Skip the Secondary
“Should I use a secondary fermentor?”
I see that question asked a lot in various on line forums. The general consensus among many “expert” brewers is that it is a waste of time. I also find that those same “experts” (myself included) tend to be keggers.
Getting clear beer takes a couple things that happens long before the choice to secondary or not becomes an issue. First, I use Irish Moss or Whifloc in the kettle. This goes along way to helping clear up the beer. Secondly, I employ a 75-90 minute boil. This ensures a really great and complete hot break to denature many haze forming proteins. Thirdly, I use a wort chiller. Getting a great chill on the beer helps to coagulate those proteins in what we call cold break. The combination of these techniques gets you pretty far in the quest for clearer beer.
But what about secondary and does it really help?
I normally ferment my beer for at least 2-3 weeks in primary. So by then… its done! And I think we can all agree that there is really no more fermentation going on in secondary. I hate to break it to you, but when you see a bubbling airlock in your secondary its just dissolved CO2 escaping from the beer…if you actually let the beer finish in the primary.
That said, when I am done with primary, I tend to transfer to a keg. Then I chill that keg down and start my carbonation process, with pressurized CO2. In a week or two I am drinking clear beer.
Now many “experts” do the same thing and say: “Hey, I don’t do secondary.” However, as I see it, my process (shared by many) is the same thing as a secondary but it’s done at colder temps and in the serving vessel! To me I would have to say, that I am employing a secondary in a way, but I prefer to look at it as a conditioning step rather than call it a secondary.
If you can’t chill your finished beer down with a fridge, or if you don’t have a kegging system, then I think a secondary “ferment” can help you out in most applications (whether you are brewing a 1038 OG Bitter or a 1065 IPA). Especially, as an extract brewer doing partial boils that extra step is quite useful for clarity. I think the last key to good clear beer is a cold conditioning step; whether it be in a glass carboy, a keg or in the bottle.
So I say skip the secondary fermentor, but do a cold conditioning step as the final part of trying to achieve a clear beer Nirvana.
Check out our post on primary fermentation as well.
10/1/08 Edit:
The Dudes have hemmed and hawed about the clarity of this thread. We want to restate that the main point is many ”experienced” brewers say they don’t do a secondary anymore and think its unnecessary. They go right to keg. However, I am saying that doing a cold conditioning step IS a secondary. A vastly improved one at that because of the effect cold temps have on beer clarity. So a secondary CAN help you if you do not have the capacity to do a cold conditioning step like most keggers. Lastly, be wary of experienced brewers (myself included) that tell you they don’t do secondaries. Because they are doing it as a cold conditioning step.
on March 11th, 2008 at 7:12 am
[…] out our post on secondary fermentation as […]
on March 12th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I always use a secondary. The reason is that with a 6 1/2 gallon bucket, there is the potential for me to get oxidized beer if I let it sit for 2-3 weeks with that much head space (if I take some samples or do anything to break the seal). Also, there is value to separating the beer from the dead old yeast for a long hold. This is particularly important when lagering.
That’s why I secondary.
Cheers!
on March 13th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Travis:
When lagering you may want to get the beer off the excess trub, but I am not a lager expert so I can’t speak to that (yet).
For the majority of ale fermentations, 2-3 weeks gets the job done and the beer is ready.
If a brewer is making an ale that requires some sort of long condition, using a second vessel makes sense. And in reality that is what I am saying in my post. Many brewers say that they don’t do secondary, they go right to a keg. In my opinion, that is a secondary, it’s just happening at a colder temp because most of us keggers move that beer into the keg fridge rather than let it sit in ambient temp with the “traditional” secondary fermentor step.
I have let beer sit in a plastic bucket for up to two months. The head space is all CO2 as I didn’t mess with the beer or open the lid. I had no detectable levels of oxidation in the beer. Now, I did store it cold as it was in feburary and march that I let this happen (a year ago). I was worried that the beer would be somewhat oxidized from the plastic bucket AND I was concerned about autolysis of the yeast. Neither of which were a problem despite sitting on all the original trub (albeit at cold temps).
And to your last point, I don’t know what kind of yeast you are using but at the end of my fermentations the yeast in my bucket is not “dead old yeast”. It’s extremely healthy dormant yeast that just finished a batch of beer. It’s better than any yeast you can buy at the store. If it was old dead yeast repitching wouldn’t be a viable option. The percentage of dead cells in a yeast cake should be less than 1%. And in my experience, not all that 1% undergoes autolysis, so it has a very minimal impact on the beer. My two month primary blunder as a great example.
on March 18th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Hello,
First of all I want to agree with pretty much everything you said in the post. For the majority of quick fermenting ales (that don’t require dry hopping, other flavor additions, or extended aging), secondary vessels don’t do anything beneficial. In fact, they only present potential problems like contamination and oxidation. If you are pouring a new batch over a yeast cake , then you may need to rack the beer if there’s no time for bottling on brewday.
I just wanted to add a couple things. For those who bottle, just make sure to rack carefully so as not to pick up sediment. Also its good to pour the beer correctly so you won’t get any sediment in the glass. In other words, don’t rock the bottle back and forth, and just perform one gradual and continuous pour.
