You want to use a secondary fermenter when.....

[heckofagator]

so I've done some reading and have asked some questions. Have have concluded that most of the time, you can get by with not racking your brew into a secondary fermenter.

Most of the threads I've seen have said something like "most of the time you don't need it" or "there's just 1 or 2 circumstances when you need a secondary".

So I'm wondering, when exactly are those situations?

 

[shtoive87]

Extended aging (> 6 weeks), some people do it when adding fruit or other flavorings, some people do it for dry hopping


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[d3track]

Here's when I use one: adding anything post fermentation (hops, fruit, spices, wood, etc) or long term aging (Belgian, lager, high-gravity, etc).

It's a little to each their own though, I've meet those to transfer everything, and those who don't at all. If you are going to, the important things are:
Don't transfer too early
Clean and sanitize properly
Don't splash - as little turbulence as possible during racking

 

[heckofagator]

great info - thanks guys.

 

[porterpounder]

If the point of secondary is to clear the beer and let the flavors mature in a clean environment then I guess kegging without carbonating to serving volume right away counts. I wouldn't secondary in a separate fermenter unless there was some sort of fruit addition involved.

 

[EthanH]

I think the clarity reasoning has more or less (if not conclusively) debunked. And nowadays I just drop my dryhop additions right into primary.

The one case in which I'll rack to a 5 gal carboy is if something is going to be sitting more than 3 or 4 weeks or in the (rare) cases when both 6.5 gal carboys are full and I need to free one up for a new batch.

Never done fruit additions so have no comment on that.

 

[1van]

Post fermentation fruit or spice additions. Heck even for the upcoming spiced beers I have coming up, I am probably going to just add it to primary. I have held batches in primary for two months with no "off" flavors. That is not to say however that extended primary is about laziness. Yeast really does clean up its own biproducts during that period of time. I have gotten very clear beers by using this method and skipping secondary all together

 

[heckofagator]

Man, I have just been looking thru the "Show Your Infections" thread. Yuck.

Yeah, I think anything you can do to avoid an infection would sure be the way I'd like to go, which I think includes just using a primary fermenter. I am a little worried that for the first day, I don't think my airlock was filled high enough with StarSan. I guess we'll find out in a week or two.

 

[1van]

good luck with that....

 

[z-bob]

This whole "no secondary" seems heretical to me 'cause I haven't brewed in a long time. Just now reading to catch up.

Do y'all use a carboy for the primary, or just a bucket with a loose-fitting lid? Or does that depend on how long it will be in the fermenter?

 

[progmac]

This whole "no secondary" seems heretical to me 'cause I haven't brewed in a long time. Just now reading to catch up.

Do y'all use a carboy for the primary, or just a bucket with a loose-fitting lid? Or does that depend on how long it will be in the fermenter?

Welcome back!

The current orthodoxy is to primary in either a bucket with a snap-lid and airlock or carboy and then go straight to bottling after 2-4 weeks.