Stick with primary or rack to secondary?

[GuyBob]

Getting into brewing beer. I currently have a partial grain summer ale fermenting at 68. It's been bubbling for 4 days and slowing down. The directions say its good habit to rack to secondary fermenting chamber when fermenting is almost complete but not finished. Not sure what to do?

 

[m3n00b]

Getting into brewing beer. I currently have a partial grain summer ale fermenting at 68. It's been bubbling for 4 days and slowing down. The directions say its good habit to rack to secondary fermenting chamber when fermenting is almost complete but not finished. Not sure what to do?

No reason for a low gravity beer to be racked to secondary unless you're doing some sort of oak aging or some other flavor addition. Too many risks.

 

[GuyBob]

Getting into brewing beer. I currently have a partial grain summer ale fermenting at 68. It's been bubbling for 4 days and slowing down. The directions say its good habit to rack to secondary fermenting chamber when fermenting is almost complete but not finished. Not sure what to do?

 

[GuyBob]

M2noob. That's kinda how I feel. How long have u been brewing?

 

[2bluewagons]

I guess this thread is getting a bit intimidating in size, but the topic of whether or not to use a secondary has been beat to death. Many including myself don't, many still do.

Hopefully we can all agree that 4 days is way too early to be considering this. If you want to secondary, wait until primary fermentation is DONE.

I would recommend skipping the secondary. Now that you're in this hobby, you will appreciate the extra time that will give you, as it will free you up to brew more...

 

[GuyBob]

@2bluedwagon. Yea. It seems more work for something that may not do a lot. I'm confused on why the kit would want u to transfer so early. Is 5 days good for still bubbling? How long should I wait to bottle after its done bubbling? Pardon my noob was but there are so many opinions and it becomes confusing. Thanks

 

[bumstigedy]

I have experimented with racking to secondary and just going with primary. Lately I have split the wort into 2 carboys and then done secondary on only one. I like the results of the ones that have been in secondary better. They are clearer and when dry hopped have a more pronounced hop flavor. After primary or secondary I go to a keg and chill/carb for at least a few weeks.

 

[julioardz]

I rarely transfer to secondary. The only reason I see to transfer a little early, while it is still fermenting like your instructions say, would be so that the continued CO2 production would mix and flush out the air in the headspace. This way, your airlock will trap a nice layer of CO2 in the secondary, which theoretically would help prevent oxidation and infections. I think you would need a lot more air exposure and splashing to cause oxidation. Like the kind you get from needlessly transferring and moving your beer too many times. The simplest thing to do is leave it alone until you're ready to package, unless you have a real reason to transfer it to secondary.

 

[GuyBob]

Thanks for info everyone. One more question. I am bottling for now. Can I put them in my fridge laying on sides or do they have to be up right position? It's almost done bubbling and I'm going to leave in primary for a couple weeks then bottle or should I bottle as soon as FG is correct and stable? Thanks again for help

 

[eastoak]

@2bluedwagon. Yea. It seems more work for something that may not do a lot. I'm confused on why the kit would want u to transfer so early. Is 5 days good for still bubbling? How long should I wait to bottle after its done bubbling? Pardon my noob was but there are so many opinions and it becomes confusing. Thanks

don't be confused by anything those kits say or what they tell you at most homebrew stores, ignore both of those sources. you will find centuries of collective experience on these forums and many readily available books on brewing.

 

[julioardz]

Thanks for info everyone. One more question. I am bottling for now. Can I put them in my fridge laying on sides or do they have to be up right position? It's almost done bubbling and I'm going to leave in primary for a couple weeks then bottle or should I bottle as soon as FG is correct and stable? Thanks again for help

No, keep the bottles upright, unless you want yeast and sediment in your glass when you pour them. Bottle conditioning leaves a mini trub layer at the bottom of each bottle.

It looks like you have a fridge to ferment, which means you have the option to cold crash. Let it reach FG and give it a couple more days. Then turn the thermostat down to get your beer to around 32F. Leave it there for a week or so, and your beer will clear up more because yeast and other particles will settle. Then bottle and store at room temperature for 3+ weeks, and you should be good to go.

 

[2bluewagons]

Thanks for info everyone. One more question. I am bottling for now. Can I put them in my fridge laying on sides or do they have to be up right position? It's almost done bubbling and I'm going to leave in primary for a couple weeks then bottle or should I bottle as soon as FG is correct and stable? Thanks again for help

Upright for sure like the above said. And don't put the bottles in the fridge right away, they need 2-3 weeks at room temp (70 is best) in order to condition/carbonate. Regarding when to bottle, there are many threads on here that recommend a 3-week primary no matter what. I think it's good advice for noobs like you (hey you said it:cross, once you have a few more batches under your belt you can start to decide for yourself when fermentation is done.

 

[m3n00b]

M2noob. That's kinda how I feel. How long have u been brewing?

Well....I was given a Mr Beer kit about 7 years ago...I don't really count HME as brewing. I've been brewing real beer for about a year now.