Racking - The Definitive Post

[deebee]

The best laid plans 'ey Nearly? Don't worry, do as Snow says, then get the baby out of the fermenter and get another one going.

For next time try to figure out why the racking f'ed up. Take the sediment thing off your tap - I don't reckon they do anything. When you rack out of the primary, loosen its lid to reduce air friction and let the stuff flow out better. Make sure your tap is fully open.

Then when I can't get the racking tube to fill, I pinch it a few inches below the tap and let that part fill up a bit. Then release and it should all fill up and suck dry.

And this is NOTHIN' mate! I could tell you some disaster stories centred around racking/bottling. I have emptied half a brew onto the laundry floor before realising the tap on the secondary was open. And then there was the time...

 

[Gough]

Yep, done the 'tap left open on the secondary.... BUGGER!' thing myself. What a mess. Wife took it pretty well considering...

Gough

 

[Nearly]

Thanks Snow and deebee and Gough. I will stop worrying and leave it in the hands of the beer gods.

Still.... Just out of interest.... in case it has gone belly up... can anyone say what the beer will taste like if it has been thoroughly oxygenated and left stored that way?

 

[deebee]

Read John Palmer's www.howtobrew.com on oxidation. He covers it pretty well. In summary, and from memory, oxidised beer will develop "wet cardboard" or unwelcome "sherry" flavours in time.

I think Snow is right and you will drink it before they have time to develop.

 

[Gout]

Mate worry less about it, if you saw the way a mate brews his beer, then tasted them you would have nothing to worry about, his idea is... "its home brew for my enjoyment... i aint going to stuff about with all the fancy ways of doing it i just drink it"

he dont rack, dont care about O2, infact dont care about much! just in with a coopers lager + a brew suger mix and slam it in the fermenter at say 23 deg leaves it in the shed then bottles and drink... i tell ya its not bad!

so if your worried about a bit of O2 getting onto you beer just enjoy it! you wont be able to taste it. And as some said unless your aging it for yrs it wont show its head, I guess this brew will be gone 2 weeks after opening!!!

there will be CO2 in solution and that will have a blanket onto of the beer, the O2 will sit above it hence the beer is fine!

Your first beer (having been 2ndry racked etc etc) will taste better than my first 20 brews

I say dont worry ... be happy... then fall over! :chug: :chug:

 

[Nearly]

Mate worry less about it, ..<snip>.. I guess this brew will be gone 2 weeks after opening!!!

I say dont worry ... be happy... then fall over! :chug: :chug:

Good advice Ben... thanks I will relax and drink it as soon as possible .

A NEWBIE TIP (but bear in mind that this is my first brew):

Last night when I racked it trickled out and foamed in the tube and took ages to empty fermenter. deebee gave me the solution. I tried it tonight with water.... after hooking up the tube and before turning on the tap I lifted the tube so that it was pinched at the tap exit point. Then opened the tap fully and then released the pinch by lowering the tube back down. The fluid that collects above the pinch point completely fills the tube cross section and then when released draws more fluid behind it. Presto... instant full tube.... quick drain of fermenter and no oxygen into the brew. I hope this helps some other poor newbie when they do their first racking.

Thanks again fellas for all the helpful advice.

 

[Gout]

thats helped me! thanks!!!
happy brewing

 

[Trough Lolly]

Thanks to all for the valuable tips and advice on this thread...Would you believe that after 20 brews, I still haven't racked/bulk primed yet :blink: ... I have a brew that has been slowly completing its primary fermentation for about 10 days at a pinch above 15C - yeah, it's that warm in Canberra :huh:

I was gonna rack and bulk prime it for bottling, but you guys have got me thinking about racking it into a secondary before racking for bottling. Its still coming down from an SG of 1036 (was at 1013 last night).

Given that it has been slowly fermenting for 10 days or so, would I be risking the brew by slapping it into a secondary with some malt? Or should I just pull the pin and bulk prime and bottle it?

Any advice on the pros/cons of secondary racking a brew that has spent 10 days in primary? - am I leaving this Hahn Premium copy too late?

Cheers,

Rowan