Secondary fermentation

[clklez3]

I am making a Brewer's Best Milk Stout. The recipe suggests using a two-stage fermentation process. I have an auto siphon and have watched some you tube videos of folks doing the primary to secondary transfer. I know there are different opinions about this. I just wonder if this particular style of beer creates more sediment in the fermentation process? I know you all have probably been asked this kind of question a thousand times, but since the recipe suggests there is need should I transfer or am I just freaking out?
Any help you can give me is appreciated. This is my second batch. My first was a Mr. Beer and I just bottled that a few days ago. I think I am going to love my new hobby.

 

[mrduna01]

I always recommend ignoring kit instructions once fermentation starts. The only time I would secondary is if it is a big beer that requires aging for an extended period longer than six weeks or so like a Russian imperial, a strong ale or the like. A milk stout if it were me I would primary for a few weeks and at that time check the gravity and if all is going well, bottle or keg. Using a secondary unnecessarily is just another opportunity for oxidation and infection. Plus your beer needs that extra time on the yeast to clean up off flavors that fermentation can produce. Using a secondary as a rule for every beer is old school thinking that for whatever reason the producers of kits have yet to drop.

So many beers... so little time.

 

[clklez3]

Thanks. If you don't mind I have another question. I moved my bucket from the bedroom closet where it sat at about 63 degrees the first 12 or so hours. I thought this might be too cold so I moved it to the bathroom and slowly it went up to 68 then started fermenting. It was in there for bubbling for 2 more days then I had to move it back to the closet. I put a blanket around it but it is back down to 64 and no bubbling activity. Am I worrying too much or do I need to move it to a warmer place? I hate to keep moving it around.

 

[mrduna01]

What yeast are you using? As a general rule ale yeast is happiest and produces the cleanest flavor at a fermentation temp of 65 to 70 but keep in mind that ferment temp will be as high as 5 to 10 degrees higher than ambient temp due to the process of fermentation generating heat in the fermenter. Yeast also react to big temp swings. If you wanted to rely on ambient temp, without knowing the style your brewing or the yeast you used, you would need to ferment in a room with an ambient temp of around 55 to 60 degrees. Instead what most do is have a dedicated fridge/freezer with a temp controller or use a swamp cooler (google it) or even just put the fermenter in a tub of water and add frozen two litre bottles every 12 hours or so. As far as your current beer is concerned, most off flavors caused by high fermenter temps will happen in the first 36 hours or so which it sounds like your passed.... If it were me I would leave it where it's at now and give the yeast time to clean up. It won't be perfect maybe but you will learn a little more with each batch. Brew on!

Sent from my KFSOWI using Home Brew mobile app

 

[clklez3]

Thank you for your replies. I am sure I will have many more questions down the road.