To Secondary or Not

[Scottsdale]

Currently fermenting a milk stout in a conical fermenter. My question is, once primary fermentation is complete, is there an advantage to rack to a secondary or just age in the keg?

 

[rmr9]

I just age in the keg. Lower risk of oxidation. Do you have a dump valve on your conical? If so you could just dump yeast and trub and age in fermenter.

 

[Scottsdale]

I do have a dump valve at the bottom. This is a new conical so haven't tried the dump the trub method before.

 

[hotbeer]

Dumping doesn't always work as well as one would think. I've found the putting a reducer after the valve and then going to about a 1/2 inch hose barb helps get just the trub. But sometimes the beer pushes through and I'll shut the valve and wait 12 to 24 hours to try again.

Sometimes you have to go one little turd at a time and be happy with that.

I wouldn't use a secondary either. I even use my conical to bottle from after I've gotten all the trub out.

 

[Scottsdale]

OK so I'm going to rack to the keg, put it on gas and purge any oxygen to let it age

 

[hotbeer]

Keg is just as good a secondary as are the 12 fluid oz bottles I use!

 

[jerrylotto]

If you want a secondary fermentation, you can do it in a keg but you have to keep it at fermentation temperature. Chill it to age the stout and dissolve any additional C02 when your secondary is done. There may be some trub collected on the bottom but that usually clears after the first couple of pours.

 

[hottpeper13]

I also condition in a keg. Outside my lagerator I have CO2 hook up's and let the keg sit there on CO2 for 1-2 weeks at between 56*-64* depending time of year before going into the 33* lagerator.

 

[jtgoral]

I stopped doing secondary and beers got better. Even lagers. I ferment lagers per How to Stop Worrying & Lager I keg them after ~3 weeks.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

There is only one fermentation. You can change the vessels if you feel necessary. But we don't. The ferment is completely carried out in the SS Conical until racking to the serving keg.

 

[jerrylotto]

There is only one fermentation. You can change the vessels if you feel necessary. But we don't. The ferment is completely carried out in the SS Conical until racking to the serving keg.

That works really well too. It all depends on efficacy of your closed transfer methods. If you move it into a keg before the fermentation is done you can call it a secondary