Secondary fermentation?!

[carliezdad]

Hi all!
This two part question may be addressed elsewhere but I'm gonna ask anyway.
1) Do I need to do a secondary fermentation or is it just a nicety?
2) Can I siphon my beer into the bottling bucket, clean and sanitize the fermenter and put it back in for a secondary fermentation if I am careful about not splashing my beer?
Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[Lumberg1]

No need for secondary at all. I just do 3 - 4 weeks primary then bottle or keg. Works great and it greatly reduces the chance of infection and/or oxidation.

 

[Shaneoco1981]

If you want to secondary, you can do what you said, rack to bottling bucket, clean primary and put it back in the primary. It does however expose your beer to unnecessary risk of oxidation and infection. I would say leave it.

 

[erikpete18]

Yup, you'll find a lot of people don't bother with a secondary anymore (unless they're adding fruit, dryhopping, etc., and sometimes not even then). Its not even really a fermentation, its more of a bright tank and the whole purpose is to drop more yeast out of solution. I've found that you can get the same result by leaving it in the primary for 3-4 weeks for an average (~1.050) beer, plus then the yeast will cleanup any off-flavors you might have made during fermentation. It also one less chance for oxidation/infection, and one less thing I've got to clean in the end .

 

[carliezdad]

Thanks for keeping me grounded! I really appreciate the chance to learn from others as I don't know of any local brewers yet.

 

[PanzerBanana]

I like to secondary to give a chance for more yeast and "floaties" to settle out. Which also leaves much less to avoid and try to filter out come bottling day.

 

[pjj2ba]

The are pluses and minuses to both. What we are talking about is bulk aging. It is clear that bulk aging is a good thing, therefore the question is, on the yeast cake or off? In commercial brewing, the beer is typically bulk aged OFF of the yeast, so for many years, this was the std. practice for homebrewer. Now it is evident that no great harm (in most cases) will come to your beer if you leave it on the cake longer. So that has become the fashion.

My recommendation is to try it both ways and decide for yourself. Some very knowledgeable and experienced brewers had done some testing, and most of them could taste a difference between the beers aged ON the yeast versus those OFF the yeast (done with a secondary). The kicker though was some preferred the ON version, some preferred the OFF version. Generally the ON versions were a little more estery and the OFF version were felt to be cleaner tasting. This is why I recommend taking the time to try a recipe twice, one each way, and decide for yourself.

If you are new too brewing and don't feel confident in your sanitation, then your best bet is to do primary only. The more you manipulate your beer the more chance you have of infection and/or too much oxidation. However, for those who prefer cleaner tastes, it is worth it.

My only caveat with primary only is for those whose beers are fermenting on the warm side. The warmer the beer is at for both fermentation and aging, the stronger the flavors you will get. You might like them, you might not

And yes you can transfer, clean, and then transfer back. I did this years ago when I was just getting started and had no problems

 

[carliezdad]

The are pluses and minuses to both. What we are talking about is bulk aging. It is clear that bulk aging is a good thing, therefore the question is, on the yeast cake or off? In commercial brewing, the beer is typically bulk aged OFF of the yeast, so for many years, this was the std. practice for homebrewer. Now it is evident that no great harm (in most cases) will come to your beer if you leave it on the cake longer. So that has become the fashion.

My recommendation is to try it both ways and decide for yourself. Some very knowledgeable and experienced brewers had done some testing, and most of them could taste a difference between the beers aged ON the yeast versus those OFF the yeast (done with a secondary). The kicker though was some preferred the ON version, some preferred the OFF version. Generally the ON versions were a little more estery and the OFF version were felt to be cleaner tasting. This is why I recommend taking the time to try a recipe twice, one each way, and decide for yourself.

If you are new too brewing and don't feel confident in your sanitation, then your best bet is to do primary only. The more you manipulate your beer the more chance you have of infection and/or too much oxidation. However, for those who prefer cleaner tastes, it is worth it.

My only caveat with primary only is for those whose beers are fermenting on the warm side. The warmer the beer is at for both fermentation and aging, the stronger the flavors you will get. You might like them, you might not

And yes you can transfer, clean, and then transfer back. I did this years ago when I was just getting started and had no problems

Thanks for the detailed explanation! I am a new returnee to brewing. I brewed for about a year 14 years ago and quit due to one too many bad batches. The LHBS I was using while stationed in NC was not very helpful as their expertise was in wine and soda making causing me to give up. They mentioned the use of secondary fermenters and said it was for those who wanted to get a more clear/cleaner beer. Seemed like a lot of extra work for a beginning brewer.
Now that I’m getting back into brewing (first batch on primary for 4 days now a Porter) I have been reading a lot of post and John Palmer’s “How to Brew” trying to make up for the lack of knowledge from last time. I did figure out that sanitation was my biggest issue and have taken special care to eliminate that problem.
Thanks again for the GREAT information!

 

[yummybeer]

i personally leave the brew in the primary for about a week or so after fermentation is complete and the airlock is no longer bubbling, then i bottle/keg it. as long as the primary isn't moved to disturb the trub, then i think it'll be just fine without moving the brew the a secondary.