Racking verse Not Racking

[sdalziel]

Almost all of the kit recipes I have seen say "after the beer is done fermenting go right to bottling". Now some friends, who have been doing this for 20+ years, say that is BS. They say after fermenting you rack and let stand for another 1-2 weeks.

I am curious what the pros can cons are one method verse the other...

 

[Jayhem]

1. Kits that say to bottle as soon as it's done fermenting are simply trying to get you to go out and buy another kit, soon! All beer benefits from sitting 2-4 weeks on the yeast cake after fermentation is complete!

2. Racking to a secondary fermenter is 100% not necessary and is a risk of contamination and/or oxidation of your beer. The ONLY time racking to secondary is necessary is if you plan to bulk age the beer on something to impart flavor, such as oak, vanilla, berries, or other things of that sort.

 

[Mojzis]

Here we go again...

It boils down to a few pros and cons:

Racking to bright/settling tank:
Pros:
Less sediment in bottles
Creates room if you need the yeast cake for re-pitching
Racking to glass for ageing
Dryhopping
Gelatin/crash cooling
Off the yeast which may cause an issue, or may not

Cons:
Oxidation while transferring
Chance of infection
More time and more work


A lot of people here don't bother, some still do. If I were doing a small beer I wouldn't bother. However large beers that need aging, or beers that need dry hopping or crash cooling I will usually transfer. A racked beer simply does not get clearer faster unless you add another variable like colder temps or finings. Lastly I recently saw Yooper stating that she can detect off flavors from extended primaries in the beer she tastes. She has said that some find the flavor pleasing while others dont.

So it boils down to personal choice. There are several threads here on the same topic. The consensus is experiment for yourself.

 

[kh54s10]

I agree that it is mostly "what works for you"

It is safe to bottle as soon as you have reached final gravity.
If you leave the beer longer or use a bright tank (secondary) more sediment will fall out of suspension.
If you allow the beer to stay on the yeast longer they MAY clean up off flavors caused by the process of fermentation.

I find that beers that I leave alone for 3 weeks are longer have been more clear. My palate is not refined enough to tell the difference in taste without a side by side comparison.

 

[kombat]

FINALLY a thread on whether or not to secondary.

As others have mentioned, it's very subjective and ultimately up to you. But modern wisdom contends that it's unnecessary unless you're adding fruit or dry hops and want to re-use the yeast.

 

[Homercidal]

Anyone who uses a secondary is a SUCKER!


HA!

Ok, seriously it's really up to you. The main things to consider are:

Is the beer done fermenting?

If no, then don't do anything.

If yes, then you *could* rack to a secondary, but be sure to do it gently, and to minimize headspace and contact time with air, as this can lead to oxidation. Purge with Co2 if you can.

Or you can leave the beer in primary for a week or two to clear. If you keg, it might be fine to rack into your keg to clear, so that your keg is basically a bright tank.

The bottom line is that whether you use a secondary or not, you need to make sure the beer is done fermenting, has matured properly for the style (it varies) and is as clear as you like, before bottling.

I have been skipping secondary for most beers the past couple of years and it's been fine, but I keg, which makes it easier. Lately I've been using a secondary, mostly because I've brewed a few bigger beers and I just feel better getting the beer off the yeast cake and out of a bucket since fermentation is over. A carboy, even a plastic one, is less prone to allowing oxygen in contact with your beer. Again, minimize headspace and/or purge with CO2.

 

[JimRausch]

FINALLY a thread on whether or not to secondary.

You so funny!

 

[unionrdr]

You can use a secondary if you want,but the beer should be at a stable FG before racking anywhere. & make sure everything that touches the beer,including the secondary fessel,is clean & sanitized first. I just let them stay in primary till they reach FG & settle out clear or slightly misty (depending on the yeast) before racking to bottling bucket & priming. I usually don't secondary unless I'm oaking or something...but that's up to your own personal preferences.

 

[JR_Brewer]

The term racking means to transfer wort or beer. It does not necessarily mean transferring to a secondary fermentation vessel. I actually thought this thread was going to debate methods for transferring! Ha!

The question on secondary has been asked, answered, debated, and repeated ad infinitum on this forum.

 

[Homercidal]

the term racking means to transfer wort or beer. It does not necessarily mean transferring to a secondary fermentation vessel. I actually thought this thread was going to debate methods for transferring! Ha!

The question on secondary has been asked, answered, debated, and repeated ad nauseum on this forum.

ftfy!

 

[sdalziel]

I am about to brew a hefeweisen. Would it be better to bottle that style as soon as the FG is stable and not let it rest any additional time??

 

[unionrdr]

I let wheat beers settle a couple days after FG then bottle. They should be hazy,but not turbid with a bunch of yeast.

 

[thegreatmaibockaddict]

Letting beer sit on dead yeast for a long time is a good way to make your beer taste like a stack of cold cuts.

If you are kegging I can see the lack of need for a secondary, and you can just blow off the sediment before consuming. But letting a beer sit in secondary for a week will allow things to settle so your bottles will not have large amounts of that sediment in it. Also, I have found that beer tends to hit its peak after some amount of time, so letting things settle in a secondary fits right into the aging process.

Having brewed over 400 batches of beer over the past 20 years or so, I have never had an infection that was caused by a transfer from one carboy to the next. Beer is not something that can be rushed without some sort of consequence. To each his own, but there is a difference between making beer, and making great beer.

 

[Queequeg]

I think if you secondary its best to secondary after 3-4 weeks in primary. I think if you move it before the benifits are negated, if you move after the yeast cake is compacted, the secondary can act as a bright tank for any material that is kicked up during the transfer which would otherwise end up in the priming bucket. If you move it before then, you will be kicking up more trub than you would otherwise.

The other con that is not mentioned is brewery efficiency is lowered. I don't think there is an advantage to dry hopping in secondary, I think it makes more sense to dry hop in the primary and the move to the secondary in an attempt to move the beer away from newely sedimented hop material that could kick up if you using transfering to the priming bucket. Unless you want to reuse the yeast, in which case the opposite is true.