Wouldn't using a secondary be a bad thing?

[Trenchant]

I was trying to decide whether or not to take my beer into secondary. Right now the plan is to leave it in a long primary.

The CO2 production is non existant. If I were to transfer the beer into a secondary wouldn't I just be oxidizing the beer? CO2 is heavier then air so right now my carboy will be full of CO2. If I transfer to secondary and no more CO2 is produced then my beer will be sitting below a section of air. Won't this affect the beer if its left for a week or two?

My first batch was in primary for 10 days before going straight to bottling and it turned out fairly clear. I'm thinking I might just primary for two weeks this time and go straight to the keg.

 

[McKBrew]

Many of use a long primary and forgo the secondary. Transferring to a secondary is not a bad thing, you will stir up enough CO2 to protect the beer. Whatever method works best for you.

 

[pjj2ba]

I like to secondary most of my beers. I keg so I have CO2 to purge the carboy I transfer to so I don't have to worry about oxidation. I find when I do primary only, these beers will often taste a little yeasty and for many of the styles I brew, this is not a good thing. I might just be that I'm a little extra sensitive to the yeast flavor. YMMV. If you are happy with your flavors using a primary only, then stick with it.

 

[flyangler18]

90% of the beers that come out of my brewery have had an extended primary only; I reserve the secondary for dry-hopping, pitching bugs, etc.

Using a very flocculant yeast lends itself to incredible clarity; the last ESB that I brewed was easily the clearest beer I have I ever brewed thanks to Wyeast 1968.

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

In theory, you are running oxidation and infection risks when using a secondary.

I only use one when I have too, like when I am making a fruit wheat beer.

 

[Revvy]

How do you KNOW there's no CO2 production happening? Airlock bubbling or lack means nothing...I'm sure there is a huge pocket of co2 covering your beer, unless you opened your bucket of carboy and drew the co2 out...it's heavier than air, so it is just sitting there..But like everyone has said so -far...if you long primary, you negate the need for using a secondary at all...unless dry hopping, adding fruit, oaking, or getting the beer off pumpkin or other unusual ingredients that were added in the boil/primary.

 

[flyangler18]

In theory, you are running oxidation and infection risks when using a secondary.

Practically speaking, careful racking and sanitation practices renders this point moot.

 

[ifishsum]

I'm doing a secondary on everything right now, they always gas off some CO2 during the racking process - certainly enough to cover the surface of the beer and protect it.

Of course you don't have to do a secondary - but there's no harm in it unless your racking and sanitization practices are lacking (or you do it too soon).

 

[mensplace]

For the styles I love most such as robust porters and strong Belgians, I always use a secondary of several weeks. Sometimes, I even add fresh yeast to the start of the secondary. Actually, the transfer to the secondary does introduce oxygen, but I view that as a good thing since it gets the yeast going and adds complexity. Still plenty of CO2 is produced to fill in the void at the top.

 

[velotech]

90% of my brewing uses a secondary. Once you get a process down, it's a quick and sanitary process. There still yeast in the liquid, even though most has settled. Also, I want to remove the liquid from the trub. I think the flavors and aromas are better when I use a secondary. Just my preference.

 

[Evan!]

If it's a beer like a Barleywine that will see extended aging, and thus runs the risk of oxidation over long periods, what you can do is use a co2 tank, if you have a kegging setup, to flush the secondary carboy with co2 before you rack into it.

Failing that, you can also use Private Preserve, an inert argon gas blend that is heavier than the atmosphere and nonreactive. It is typically used to preserve an open bottle of wine, as it sits on top of the surface of the liquid and creates a protective buffer, but a few squirts into a carboy will also help.

But, all that having been said, if you can avoid secondary aging, I would.

 

[CBBaron]

Once your beer finishes fermenting it is saturated with CO2. If you rack carefully this CO2 will remain mostly in the beer. Some will be released pushing the O2 out of the secondary as you fill it. If you fill it to near the top as recommended then very little O2 will be left in the fermenter and there is no problem with oxidation.

I usually do 3-4 week primaries only for my normal gravity beers and 3-4 week primary plus one or more month secondaries for my big beers like Imperial Stouts and Barleywines.

Craig

 

[mew]

One argument is that yeast loves O2, so if some gets in, the yeast incorporates it into their cell membranes before any other oxidizing reactions can take place. I would tend to agree with this argument because I have screwed up during bottling and had to transfer to different containers more than once and still no off-flavors.

Listen to the hot-side aeration episode of brew strong. It has some good general info on oxidation. One of the main points is that storage temperature is waaay more important than exposing the beer to small amounts of oxidation.

 

[Panzermann]

Once again, the only right answer to this question is this:

Personal Preferance.