Swimmers in Secondary

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Lurkerga

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Greetings all, somewhat new brewer on about my eighth batch, my second using a glass secondary. This batch has quite a few floaty's that swim up and down and appear to be clearing my beer immaculately. Is this the cleanup process that I've read so much about?
My first batch using a secondary was a bit darker and this wasn't as noticeable. This batch is a cream ale and it is really crystal clear on top and hazy the lower it goes. I have about 10" of cloudy beer at the bottom of a 5 gallon carboy, the rest presents a crystal clear golden body. It was a healthy seven-day primary fermentation and all gravities checked out fine.
If this is the cleanup process, do I just wait it out until all the Swimmers die down and drop to the bottom prior to bottling? It's been 10 days since the secondary transfer and the swimmers are still very active.
Thanks for any advice that helps clarify this situation ...
 
Wow. I would say that it's pretty unusual to have swimmers in secondary, and certainly after 7 in primary and another 10 in secondary. Usually all the yeasties swimming is something I would associate with primary fermentation that should largely be complete at 5-7 days.

What recipe is that, and what yeast did you pitch? What size starter did you make?
 
I don't secondary so I'm not sure what to really tell you there. However, after initial fermentation is complete, usually after about 5-7 days, I let the beer sit on the yeast cake for another 7-10 days for clean up. My carboys are a hazy plastic so I can't see what's going on in there. I just go by the gravity... I would assume though if the activity is still pretty active I'd let it sit for a bit longer. Have you checked the gravity for a few days straight and noticed any difference?

If it were me, I'd let the beer go for a full 2 weeks and then cold crash and bottle/keg--- esp if the gravity isn't changing.
 
I think what you are seeing is co2 escaping from under the yeast cake. The yeast hitch a ride on a co2 bubble and look like little worms rising and then dropping once the bubble pops at the surface. I don't secondary but I have seen it in my yeast starters. There was recently a thread about this. It was called "yeast starter- this is very strange". If that is indeed what you are seeing i wouldn't let them dictate when to keg or bottle because they mean nothing. If you are ready to bottle go for it.
 
I'm using a Danstar Windsor ale yeast slurry. After reevaluating the my post, I wouldn't say swimmers so much as scuba divers. I think Dave is spot on and it's nothing more than Small yeast puffs riding on a CO2 bubble and letting go at the top. It's just odd to see so many of them.

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