Racking with foam on top of beer

[mtstringer]

Making my first batch by myself and went to rack from primary to secondary and there was a lot of foam on the top of the beer. I racked anyway but now I am wondering if I should have waited.

 

[TheCADJockey]

How long was it in primary? Did you take any gravity readings?

 

[mtstringer]

It was in primary for 1 week and we got a 1.020 for SG. OG was 1.060.

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

Nope... Don't do it. Let it ferment longer... You are there yet. Also why are you secondarying?

 

[unionrdr]

You should've waited. It sounds like it was still fermenting. It's common practice to wait until FG is reached before racking anywhere, or the beer could stall out.

 

[mtstringer]

The instruction told me to primary for 1 week and secondary for 2 weeks.

 

[Rhaop]

Drives me nuts when instructions say to rack after only a week, let that beer sit on the cake for 2 weeks before taking a hydrometer reading why rush a good thing [emoji482]

 

[govner1]

Nope... Don't do it. Let it ferment longer... You are there yet. Also why are you secondarying?

Agree w/ this except I have no problem w/ doing a 2°. I do it on most of my beers.
Give it at least 10-14 days in 1°. Certainly wasn't for the krausen to drop clear, then rack.

 

[1977Brewer]

The instruction told me to primary for 1 week and secondary for 2 weeks.

I do not understand kit instructions. They tell people who honestly don't know better to do things that are counter to every good practice.

Okay, now that you've moved it, it's going to stall a little. Raise the temp a little, around 70 should be okay, and check it in four or five days. Wait another three days or so and check it again. If the gravity is stable, package it and send it to me for testing. All of it.

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

Instructions are there in a general capacity. However let me make a general practice suggestion. I wait until the foam "kreusen" dies down. Usually I don't even touch a fermenting beer until 2 weeks. Also I don't secondary my beers unless I am dry hopping of racking ontop of fruits or other things.

Secondary is not always the best idea, especially for the new brewer because sanitation is super important.

Leave it in the primary for 2 weeks. Check your gravity after that... You should be there. Then, if you want to secondary, go for it, however you don't have to.

Then if its all settled out, rack to your bottling bucket, or if you keg, go to a keg and carb appropriately.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

I'm a beginner too, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but you should be fine other than that there will be sediment in the new fermentation chamber since fermentation is still going on. I think the general consensus is that racking is not required unless you are doing a heavy beer targeting a high abv. You could dry hop now, but you could have also dry-hopped in the primary and would have had one less mess to clean up.

 

[stpug]

Making my first batch by myself and went to rack from primary to secondary and there was a lot of foam on the top of the beer. I racked anyway but now I am wondering if I should have waited.

You probably should have waited another 3-7 days, BUT it'll turn out fine. Give it a couple weeks in secondary and refrain from opening the lid. The advantage you may have gained is that some more fermentation will both reduce oxygen pickup from the racking AND help to purge the headspace of excess oxygen. No worries.

 

[SwissRico]

Making my first batch by myself and went to rack from primary to secondary and there was a lot of foam on the top of the beer. I racked anyway but now I am wondering if I should have waited.

As an enthusiastic, impatient newbie I did exactly the same as you... And learnt from my mistake. My IPA stalled and I was left with a beer that was not quite what it should have been - it was OK. I don't understand why recipes talk about "days" when they should be talking about SG (which might be reached after X days). Wish I had asked HBT beforehand, but you learn and move on to the next brew.

Hopefully yours will also turn out "OK"

 

[SwissRico]

...but would agree with the above.i did not notice any oxygenation of my sweeter-than-I-would-have-liked IPA.

 

[unionrdr]

I remember my first batch's instructions. Even at that point, the times sounded too darn quick. Since my family has been fermenting & distilling for so long, it seemed hokey to wait only 5-7 days & all that.