Racking To Secondry?

[KHB]

Im sure it has been told on here before but what are the advantages of secondary fermentation, i havnt tried it before.

And how do all of you do it??

Cheers KHB

 

[geoffi]

I was using secondary with every brew, but now just leave it in primary a week or two longer. Much easier, and better result.

 

[PostModern]

I'm with Geoffi. It used to be a big part of my "quality process" when I made partial mashes. Nowadays, I don't bother, I just leave my ales a little longer in Primary. Apparently longer contact with the large body of yeast is beneficial. The yeast cleans up by reabsorbing diacetyl and other by products. Pull the beer off the yeast and that doesn't happen.

If you do want to do it, say for a big beer or if you're going to lager, there are a number of ways to do it, a tap-to-tap hose being by far the coolest. Searching will reveal all.

 

[geoffi]

Only times I've done it recently has been for under-attenuated brews, where I've racked and added extra yeast.

For pilseners etc, I'm also leaving in primary longer, then racking into a cube for lagering.

 

[Beejay]

Only times I've done it recently has been for under-attenuated brews, where I've racked and added extra yeast.

For pilseners etc, I'm also leaving in primary longer, then racking into a cube for lagering.

Yep, Only good reason to rack these days for me is to get to the yeast under the beer for the next batch

 

[leeboy]

Secondary scares the crap out of me for oxidation. Now i just condition in the keg. 100+ kges in much happier with the change

 

[geoffi]

Funny how for so many years secondary fermentation was one of the great articles of faith of homebrewing. It was supposed to make the beer so much better. Leaving beer on the yeast cake was really bad. You'll get autolysis. The beer won't be clean and clear. etc etc.

Now, not.

So, what myth is next for the chop?

 

[floppinab]

Depends a bit for me on what I'm doing with the beer.

With lagers I've noticed that if I take the beer from primary, filter then straight to keg/fridge I'm not letting an important part of lagering/secondary ferm take place and quite a few lager least products, sulphur and the like never get cleaned out of the beer. If I'm filtering, either to keg or bottle then I'm finding it's important for the beer to spend quite a bit time with some yeast in the secondary/lager to clean up some of those lager products. For those that go straight to bottle it's probably not so critical because they are "lagering" in the bottle for quite a bit anyway so prim straight to bottle is a similar process.

With ales, it's not so critical so I'm tending to crash chill for a few days, then filter straight to keg.

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Depends a bit for me on what I'm doing with the beer.

With lagers I've noticed that if I take the beer from primary, filter then straight to keg/fridge I'm not letting an important part of lagering/secondary ferm take place and quite a few lager least products, sulphur and the like never get cleaned out of the beer. If I'm filtering, either to keg or bottle then I'm finding it's important for the beer to spend quite a bit time with some yeast in the secondary/lager to clean up some of those lager products. For those that go straight to bottle it's probably not so critical because they are "lagering" in the bottle for quite a bit anyway so prim straight to bottle is a similar process.

With ales, it's not so critical so I'm tending to crash chill for a few days, then filter straight to keg.

Then you can lovingly brew a wonderful European style ale full of malts and hops that would have won the unofficial title of best case swap beer NSW Xmas in July 2008, foolishly transfer to a cold conditioning fermenter, look at it wishfully for the month in cold storage, go to bottle it and ... and ... oxidised to the absolute shit house ! Talk about a wet cardboard taste. :angry: Should have bottled when fermentation finished. IMHO, unless you have to, don't transfer to secondaries !!!!

 

[sm0902]

Always wonder about secondary and whether it is worth while.

Does it change your process when you are going to re-use the yeast slurry?

Do you transfer to secondary at a particular point in time to ensure you're getting the best of the slurry?

Or, does it give you the same result by collecting slurry at the end of a single stage fermentation?

--

I have started using liquid yeast and re-using the slurry so am keen to hear opinions on this.

To date I have been transferring my ales at 7-8 days (lagers 12-14) to secondary and collecting yeast at that point. No problems with subsequent beers ... but would be happy to drop the secondary bit if it isn't necessary.

 

[akkasoothy]

this is my theory on racking to a second container , i actually did it today , and the yeast at the bottom really stunck bad.i think u dont want decaying organisms (yeast) leaching their vital fluids into your brew.
nuff said...

 

[Tony]

I aint saying nothing......... got shot down in flames last time

 

[ibast]

I think people are getting too paranoid about oxidation. If your hose goes right to the bottom of the vessel and you don't try to go too fast, oxidation should be kept to a minimum.

If you are really paranoid put a squirt of CO2 in the bottom of your secondary vessel.

 

[Guest Lurker]

Oh sacred blanket of CO2, hallowed be thy name, for thou existeth in defiance of the laws of physics and thermodynamics.

 

[hosko11]

I've wondered about putting a squirt of CO2 into the secondary before racking. thanks for the confirmation.

Also, slightly off topic, does anyone hook the racking tube from the tap on the primary fermenter to the tap on the secondary? Then by lifting and lowering the secondary relative to the primary you can easily control the flow rate between the vessels and hopefully minimise any swirling and possible oxygenation, plus the added benefit of not having to immerse the racking tube in the beer which could be a source of infection.

 

[devo]

I still rack to secondary and will continue to do so.

 

[winkle]

Devo you heretic!

I do too

 

[boingk]

Ditto McSpritto

Clarity, consistency, coolness and dry-hoppings a cinch.

BAM! - boingk

 

[ibast]

Oh sacred blanket of CO2, hallowed be thy name, for thou existeth in defiance of the laws of physics and thermodynamics.

OK explain to me why it doesn't sink to the bottom of the vessel? I'm open minded

 

[Adamt]

Not exactly sure what you're asking... but the beer is more dense than CO2 (gas) so the beer sits below the CO2 (duh?). Air is less dense than CO2 so a "blanket" of CO2 occurs between the beer and air.