You can let the primary sit for quit a long time before off flavors become noticeable. There are many other stages in the process that present more adverse problems. Hi Travis, I just wanted to say that it is best to let the beer sit and not to be inquisitive of gravity, taste, or scents during primary fermentation. What lies above the new beer is a protective layer of CO2. Also, that Nut Brown you tried, only sat in primary, it was bottled, and it came out pretty darn clear…right? In fact, my latest beer…the Quinoa Lager only sat in primary, and when it was done, I just dropped the temp for a couple weeks…no problem.
Depending on the yeast strain, the primary vessel can be crystal clear after 2 weeks, or it still may be slightly active (British strains and some other I suppose). If there are still bubble rising, that means sediment could still be circulating around.
Lastly, I haven’t really had cloudy beers since converting to all grain brewing. That could be another topic though.
This is a topic that comes up a lot, so I hope it helps that you posted this entry. Check ya later.
on March 24th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Generally I think the more you fuss with the beer, more chance for something to happen. That something is contamination and oxidation. Also, I think we’re all in such a hurry to get drinking we move the beer too soon. I stopped doing secondaries a couple years ago and just let my beer do its thing for 2-3 weeks. It certainly didn’t hurt anything and I think it improved my beer. One thing for sure, it’s less time working (cleaning, sanitizing, racking) and more time drinking.
on March 28th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Just out of curiosity, if the recipe specifically calls for a secondary, i.e. your Marzen ale which I am brewing in secondary now, the secondary still does some good, right? When we pulled the beer from ye olde ale pail, the gravity was still at 1.019, and still tasted rather sweet, which would seem to indicate to me that it was still fermenting. Then again, this beer is only the second batch I’ve ever made and the first that used a secondary. Once we bottle it, and check the gravity again, it will be interesting to note if the gravity has gone down further, if so, then secondaries do indeed ferment.
on March 31st, 2008 at 6:21 am
I think the answer to your question is in your post. I don’t recommend transfering a beer to secondary if it isn’t done. So a gravity reading of 1.019 may not be done fermenting. I’d recommend checking that gravity a couple times in primary on consecutive days, if the gravity is changing then its best to leave it in the primary until it stops changing. When using healthy yeast its not uncommon or unreasonable to leave beer in the primary for two weeks.
A eacondary will indeed ferment if the beer goes in there not complete. Moving beer of the primary yeast cake too early can do more harm than leaving in on the cake for several weeks.
Employing a secondary fermenter is useful to clear our some more yeast sediment. The spirit of my secondary post shows that ‘if it works for you then do it’ mentality. When using a good flocculating yeast I find that two weeks in primary is more than enough finish fermenting and clear the beer.
Ideally secondary should occur when fermentation is COMPLETE and at a colder temperature than the primary ferment. This is essentially what I do with my kegging set up. Its just that most people don’t consider that a secondary, even though its the same process that people who do use a seconday are doing.
on April 7th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Skip the Secondary?…
An interesting article on the pros and cons of skipping a secondary fermentation when brewing beer. The brew dudes argue it is best to skip it!…
on April 29th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
An interesting article! I usually go for a secondary, but a handful of times I’ve been overcome by events and ended up kegging directly from the primary. I have to say that I’ve never noticed a significant change in flavor. I think there are some cases where a secondary is still a good idea, but you put together a great article.
on June 3rd, 2008 at 10:08 am
[…] these other threads of ours regarding secondary (and primary) fermentation: Primary Fermentation Skip the Secondary Better Bottle Carboy Spices in […]
on September 25th, 2008 at 10:52 am
[…] excited to get a look at these beers when I transfer them to secondary in glass. (Yes, Mr. Skip The Secondary is planning a secondary with these brews.) Needless, to say I am excited about tasting these […]
on February 1st, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Half the pleasure of homebrewing is the visual aspect. I secondary because I like to visit my fermenting daily and look at the progress. It calms the nerves and relieves stress. I can’t fathom fermenting in plastic buckets and straight to keg. I use clear glass carboys for first and second fermentations, and use clear bottles for bottling. Mesmerized by the visual.
on February 26th, 2010 at 1:33 am
dvdfrnz,
Dude, I hope you’re careful to keep those clear bottles out of the sun; that’s just asking for skunky beer. I once heard it said that at a commercial brewery, you can tell when the head of marketing has more pull than the brewmaster because they are using clear bottles.
on March 2nd, 2010 at 10:11 am
I recently bought a kit that includes a secondary plastic carboy. My thinking was, if we brew our first beer and let fermentation take place ( around 7 days or so) then transfer to the secondary, it would free up the primary for another batch. Does anyone see much of a problem with that? I am new to brewing in 5 gallon containers( started with a smaller kit). Also, if we use the secondary should I keep it at a lower temp and if so how low? (BTW I am using an ale bases kit) for cooling the beer we would be trying to use a wine fridge so it would be easy to regulate the temp.
Thanks
on March 3rd, 2010 at 9:20 am
Stephen: Welcome to the hobby!
I’d recommend letting the beer go at least 10 days in primary before moving it to the secondary. But yes your idea of using the ’secondary’ carboy to free up the primary is an expert idea. As always regulating temperature is one of the best ways to get your beer to come out top notch. I’d focus on regulating the primary ferment before I’d worry about keeping the secondary cool. Just put the secondary in a basement, a cold closet or something like that and you’ll be fine.
BREW ON!