# When Do I Rack To Secondary?



## matt84 (12/1/09)

I've just come back to brewing after a 2 year hiatus. I want to try doing a secondary fermentation as I've read that it improves flavour and clarity. My question is when exactly should I rack from the primary to the secondary fermenter? I'm currently doing a kit n' kilo at 18C (fridgemate) with Safale US-05. Here are my hydrometer readings:
day 0: 1.33
day 2: 1.30
day 4: 1.24
day 6: 1.20

I'm also thinking that it's going a bit slow. Most likely because I forgot to aerate the wort, I guess it's a bit late to do anything about that now


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## davewaldo (12/1/09)

Welcome matt!

That does seem very slow, I would have expected it to be finished by day 6. It's possible your yeast is a dud, you could try pitching some more. Also if you are still at 1.020 you might still be able to aerate a little. I know when making wine you can aerate until one third of the sugars are eaten. You have only just past that point (assuming it goes to 1.000). 

But it is probably best to just pitch more yeast at this stage. 

It does seem that your beer will be quite low in alcohol, was this your plan? If it finishes at around 1.008 (or more for this yeast) it would be a little over 3%.

As for racking to secondary. I'll let others advise you. I tend to use a 2.5 week primary then cold crash for 2 days, then bottle. I've never had any autolosis flavours and get very clear beer. And its SO easy! 

Again welcome AHB and Good luck!


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## Brad Sofield (12/1/09)

davewaldo said:


> Welcome matt!
> 
> That does seem very slow, I would have expected it to be finished by day 6. It's possible your yeast is a dud, you could try pitching some more. Also if you are still at 1.020 you might still be able to aerate a little. I know when making wine you can aerate until one third of the sugars are eaten. You have only just past that point (assuming it goes to 1.000).
> 
> ...


 
Hi guys Just readin in on your notes and hope I have replied in the right manner  . I've been brewing a while and just moved into AG. Some of the lingo I have never heard before, ie "cold crash". Can you explain the process please? Does it mean after setling for your 2.5 weeks in the primary you move to the fridge and lower the temp as quick as you can before racking off? Also aerating the wort through primary fermentation - is it simply a matter of dropping a cintered stone through the airlock hole and letting the co2 blanket keep nasties out?
Thanks


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## Effect (12/1/09)

mate I would just grab a whisk, spray some sanitiser on it....and then thrash the wort in the fermenter a bit...adding some extra yeast wouldn't hurt either.


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## Goofinder (12/1/09)

Err... I wouldn't be aerating it at this point, I reckon you'll oxidise the crap out of the beer and it'll be pretty ordinary.

If you want to get it going a bit rocking the fermenter to rouse the yeast back up (don't splash) might help. Otherwise, racking to secondary will probably get you another couple of points, but personally I wait for about 2 weeks before racking as a general rule. Slow and cool is (usually) better than fast and hot when it comes to fermentation anyway, so I don't really see a problem yet.

My first AG was not well aerated and took a while to get going. After a short time in the bottle it was pretty ordinary too (loads of diacetyl) but with a bit of time it all cleared up into a decent beer.

Just try to have some patience....


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## matt84 (12/1/09)

Thanks for the replies guys.
Dave, you're spot on about the OG being a bit low. The kit I was using included an extra can of malt and 200g of grains. It was an old kit and the grain had weevils in it so I didn't use it (I did have the sense to buy fresh yeast  ). Probably explains the low OG. Ohh well, low alcohol will be a good excuse to quickly wear in the new keg system!
I think I'll give it another few days; I guess as long as it hasn't stopped completely it might still be potable. This is sort of my practice run with all the new gear anyway.


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## davewaldo (12/1/09)

Matt, I'm sure it will get there in the end. It probably won't be your best brew (especially if the extract was old) but I'm sure you've enjoyed the process and the first brew with new gear is always fun!

Hi BradS, you're correct about cold crashing, it means just cooling the beer to very cold temps (2 degrees or so) and leaving it all to settle. The brew might still look like mud after 2 weeks in primary, but 2 or more days at cold temps can make it fall very clear.

Aerating a beer wort is really only needed on brew day (or the day you pitch the yeast). As Philip has said, you can use a whisk and beat the crap out of it for 10mins or use a stainless steel air-stone with pump for 10-20mins. Your average beer is quite a nice place for yeast to live so any more aerating than this is not usually nessecary. I've only recently started aerating with a stone and I've noticed my yeast gets a much quicker start.

With high gravity beers or wines its common to aerate the wort for the first few days while the yeast is still in its aerobic phase (consuming O2).

Hope all this helps!


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## buttersd70 (13/1/09)

Phillip, aerating mid ferment? even I'm not that f#$%^&kn crazy. Aerating at 16 hours in, maybe....if looking at a drop technique. Otherwise....hmm, I like diacetyl, but tha's going a bit far.

Matt, just leave it be. It'll be done when it's done. 2 to 3 days of steady hydro readings, no matter how long it actually takes. If it's still dropping, its slowly fermenting.


In Yorkshire, we have a saying....."Softly softly catchy monkey"

Understand that, my child, and the world is your black pudding...................................


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## cdbrown (13/1/09)

If he wants to do secondary fermentation then shouldn't he transfer to secondary when it's about 3/4 fermented or nearly finished so that it completely ferments out off the old trub?

Or have I got it all wrong?

I follow something similar to davewaldo, except I don't just leave it sitting there for 2.5 weeks, I cold chill in the primary once I have the same hydro readings over a few days and the readings are reasonably low. After a few days of chilling (it's in the keg chest freezer with temp monitored elsewhere) I put some gelatine finings in a spare fermentor and tranfer to that. A day or so later add some polyclar to the top to get rid of any chill haze and then the following day put it into the keg and remainder in bottles. I also try and save the yeast cake from the primary - but yet to actually reuse them (always leave it to brew day before realising I need to get a starter going)


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## raven19 (13/1/09)

I found racking helped my second to last beer, a kit IPA, to get going after after a 'percieved' stalled ferment. Other train of thought is racking may help as you are removing the beer from sitting on a yeast cake for 2 weeks...

+1 to what butters said re avouding aerating the now beer (not wort anymore).

Its all a good learning experience! Welcome back Matt!


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## buttersd70 (13/1/09)

cdbrown said:


> If he wants to do secondary fermentation then shouldn't he transfer to secondary when it's about 3/4 fermented or nearly finished so that it completely ferments out off the old trub?
> 
> Or have I got it all wrong?



No, you have that absolutely right. Secondary fermentation is exactly that. Of course, care is taken not to aerate the beer at this point.

Matt, as Raven said, racking to a second vessel for a secondary fermentation may well help kick it over, but in this case, as it is still dropping of its own accord, I would probably be leaving it untill it got lower or slower.


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