BeerBorg

Secondary fermenters of course!
Fermentors...ehhh whatever it is, I've found it quite enjoyable to rack to a secondary.
I have a 5 gallon glass carboy I picked up specifically to age some porter on oak cubes and bourbon, I've since used it to dry hop an IPA and the results were awesome.

I got more clarity out of the beer for sure.
I was able to harvest the yeast before dry hopping, so that's nice.
And I got to perv my beer in the secondary since my primary is a bucket.

IDK...I just enjoyed it for some reason. I'll be racking my next IPA tonight onto 1oz of chinook hops.

I rarely do this but did a few weeks ago when I had to dry hop with 8 oz of pellets. I'm glad I did but normally, I just ferment for 3 weeks and keg. I'm not overly concerned with clear or cloudy beers as long as they taste good. But, if you need the fermenter, it's a good practice.
When I started brewing in the stone age, it was just understood that you went to a secondary after 1-2 weeks. No one questioned it.

Some folks like to rack, some don't. It's all good, because the end result is always beer! I haven't racked to secondary before, but I just batch primed into a bottling bucket for the first time and I could get used to it.

i see no need, plus just plain lazy. some say it gives you clearer beer. maybe, i don't know but i fail to see how, assuming you cc before racking to a bottling bucket. also as i lack the fridge space to chill my brew two weeks just to get rid of chill haze it's gonna be cloudy anyway so... jmo

jimjohson wrote:i see no need, plus just plain lazy. some say it gives you clearer beer. maybe, i don't know but i fail to see how, assuming you cc before racking to a bottling bucket. also as i lack the fridge space to chill my brew two weeks just to get rid of chill haze it's gonna be cloudy anyway so... jmo

I'm the same way ...

I really don't have time to rack, so I don't. If there was a big benefit, I'd try to find time. However, there are some benefits as described above, and if someone prefers it, I can understand. If it was useless, no one would do it.

I'm now starting to do so since noticing some off flavors in my beers.

I have yet to sample a brew I've racked to secondary, but the odor of the couple I have has been ,
let's say, an improvement!

I'm looking forward to taste testing in the next couple o' weeks to figure out if I wanna keep doing it or not!

I can't say I've noticed any difference. Of course, every time you do something with the fermenting beer you do have a slight risk of contamination and/or oxidation but, I've always felt that was over done.In caveman times, when I started, it was just a given. We all did it and never thought to ask otherwise.
I read so many people who only ferment for 10-14 days and they don't do it and they say they win awards for their beer so I'm not sure there's any noticeable differences for most beers.
I'll be doing Pliny in the near future and will be using a secondary for all the dry hopping needed.

Yup, when dry hopping a crapload of stuff it really helps.
I couldn't have done my bourbon barrel porter without a secondary!
Well I could have...but sitting on yeast for 3 months sounds like asking for trouble.

I pretty much always use a secondary. I brew mostly high ABV that require sugar feedings. A couple of my super high ABV beers spend 6 to 12 months in carboys before bottling. My daily drinking beers generally go to secondary for as much the yeast to fall out, and to bulk condition.

Catching this at a good time. I just picked up a carboy specifically for a second but I am not entirely convinced I will use it for all my beers but wanted it as an option. For those who use a second, other than long term aging, is it an all or nothing philosophy or only for a particular style?

HB, how do you determine ABV with sugar feedings? Do you just add up the total and input as a regular addition? I'm not up on BrewSmith and the like, but haven't seen anything on BrewSmith where it could be entered...

I have a refill of caribou slobber from northern brewery that says to secondary. Is that neccessary? Is that just to clearup the brew?

BrewHa wrote:I have a refill of caribou slobber from northern brewery that says to secondary. Is that neccessary? Is that just to clearup the brew?

No it's not necessary.
Yes its for conditioning, if you don't have a secondary it suggest leaving the beer in the fermenter an extra week.
I've only done it when dry hopping, otherwise I bottle when it's done and let it condition in the bottles.

I agree with the thinking that secondaries are a matter of preference, not necessity. Every time you rack the beer you leave behind sediment but you also risk exposure, infection, oxidation, etc. so you have to weigh the risks versus rewards for yourself.

Here's the way I think about it:
- A beer that sits for 2 weeks creates a certain amount of trub, let's call that "X"
- A beer that sits for 3 weeks creates "X" plus more trub so let's call that incremental amount of trub "Y"
- I'm not convinced, and would need solid PROOF that letting a beer sit for three weeks in primary doesn't have the same amount of trub that falls out as moving to a secondary and then leaving that trub behind

Basically what I'm saying is:
Primary only, trub = X + Y left behind in a single vessel
Primary + secondary, trub = X +Y but X is left in the primary and Y is left in the secondary

The only other "benefit" is getting the beer off the trub which is only a concern if you are worried about autolysis which has essentially been debunked as a concern on the homebrew level. If you are aging for an extended amount of time you might want to secondary but there are plenty of people who have left their beers on yeast cakes for 4-6 months without issue (check out HomeBrewTalk).

I haven't done it myself, but I wouldn't worry about it either. The only reason I haven't done it is because I don't age beers or brew anything big enough to leave in the fermenter long enough to test this.
Plus, when I want a REALLY clear beer I use gelatin and cold crash if I can.

If I can't (my Ale Pail doesn't fit in my mini fridge), a careful siphon gets me clear beer.

Just one guy's thoughts, everybody has to decide for themselves. Or as I like to say, BrewersChoiceTM.

The thing that I have never been able to figure out is why the secondary needs to be a carboy. Why not just transfer from one ale pail to another? Seems like they are a lot easier to clean and you have to worry about getting light struck.