New Brewer Question: Secondary Fermentation?

[mattric]

So I've been advised to add secondary fermentation to my brewing process which currently only involves a single coopers fermenter doing a primary fermentation.

So while it's all good and easy to be told to do a secondary fermentation (and coming up with no details on a search) I feel I need to ask a few questions:

When in the fermentation process to you do secondary fermentaion?

Looking at this they suggest using a smaller vessel than the primary, why is this and will it hurt if I don't use a smaller fermenter?

Is there a difference between racking and secondary fermenting?

Do I need to add more yeast to the secondary?

 

[manticle]

Big question.

Secondary at a basic level means use of a second vessel. Racking means transferring from one vessel to another.

Secondary vessels can be used for a number of things. Secondary fermentation is one of those things and it's debatable as to whether it's worth it for most beers. I used to do it for every beer but currently am generally avoiding it to see what difference I notice.

To be a true secondary fermentation, the beer needs to be either still fermenting when transferred or have extra fermenatbles added to it to kickstart fermentation again.

The theory behind secondary fermentation is that yeast goes through various phases while fermenting. Not every cell is in the same phase at the same point. When the yeast has finished fermenting and conditionng etc, it can die. Those dead cells can e cannibalised by living yeast cells which can release certain compounds that are unpleasant. This is known as autolysis which can taste like vegemite or burnt rubber or sulphur.

Many people happily ferment and then leave their brew on the whole yeast cake for weeks+ with no experience of autolysis so the necessity of transferring part way through ferment may have been overstated.

However there are other reasons for transfer to a secondary vessel which include bulk priming, clarity, long term lagering, aging, adding flavours such as fruit, dry hopping etc.

Before buggering around with it, I would suggest working out why you think it might benefit your brew and weighing those benefits with the risks associated with transfer which include oxidation and infection (often also overstated in my experience).

When you know what to expect, try and see if it meets those expectations.

No need to add yeast to a secondary vessel.

 

[mattric]

I have two cans of Tooheys Premium Larger which I've been told is a good kit to add flavour to. I was intending to add some rassberries to this brew and see what it tastes like but I want to do it right.

 

[manticle]

In that case you would add fruit during the secondary phase (ie when most active fermentaion is wound or winding down).

Whether you transfer or not is up to you but in that instance, I would. Mainly to avoid splashing a whole lot of fruit into the beer which is probably more an oxidation risk than gentle tranfer. Use a good quality hose and be sanitary with the transfer.

 

[mattric]

So when do you rack from the primary to the secondary?

 

[manticle]

If doing it for the purpose of adding things like fruit I would wait until you've hit FG. The sugar in the fruit will need to ferment out before bottling.

 

[mattric]

Lets pretend I'm a new home brewer. FG is Final Gravity?

 

[Bribie G]

Yup :icon_cheers:

There is a difference between secondary fermentation and cold conditioning. I have never secondary fermented and see no need to (after over 150 brews). Howeve what I DO do is to transfer the beer gently to another container (a 20L Willow Brand cube) at the end of fermentation, say after a week, and then stick that in the fridge and cold condition it for about a week for ales or a month for true lagers. During that time the crap falls out of the beer and it matures nicely, and is quite clear on bottling or kegging (still heaps of yeast there that you can't see, so no problem with gassing up in the bottle). I'd add the fruit a couple of days before the end of the primary fermentation.