I am brewing my second batch of beer, a much smoother process than the first. I do have a secondary fermenter available to use but as of yet I haven't been able to find a consistent report on when the best time to use it is. So far all the reviews and instructions I have been able to find are conflicting in their answers. Some say that it is best to place the brew in the secondary 48-72 hours after placing it in the primary (about when the foam settles and before the percolating begins) and yet others say to wait 9-11 days (once the percolating has ceased and the desired final gravity has been reached). I placed this brew (an Irish Stout) in the primary on Monday night (12/28/09) and it is still percolating quite heavily, about 1 bubble every 5-6 seconds. My question: Is it too late for the secondary or not? From my understanding the secondary is all about clarity and a better taste, an with a Stout Im not worried about the clarity as i am seeking a smoother flavor and taste. any thoughts and comments would be most helpful! thank you.
Secondary Fermenter- Too late to do it or not?
- Thread starter sfay6304
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Wait! 2-3 days is way too early. Secondary is used almost exclusively for clarity and additions (orange peels, wood chips, hops, etc.). Keep your fermentation in primary so as not to introduce outside elements that could ruin the beer.
At a minimum I give every beer 2 full weeks before racking to secondary. My stouts I keep in primary for 3-4 weeks before bottling. I've had my most recent brew, a Hefeweizen, in primary for over 3 weeks.
One thing I've learned in the past year, BE PATIENT.
At a minimum I give every beer 2 full weeks before racking to secondary. My stouts I keep in primary for 3-4 weeks before bottling. I've had my most recent brew, a Hefeweizen, in primary for over 3 weeks.
One thing I've learned in the past year, BE PATIENT.
Definitely wait until well after primary fermentation is complete. Secondary is really nothing more than a "Brite Tank" useful for clarifying your beers and providing a place to dry-hop without the escaping CO2 from fermentation carrying off the volatile alpha & beta acids in the hops.
If you aren't dry-hopping or adding fruit, etc. there is no need to use the secondary other than giving you something else to clean when finished. Just leave your beer in primary for 3 - 4 weeks and you will be good to go.
Good luck....
If you aren't dry-hopping or adding fruit, etc. there is no need to use the secondary other than giving you something else to clean when finished. Just leave your beer in primary for 3 - 4 weeks and you will be good to go.
Good luck....
There's been a big shift in brewing consciousness in the last few years where many of us believe that yeast is a good thing, and besides just fermenting the beer, that they are fastidious creatures who go back and clean up any by products created by themselves during fermentation, which may lead to off flavors.
Rather than the yeast being the cause of off flavors, it is now looked at by many of us, that they will if left alone actually remove those off flavors, and make for clearer and cleaner tasting beers.
You'll find that a great many folks, maybe even the majority on here these days, leave their beers in primary for 3-4 weeks, skipping secondary. Many of us even dry hop in primary, and only rack to secondary if we are adding oak or fruit, or had fruit in the boil or primary and left lots of trub behind.
Even John Palmer talks about this in How To Bew;
If you do decide to secondary, without a hydrometer, then wait til about 14 days after you pitched yeast, that way you will make sure that the beer has finished, and also give it a couple days for the yeast to clean up the byproducts of fermentation that lead to off flavors (and more than likely won't be cleaned up in secondary away from the yeast.)
Then leave it in secondary for another 2 weeks.
Rather than the yeast being the cause of off flavors, it is now looked at by many of us, that they will if left alone actually remove those off flavors, and make for clearer and cleaner tasting beers.
You'll find that a great many folks, maybe even the majority on here these days, leave their beers in primary for 3-4 weeks, skipping secondary. Many of us even dry hop in primary, and only rack to secondary if we are adding oak or fruit, or had fruit in the boil or primary and left lots of trub behind.
Even John Palmer talks about this in How To Bew;
How To Brew said:
If you do decide to secondary, without a hydrometer, then wait til about 14 days after you pitched yeast, that way you will make sure that the beer has finished, and also give it a couple days for the yeast to clean up the byproducts of fermentation that lead to off flavors (and more than likely won't be cleaned up in secondary away from the yeast.)
Then leave it in secondary for another 2 weeks.
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Wow. I didn't realize how good this question was, until I read through all of the replies. Thanks for the education, folks!
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