Racking & Bulk Priming

[Dilligaf]

2 things I have not done with my previous brews:

Racking
Bulk priming

Racking because it seems to me that it introduces the possibility of infection / contamination.

Bulk priming - because of the above.

Anyway I am considering racking my next brew as it is a pale ale and thought that by racking it I can remove some extra sediment and if Im racking it I may as well bulk prime it.

So i am guesasing that I rack it into a second fermenter some time before I bulk prime it whch should be about when I bottle the brew.

Am I right in saying that I should try to aoid any sloshing during the racking process and that I should leave it for at least a few days before I add the suger for bulk priming purposes?

Any advicewill be appreciated

 

[Pennywise]

You DO want to avoid splashing, rack when you are ready to bulk prime, then bottle straight away. If you rack, then leave it for a few days, you'll need to rack again to mix the priming solution together properly.

 

[bowie in space]

You'll need to bulk prime if you want to continue brewing purely on an enjoyment level, and let's face it, that's why we brew...to enjoy! Carb drops are horrid. Most folk on this site will tell you the same. You'll get far better consitency bulk priming. A whirlpool action is good, splashing is bad.

Ideally you'll want to rack, prime and bottle pretty quickly, but, you don't need to rack for a secondary fermentation phase. If you want a beer that looks pleasing to the eye, try to extend your primary fermentation by a few days up to a week after reaching FG. I tried racking to secondary before priming a few times, and it does make your beer clearer, but if you're not worried about it (like me) and you don't have the time (like me) you can just skip that part.

Research, trial and error will answer all your questions in time. If your sanitation is up to scratch then you have nothing to worry about, and plenty of experience to gain.

Bowie

 

[Yeldarb]

I no longer rack to secondary fermenter for a "secondary fermentation"...I used to and swore that it was a major improvement. What I have found though, through experimentation (racked half a batch, left half the batch on the trub in the primary) was that racking made no significant difference...what I believe makes the difference is simply not bottling the beer so soon. Basically, what I do now is simply leave everything alone for a minimum of 2 weeks (preferrably a bit longer, and then use gelatin to clear it up even more)...then bulk prime from a second fermenter. I do have my fermenter in a fridge (with tempmate) but have not found any issues with leaving the beer on the trub for longer.

When bulk priming I simply mix up some dextrose (still experimenting but so far about 7g/litre seems to work) with some water and heat till it is boiling...put this into the second fermenter...then using some hose connected to the primary tap, straight into the secondary (with the sugar syrup) and bottle from there.

My main goal is good beer as easy as possible.

 

[hazard]

I got latest BYO magazine yesterday, and they had an article on racking. Someone organised an experimwnt, with 12 home brewers participating, to brew a batch and leave half in the primary on the trub for a few weeks, and rack the other half off the trub after 1 week.

I don't have the mag in front of me, but results were something like- 1/2 couldn't tate any difference, 1/4 thought racked beer tasted better, 1/4 though beer left on trub tasted better.

CONCLUSION:
- leaving beer on trub for a few weeks, at a home brew level, does not produce significant off-flavours.
- therefore as mentioned above, its a good idea to leave your beer in the primary foro a few weeks to drop out sendiment before bottling
- if you want really clear beer, put it into the fridge for a few days before bottling.

I am currently racking to a clean fermenter after 2 weeks in the primary immediately before cold conditioning. Then rack to a bottling bucket after I pull beer out of fridge. Based on BYO experiment, it seems easiest to just leave beer in primary at fermentation temp for 2 weeks, transfer for fridge for 1 week, then bulk prime and bottle.

Oh, and the article only discussed ale. For a lager, racking may still be an option.

 

[manticle]

Racking for clarity and racking for secondary ferment are two different things.

For clarity you can use finings or cold conditioning or racking. If you decide to bulk prime make sure you dissolve your sugar by bringing it to the boil then cooling. Add it before you rack then allow the brew a half hour to settle before bottling.

You can bulk prime without racking (which I do). Works fine.

 

[kc_ksom]

Or skip the bulk prime and go straight to keg!!! ha ha

casey

 

[buttersd70]

Racking for clarity and racking for secondary ferment are two different things.

zachary. The Americans (gotta love em ) tend to use the term very, very loosely.....if you read Palmer, as an example, it's obvious that his interpretation of 'secondary fermentation' is completely different to other sources (such as Briggs, Boulton, Brookes and Stevens).
Different method, different reason....shock, horror - different results.

 

[parrja]

Before I got my kegs I used to bulk prime without racking.

Normally I'd leave the brew (Ale) to ferment for 2 (or 3) weeks.
Boil up some dextrose or malt and pour into the original fermenter.
Briefly stir (obviously don't scrape the bottom) and then let sit for at least 30 minutes and then bottle.

I was always using S-04 which sets like a rock on the bottom. All bottles carbed evenly and only had a paintlike layer of yeast on the bottom. You could empty the bottle without any yeast coming out.

So I'd say skip the racking step as it's not neccessary.

 

[Dilligaf]

Thanks for the input everyone.

I always leave my brew for minimum 2 weeks for primary fermentation.
I am not that fussed about clear beer so I was considering racking more for the bulk priming point of view I guess.

Anyway I might give it a try and see how it goes for teh next batch.

 

[Wonderwoman]

I can't believe no one else has given you the links to the arcticles on racking:
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=12
and bulk priming:
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=68