1 or 2 primaries?

[mulliganx]

I am watching the beer brewing video included with my starter kit.

They are using a single primary for the brewing process. I see a lot of posts mention using a secondary primary... It seems like it is up to the brewer, if someone could provide more information?

If I end up doing a second primary, do most people go with using two 6-gallon better bottles carboys?

Thanks

 

[E_Marquez]

On this forum I think you'll find most will say Leave it in the primary till done, unless you have a specific need to rack to secondary,...like dry hopping, adding other adjuncts, or just to free up your only primary fermentor.

When you do find the need to use a secondary fermenator.. use one in size that close matches your batch size, less head room is better after the majority of the fermentation is done...

 

[jro238]

The general attitude on the forum is that secondaries are unnecessary unless you are bulk aging your beer or adding things like fruit or wood chips that can't/shouldn't be put into primary. It really is up to the brewer but I would suggest that as a beginner you just skip the secondary since it is another transfer where you can introduce oxygen or wild yeast/bacteria that you don't want.

If you were to do a secondary then you want as little head space in the bottle as possible (to minimize oxygen contact). Also, using glass is generally considered better than plastic since it isn't permeable to oxygen.

EDIT: I am truly psychic....I copied E Marquez's post before even seeing it

 

[BlackGoat]

You've raised two of the most fiercely contested issues on these forums: secondary or no secondary AND (kinda) plastic vs. glass. The primary/secondary one is kinda like coke vs pepsi - people have different attitudes about it. As stated above, you want your secondary to match the batch size, so if you are making a 5 gallon batch you want a 5 gallon secondary. Personally, I only use a secondary when aging a beer on oak (or something else) for an extended period of time ... and by that I mean several months. I don't use a secondary for any typical beers and I get crystal clear beer. Just do what works for you, but my recommendation for just starting out is to avoid a secondary (the more you transfer your beer the more you risk exposing it to oxidation and infection). As far as using a better bottle, that is entirely up to you, I use better bottles for both primary and secondary.

 

[Wig]

I believe you mean a secondary fermentor, not primary?

No, they are not necessary. It was believed you could achieve cleaner flavors and improved clarity by racking to a secondary fermentor. That is not necessarily true. The biggest fear with only using 1 fermentor was autolysis (yeast decay) causing off flavors ruining the batch. With that belief it made sense to move the beer off the yeast ASAP when primary fermentation was done. But research, and personal experience, have show you can keep beer in the primary for months. I have gone as far as a bit over 3 months in the primary with no side effects.

If you do go with a secondary, ideally you'd want as little headspace as possible unless you can purge the vessel w/ CO2 (always purge if you can). Most would primary in a 6 gallon vessel, then secondary in a 5 gallon vessel. Any additional fermentation that occured after transfer would be minimal, so the smaller vessel would not be at risk of blowoff.

Of course if you are aging a beer for some time, 6 months and longer, than racking to a secondary would be appropriate. But for your average batch, not so much.

However, if you only read one thing I write, I do recommend having multiple fermentation vessels for the sake of your pipeline.

 

[tlox]

I use two primaries, but I like to have two batches going at the same time. I leave my brews in the primary until racking into the bottling bucket.

 

[unionrdr]

I have two primaries,a 6 gallon BB for secondary oe primary,& a bottling bucket. The onl time i use a secondary is when oaking with wood chips. I even dry hop in primary after the beer has settled out clear or slightly misty.

 

[TrickyDick]

Good advice.

I think having the ability to cold crash your beer in a primary will do wonders for clearing it. If you don't have the ability to do this, then consider a secondary vessel for racking if you desire clarity. Ultimately it settle in the bottle/keg once chilled however. I'm embarrassed to admit how many ferm vessels I have, but that's usually for when I want to brew a variety of different brews on successive days....

TD