to secondary or not to secondary?

[DrinkingLounge]

My IPA will be going on day 7 tomorrow and it's bubbling nicely. Do I bother to Rack to a 5 gal carboy or do I just leave it in there and for how long? Three weeks? then bottle? My last batch (brown) I did two weeks then racked to a secondary. Thoughts?

 

[SIXFOOTER]

I have only done secondairy a couple times and seen no real decernable difference useing the same recipe. Maybe a clearer beer but thats about it. Leave in the primary 30 to 60 days and bottle it. Some like a longer ferment than others. I have had some done in 5 to 7 days, other still bubbling after a month.

 

[chickypad]

I'd certainly not leave an IPA sitting in the primary for 60 days. I'd give it a couple of wks to finish, dry hop for 5 days or so (I do this in primary) then package before it loses it's aroma.

 

[DirtyOldDuck]

What chickypad said. A secondary won't make your beer any clearer than it would otherwise be over the same period of time in the primary. Maybe it will even clear up less if you kick up any trub while racking to the secondary. Apart from using something like gelatin, the rate at which a given beer clears is mostly a function of time and temperature.

 

[antony]

i'd rack after 3 weeks in primary, dryhop in secondary if you have dryhopping on the schedule. i haven't noticed much difference with secondary unless i cold crash and devote a lot of time to letting it clear. with an ipa, i think you want to get it bottles as soon as its fermented...the flavor of the hops before they drop out is much more important than the clarity. just my two cents.

 

[DrinkingLounge]

thanks everyone I think I'll just let it bubble away till three weeks are up. The recipe didn't call for dry hopping so it will just go straight to bottling.