Primary Secondary

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dr K

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Primary and Secondary (usually joined at the hip and I guess referring to fermentation) are terms that are often used, not just here but in a multitude of brewing forums.
The term (or terms) is so common that it has become a part of the lexicon, the reference to fermentation has been dropped.
My first question would be: to most readers of brewing forums do the terms "Primary" and "Secondary" refer to primary and secondary fermentation or do they refer to other states or things equally related to brewing.

K
 
Personally (and I think more generally) the terms are now used to mean the first and second vessel you keep your wort/beer in. The reference to fermentation has been lost as you say.
 
To me, there are two meanings; that which has become common usage, and that which is closer to the meaning of the phrase in its traditional sense. The period of time that the beer is spent in cold condition or lager has progressively and commonly become reffered to as 'secondary'. Whilst this is, at least to my understanding, not correct, the terms seem to have become interchangeable. I usually try to avoid usage of the term myself, and substitute the word 'cold' when reffering to cold condition or lagering.

To my own way of thinking, and when talking brewing with people that know me, and know my processes, I use the term secondary in its more proper sense, that is, it is a state where yeast is still active, having been transferred to another container usually (but not always) just prior to the end of complete fermentation. Depending on what I am brewing, and how I am brewing it, will determine whether or not I do a secondary fermentation, how far into fermentation I will do the transfer, or whether I will go straight from primary to cold condition. Most of my English style beers have a 2 stage fermentation, followed by a period of conditioning, and then carbonation.
 
5/5 to Stuster....
in reference to fermentation then what is secondary...
K
 
The fermentation itself is not secondary. It's a continuation of the initial fermentation, in a secondary vessel.
 
I rarely refer to it as secondary fermentation, but I take it to mean when fermentation actually starts again, for instance when you rack on to fruit and there is more yeast action. :rolleyes:
 
I rarely refer to it as secondary fermentation, but I take it to mean when fermentation actually starts again, for instance when you rack on to fruit and there is more yeast action. :rolleyes:
Or add priming sugar to bottle condition.
 
My understanding of a secondary is just that, a secondary fermentation i.e carbing in the bottle or krausening into a storage vessel for carbonation or as stuster says onto fruit. It can also mean when adding a different strain of yeast. Moving fermenting wort from vessel to vessel doesn't change the initial fermentation into a secondary fermentation, it just changes the term from primary vessel to secondary vessel.

Lagers

Edit - or as Boston says , just beat me to the punch.
 
As above
Primary is the initial vessel you choose to ferment in.
Secondary in this content would mean second vessel/ fermenter/ cube the ruh beer is tranferred to.

I think it is wrongly used as the bottling term.
I'd call that the carbonation stage as non of the co2 escapes.
:)

(The fermenting stages are Primary fermentation/lag phase, low krausen, high krausen, post krausen or late krausen.)
 
I think it should be refered to as fermentation (primary) and maturation (secondary)
 
Is bottle conditioning tertiary fermentation?

Primary, secondary, tertiary.

Kev
 
If you are fermenting your beer at a lower temperature. For example i often ferment my largers at aroun 16 degrees. For me, primary fermentation stops when there is no activity through the air lock. If you employ a diacetyl rest where you raise the tempertaure a couple of degrees, fermentation will begin again. This also tends to happen if you rack your beer into a second fermentor and sometimes even if you give your beer a good shake up in theoriginal fermenter (not really advisable as it may cause oxidation).
 
I have always been of the opinion that primary was when you are drinking it and secondary is when you're getting rid of it :beer:
 

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