yet another newb racking question

[whitebirdfeathers]

I have my first brew, an IPA, in the primary and it's fermenting nicely. I was told that it would need to be racked to the secondary and then I add my final hops. Here is my question: when do I rack it? When my gravity readings are stable? Any help here would be appreciated. Sorry if this quesiton has already been covered.
thanks

 

[Pappers_]

Yes, when the specific gravity stops falling. I typically leave the beer in primary for 2 - 3 weeks then in secondary for one to two weeks. Its hard to be patient, but if you can let it sit, it will be worthwhile.

 

[therealrsr]

I would say depends on your primary and secondary. I like to disturb it as little as possible in the fermentation process. But, I use a 7 gal primary bucket and 5 gal carboy for 2nd. I had an issue with a cherry stuck in a primary carboy's blow tube once and never want to go through that unbelievable mess again so I "short" primary in plastic (for safety) and get it to the glass when activity starts to slow. Just did it with a brown and activity picked back up within 20 minutes. Also serves to remove most of the trub which may give off flavors.

 

[therealrsr]

I should qualify that trub statement. I still use a rolling pin to crack and strain rather than bag, i.e. I have stuff that I like to let settle and then get it away from the beer. Best way? No, but works for me and nobody complained when they drank my beer. Actually, quite the opposite.

 

[JonK331]

Just thought I'd add that Jamil Zainasheff, co-writer of Brewing Classic Styles and the most successful homebrewer ever, does not use a secondary for his ales.

 

[Beer_Guy]

Yes, but racking off of the fine cruched grains husks left behind by the above poster cannot be a bad thing.

 

[Beer_Guy]

Now to the OPs situation…

… I was told that it would need to be racked to the secondary and then I add my final hops. Here is my question: when do I rack it? When my gravity readings are stable? …

Yes, because once fermentation has settled down the off gassing of Co2 will not be carrying away all those nice hop aromas you want.

That would technically be called the Conditioning Phase in a container sometimes used as a secondary fermenter.

 

[whitebirdfeathers]

Thank you all for your advice.

 

[Mermaid]

Some other thoughts. Your milage may vary

I'm finding that using a secondary is producing clearer beer for me. My latest beer (a Rogue "Dead Guy" clone) is probably my best yet. It sat in the primary for about 2 weeks and then I racked it to a secondary where it sat for another couple weeks (I didn't really count how many days - I just wasn't read to bottle and was waiting for my tap-a-draft setup to arrive).

Yes, make sure you're pretty darn close to or have hit your target FG - you definitely don't want to touch the beer while it's still in active fermentation.

I am also fairly lazy and don't have crazy upper body strength, so I've been dumping cooled wort right into the primary without straining it (I end up with a lot of gunk in the bottom of the primary). In other words, if you don't have a lot of trub you're going to disturb when bottling day comes around and/or you're not deaing with a big puddle of fruit/sludge in the bottom you might not need to rack to a secondary.

I've got my racking process down pretty solid now, using an autosiphon and a long tube that doesn't create too much airation. I'm also meticulous about santization (StarSan is my friend).

It's entirely up to you. I would encourage experimentation - as I've read many (many) posts on the various "secondary vs. not" debate therads. If you find you get better beer by using a secondary - go for it. If you don't notice any difference - then don't bother