Can't Rack Yet Grrrr

[hando]

Hi guys, have read all history posts about racking and I can't find the answer so here is my question...

I don't have another container to rack into yet. My lager has come along nicley in the fridge 15C. Time to bottle soon and I was thinking that I could try to cold condition in the bottles: bottle as per normal and then instead of putting them into a cupboard i could put the in the fridge too. Give them a daicetyl rest for a day at 18C then drop to 1C for two weeks.. then pull them out for cupboard storage.

Have I miseed the point? Is that wrong??

And when I do go to buy a container soon for racking can anyone tell me where to get a glass carboy? or a clearing cube?

oh and during the cold conditioning phase in the carboy or cube, is there a requirement for an airlock? or do we seal it up?

Sorry about all the questions and thanks

hando

 

[redgums500]

HANDO

If you are bottling, I wouldn't bother to rack. In the bottle and let them condition at around 18 to 20 degrees for a week then you can put them in the fridge to lager. If you can wait that long.
I see you are from wagga. If you need a cube you can purchase them from Bidgee Brew. You'll have to look the address up in the phone book. Don't expect to learn a lot from these guys as they just flog cans and spirit gear.

redgums

 

[pxpx04]

I am in a similar situation to hando, i have a lager coming along but nothing to rack into at the moment except for a 15L cube.

Is it worth racking the 15L and bottling the other 6(ish)L, or should I just bottle the lot and lager them after they have been carbonated like redgums suggested?

 

[hando]

Cheers redgums.

When I lager in the bottle as you say, is that at 1degrees C??? and how long is the lagering process? When the lagering is finished do I take the bottles from the fridge and store them in a cupboard as per usual?

I suppose then that the secondary is mainly for people who keg then? So when I get my kegs up and running and I want to rack to secondary, do I use an airlock? Fill the airlock with cotton wool or water as normal?

Sorry about all the questions again. I hope I will be able to help others in the future when I become a beer guru
Thanks hando

 

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

I personally dont agree with you on that one Redgum.

I have been using secondary brewing (Racking) to reduce the sediment that goes into my bottles. It gives me crystal clear beer and I can almost ignore the sediment.

After the fermentation is complete, I decant the brew into a second ferment (substitute cube etc here) trying to reduce the amount of aeration as much as possible.

I leave it in the fermenter in my shed for another 7 days, shielded from light but not too concerned with Temps as over the last winter the day temps rarely broached 15oC in Melbourne.

I then bottle and condition on shelf for about a month. I feel it has certainly improved my brews but As the Temps rise i may be in trouble.

From what I can gather, its not whether you keg or not that matters but apparently you needn't bother with Ales.

The Thread I followed to learn secondary was great.
Check it out ...

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...ic=9690&hl=

Cheers

ATOMT

 

[hando]

Hey there,

Thanks for the input so far guys. From what I've read in the other links etc I have understood that:

• Racking is good for many reasons but some ppl don't bother (this is why I want to try it.. I believe it may be good too)
• Racking and cold conditioning are different.. cc is for lagers but some ppl reckon it works for ales too
• Cold conditioning can be done in the bottle?
• If it is to go in bottles then cc in a secondary can cause problems with lack of yeasties in the bottle as the floc to the bottom and die

So it looks as though I won't bother while I am bottling to rack secondarys. I will be kegging soon anyway.

There still remains some unanswered questions though. In the case of cold conditioning: do I need and airlock in a clearing cube/carboy????? If so do I put water in it or some cotton wool soaked in idophor goo????

Cheers guys I hope you ain't all sick of me yet haha

Hando

 

[Stuster]

Hando

no need for an airlock with a clearing cube (cube is best as it takes up less room, cheaper etc). Just open the cap every now and then to let out any pressure.

I don't secondary as you can see from that thread ATOMT linked to. Beer's bright and clear. Just leave it two weeks in primary. No real harm in secondary though as long as you are careful to avoid aeration and contamination. Either way is fine.

Sounds like you have it all sorted out.

 

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

[*]If it is to go in bottles then cc in a secondary can cause problems with lack of yeasties in the bottle as the floc to the bottom and die
[/list]

I havent made up my mind on this one yet. It may be that the very cold winter was causing my bottle conditioning to take a while. i.e. In stead of just shelf conditioning, I was actually sort of cold conditioning.

Anyway, The main advantage of secondary can be achieved through just extending your primary as Stuster says. There may however be an advantage in that second week being done without the masses of sediment on the bottom.

My current larger has been in secondary for 12 days now (Mainly due to lack of time to bottle). As I said, I do my secondary in another fermenter and thus have an airlock (with boiled water) just because it easier than removing the airlock.

All in all, I would recommend secondary or extended primary as the difference is 5 mm of sediment in the bottle as compared to a light dusting of sediment.

cheers and good luck.

ATOMT