Second Fermintation Question

[DerekPruder]

Hello all


I am making one of those beer extracts in a can and im now on the second fermintation but there is no oxygen leaving the carboy. The carbot is almost full there is every little air in it. The beer has been in the second fermintation since Friday morning. Is this common or is there a problem

 

[Yooper]

You didn't give too many details, so it's hard to tell you what's going on. After primary fermentation is over, many people rack into a different carboy to get the beer off the yeast/trub. It's called a secondary fermentor, but that's not really correct. It should be called the clearing tank. The fermentation should be over, and the beer should just be clearing. Most people suggest the 1-2-3 method; 1 week primary, 2 weeks secondary, 3 week bottles, then drink!

Some important things to note: the sg. of the beer will tell you if fermentation is complete. Also, there should never be oxygen coming off the beer through the airlock- it's co2 as a byproduct of fermentation.

 

[DerekPruder]

So no bubbles at this point is ok i dont know the sg i m going tomorrow to get a hydrometer

 

[bitteral]

Assuming that you had a normal fermentation in the primary, it would not be unusual at all to not see bubbles in the airlock of your secondary.

 

[DerekPruder]

thanks for your help

 

[homebrewer_99]

Technically, it's not really a secondary "fermentation" as much as it's a 2-stage brewing technique.

The second container is used to get your brew off of the yeast in the primary and to allow your brew to age (a bit), mellow, and clear.

Most brews attenuate at 75%. This means that if your Original Gravity is 1.040 you divide that by 75% to get 1.010 (using last numbers only) then it's done.