using a secondary fermentor

[langer]

how much yeast if any should i carry over into the secondary fermentor... i was very careful to not bring over any... and my OG was 1.046 and the last was 1.016 both temps were 68-70f so will it gain any more ABV than 4.05% or what? this is 5 days into it. also the fermentation seems to have stopped that's why the transfer....?????

cheers...
PS this is a hazelnut brown nectar clone partial grain

Jonah

 

[Ace_Club]

You should ideally carry over as little yeast as possible.

It's hard to tell how much more it will ferment without knowing the type of yeast used.

In the future, most beers you don't really need to transfer to the secondary. Just keep it in the primary for an extra week or so and it will be just as good.

 

[samc]

+1 secondaries are so last century. Let it primary longer.

 

[Nurmey]

You might have a few points to go so you probably should have just left it in primary. OTOH, sometimes moving it to secondary will give a kick start to fermentation again. There are tons of yeast left suspended in your beer so give them a few days to build back up if there is more to ferment.

 

[langer]

really? i'm kegging it into korny keg and thought that a secondary was ideal so it didn't sit on dead yeast??? oh well...guess i have to brew another batch

 

[Ace_Club]

+1 secondaries are so last century. Let it primary longer.

Let's not go overboard on our hatred of secondaries.

I find them beneficial for big beers (barleywines), sour beers (my current Framboise Lambic), and meads.

 

[Nurmey]

Many of us keep it in primary for 4 weeks or more. Nothing wrong with secondaries, just no need to use them for many beers.

Just so you know it is not dead yeast your beer is sitting on, it's still very much alive. Some yeast is dormant but some is busy working on cleaning up its waste, removing off flavors, and clearing your beer.

 

[mafeeker]

Secondaries are not totally without function, but generally they are not necessary. Autolysis (off flavors from dead yeast) is not as common as most people think, especially if you have a healthy yeast to begin with. Long lagered beers and high alcohol beers probably should be transfered to secondary, but the majority of beers dont really need it.