people say secondary is not needed..then why do the big breweries still do it?

[beerhound28]

hello yall
i been reading that secondary fermentation is not needed..but if thats the truth why do big breweries such as moortgat,orval,chimay, and many others still rack to aging(secondary) tanks?..I have a belgian strong in primary using 1388 yeast which is has low flocculation..i planned on racking to secondary after a few weeks to allow the brew to clean up and age off the trub..certain styles benefit from secondary correct? everything i read about brewing belgian styles states that they should be racked to aging tanks due to the high ABV etc..what do you all think?..cheers

 

[JefeTheVol]

To open up space for the primary fermenter. Its about turnover and production when you do this for a living.

 

[beerhound28]

To open up space for the primary fermenter. Its about turnover and production when you do this for a living.

so doing this at home totally no need at all?

 

[cl330b]

It's all about personal choice on the homebrew level. There's nothing wrong with a secondary. If you think it makes your beer better then GO FOR IT! Some do and some don't, in the end it's all beer. Me personally, I never do a secondary and my brew is clear and delicious. To each his own.

 

[cl330b]

so doing this at home totally no need at all?

Again, it's up to you!

 

[beerhound28]

belgian styles do benefit from a secondary though correct?

 

[Goose5]

I do the secondary thing. Works for me.

 

[beerhound28]

I do the secondary thing. Works for me.

produces a cleaner beer right?

 

[Special Hops]

Normal beets I don't worry about. I have had bets in the primary for up to 6 weeks no issues. If I age something for months I will rack to secondary to get it off the yeast.

In end it's all really personal preference.

 

[dunnright00]

Depends on what you are looking to gain from it.

Clarification? Adding something (fruit, dry-hops, bugs, etc)? Making space for more batches?

Bottom line, the argument against secondary is that it may not be necessary, and you run the risk of infection or oxygenation.

So ask yourself why you want to make a secondary, and if you think you should, be careful with sanitation and introducing O2.

 

[beerhound28]

Normal beets I don't worry about. I have had bets in the primary for up to 6 weeks no issues. If I age something for months I will rack to secondary to get it off the yeast.

In end it's all really personal preference.

would you leave a beer in primary for many weeks if there is alot of headspace? in my current brew there is quite a bit of headspace...is that a good reason to rack to SD to prevent oxidation?

 

[iv_hokie12]

would you leave a beer in primary for many weeks if there is alot of headspace? in my current brew there is quite a bit of headspace...is that a good reason to rack to SD to prevent oxidation?

One of the nice thing about primaries is that due to the vigorous fermentation and that co2 is heavier than air you have a nice co2 layer protecting your beer. That won't be as true in the secondary and headspace is much more important.

 

[BrewJob87]

I like racking into secondaries if I'm planning to dry hop...

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Having worked in a regional brewery I can tell you the two reasons when they have a secondary:

1) Clear up space (as has been mentioned earlier)

2) They pump out beer fast... like 10 days, even for strong stouts. It's not just another normal fermenter. After filtering the beer (if it needs filtering) it goes into the bright tank which is kept very cold using glycol lines, and it only goes in there for a day or two.



Dry-hopping occurs in the main fermentation vessel in many breweries and it can be done at home.

I really can't think of the last time I used a secondary. IMHO it's completely unnecessary unless you're bulk aging something for a long time. But even then, I've left beer in the primary on my yeast cake for 6 months without any off-flavors whatsoever.

 

[pm5k00]

When brewing large batches, as commercial breweries do, autolysis is more of a concern. For homebrewers not so much, it is extremely rare that autolysis will come into play us as we do much smaller batches.

i will rack to secondary if I am going to bulk age for more than a month, or use fruit. I rarely dry hop in secondary, as I usually do that in my serving kegs.

Since you already have a good amount of head space in your primary i would not recommend racking to secondary unless you are planning to bulk age that batch.

 

[Denny]

belgian styles do benefit from a secondary though correct?

Not necessarily. I brew a lot of Belgian beers and almost never do a secondary for them....or anything else. Keep in mind that we're homebrewers, not commercial brewers, and that techniques that make sense for them may not be necessary for us.

 

[Goose5]

produces a cleaner beer right?

That has been my experience. My last three have been clear and a nice light color. Not Bud light but a nice golden color.

 

[bovineblitz]

That has been my experience. My last three have been clear and a nice light color. Not Bud light but a nice golden color.

I can read through my light beers and I don't use a secondary.

 

[wailingguitar]

Commercial facilities, as a rule, drop yeast out of unitanks, this amounts to the same thing as xfering to a second vessel in a homebrew situation. It is about clearing the yeast out of the beer, not about freeing tank space. They generally don't have special vessels for "secondary"... That is, unless they use open fermenters, in which case the beer may be xfered to a bright tank or something similar. BTW, contrary to what some people believe, bright tanks are not used for clearing beer (except in some cases of fining)... they are for carbonating the beer, whether filtered or not. Autolysis is less of a concern in a unitank due to the geometry and temp control... that being said, autolysis is not much of an issue at all.

 

[thegerm]

part of the reason for a lesser concern for autolysis on the homebrew scale is the much lower pressure on the yeast cake slows the rate of cellular breakdown.

 

[Calichusetts]

When brewing large batches, as commercial breweries do, autolysis is more of a concern. For homebrewers not so much, it is extremely rare that autolysis will come into play us as we do much smaller batches.

This...homebrewers are just not working with the same scale and equipment as a commercial brewery.

And what everyone else said...freeing up tanks, production and profit margins, etc.