, as usual, I'm planning on racking to secondary tonight. I did the primary in a bucket and when I took a peak at the beer, there was a krauzen on top. The airlock has stopped for 2 days now. Wondering if it would be alright to rack to secondary even with the krauzen or should I wait for it to dissipate.. Thanks for your assistance.

 

[Revvy]

If you choose to rack to secondary (which is passe these days, most people opt for month long primaries theses days, EVEN with dry hopping in the last week) you really should wait til fermentation is complete. A krausen is usually a sign that fermentation is NOT complete.

If I do use a secondary, I wait AT LEAST 12 days before checking gravity, and then again 2 days later to confirm fermentation is finished.

You really don't want to rush it off the yeast, even after fermentation is complete, fermenting is just part of what they do, if given the opportunity they will clean up the byproducts of fermentation that leads to off flavors...so giving them time with the greatest amount of yeast for a few days is a good thing.

This is not a race, it's a journey, and your beer will thank you. Don't rush.

 

[matty13]

but isnt secondary fementation a part of the fermentation process therefore it will continue in secondary?

 

[Revvy]

but isnt secondary fementation a part of the fermentation process therefore it will continue in secondary?

You're getting the secondary fermentation process, and a secondary vessel mixed up.

Secondary fermentation is a misnomer, since no fermentaion SHOULD happen in the secondary. THe secondary is to clear your beer, though many of us no longer use a secondary, but instead opt for the long primary, leaving our beers in primary to clear up, and feel that our beer is much better for it.

If you want to read more about the various ideas about secondary and no secondary and the beliefs about WHEN one should secondary, Read this and the accompanying links in the article, and then you can make up your own mind as to what to do.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/multiple-questions-about-secondary-fermentation-140978/#post1601829

And this is where some of the latest info is on the subject

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/secondary-not-john-palmer-jamil-zainasheff-weigh-176837/

Besides, like I said it's a pretty moot point these days. This is the latest.

Tom from Michigan asks:
I have a few questions about secondary fermentations. I've read both pros and cons for 2nd fermentations and it is driving me crazy what to do. One, are they necessary for lower Gravity beers?
Two, what is the dividing line between low gravity and high gravity beers? Is it 1.060 and higher?
Three, I have an American Brown Ale in the primary right now, a SG of 1.058, Should I secondary ferment this or not?
Your advice is appreciated, thanks for all you do!

Allen from New York asks:
John, please talk about why or why not you would NOT use a secondary fermenter (bright tank?) and why or why not a primary only fermentation is a good idea. In other words, give some clarification or reason why primary only is fine, versus the old theory of primary then secondary normal gravity ale fermentations.

Palmer answers:
These are good questions – When and why would you need to use a secondary fermenter? First some background – I used to recommend racking a beer to a secondary fermenter. My recommendation was based on the premise that (20 years ago) larger (higher gravity) beers took longer to ferment completely, and that getting the beer off the yeast reduced the risk of yeast autolysis (ie., meaty or rubbery off-flavors) and it allowed more time for flocculation and clarification, reducing the amount of yeast and trub carryover to the bottle. Twenty years ago, a homebrewed beer typically had better flavor, or perhaps less risk of off-flavors, if it was racked off the trub and clarified before bottling. Today that is not the case.

The risk inherent to any beer transfer, whether it is fermenter-to-fermenter or fermenter-to-bottles, is oxidation and staling. Any oxygen exposure after fermentation will lead to staling, and the more exposure, and the warmer the storage temperature, the faster the beer will go stale.

Racking to a secondary fermenter used to be recommended because staling was simply a fact of life – like death and taxes. But the risk of autolysis was real and worth avoiding – like cholera. In other words, you know you are going to die eventually, but death by cholera is worth avoiding.

But then modern medicine appeared, or in our case, better yeast and better yeast-handling information. Suddenly, death by autolysis is rare for a beer because of two factors: the freshness and health of the yeast being pitched has drastically improved, and proper pitching rates are better understood. The yeast no longer drop dead and burst like Mr. Creosote from Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life when fermentation is complete – they are able to hibernate and wait for the next fermentation to come around. The beer has time to clarify in the primary fermenter without generating off-flavors. With autolysis no longer a concern, staling becomes the main problem. The shelf life of a beer can be greatly enhanced by avoiding oxygen exposure and storing the beer cold (after it has had time to carbonate).

Therefore I, and Jamil and White Labs and Wyeast Labs, do not recommend racking to a secondary fermenter for ANY ale, except when conducting an actual second fermentation, such as adding fruit or souring. Racking to prevent autolysis is not necessary, and therefore the risk of oxidation is completely avoidable. Even lagers do not require racking to a second fermenter before lagering. With the right pitching rate, using fresh healthy yeast, and proper aeration of the wort prior to pitching, the fermentation of the beer will be complete within 3-8 days (bigger = longer). This time period includes the secondary or conditioning phase of fermentation when the yeast clean up acetaldehyde and diacetyl. The real purpose of lagering a beer is to use the colder temperatures to encourage the yeast to flocculate and promote the precipitation and sedimentation of microparticles and haze.

So, the new rule of thumb: don’t rack a beer to a secondary, ever, unless you are going to conduct a secondary fermentation.

 

[Yooper]

but isnt secondary fementation a part of the fermentation process therefore it will continue in secondary?

No.

In winemaking, there is a true "secondary fermentation" that happens under airlock (usually primary is not done under airlock). That's where the term comes from.

In breweries, the fermentation happens in the fermenter, then the beer is moved to the "bright tank" for clearing and conditioning. Generally, in brewing when people refer to "secondary", they actually mean the bright tank.

Even after the majority of fermentation is over, the yeast are still busy doing some work. After the fermentable sugars are gone, the yeast will go back and digest some of their own waste products. That's why there is a benefit to keeping the beer in the fermenter longer than just during the very active fermentation period.

Whether you use the bright tank ("secondary" or clearing vessel) is up to you. Many brewers do, and many don't. I usually don't, and just keep the beer in the fermenter for three weeks or so or until clear and then bottle/keg it.

 

[Hannable1975]

One thing I have noticed tonight, on a beer I racked over to free up a fermenting bucket last week, was the lack of yeat at the bottom of the "secondary". I am suspicious that yeast strains are so clean now that there is a finite amount left in suspension , and racking over carries on those. I actually have a small concern that I will have a slow bottle conditioning based on the smallish yeast fallout I saw in the bucket. It has me convinced enough I plan to go tomorrow and buy three more fermenter buckets and lids, so that I never have to rob a bucket again - and leave all my brews in primary until bottle racking day, unless specifically called for in method as listed in the above post. ( Of course, my next batch up is a Cherry stout where I have to use a syrup, so , well, you know what they say about never say never... )

 

[Didje]

Revvy, thanks for your posts. As a newbie it's hard to understand the prons and cons of raking, but you've made it quite clear. Thank you for that!

 

[RM-MN]

Therefore I, and Jamil and White Labs and Wyeast Labs, do not recommend racking to a secondary fermenter for ANY ale, except when conducting an actual second fermentation, such as adding fruit or souring.

Is there a good reason to rack to a secondary vessel when adding fruit or would one be just as far ahead (or farther, less oxidation) to add the fruit to the primary fermentation vessel after the active phase of fermentation is done (ie, krausen has dropped, no more bubbles in the airlock, more than a week has occurred since pitching yeast)? Is there some overarching reason not to do it this way?