Secondary Fermentation Vessels ?

[Ditch]

Twenty five years ago I don't even remember encountering this practice at all. In fact, it's really taken me up untill just now - having read the literature around my Dockland Porter box and peering into my 'emptied' FV, having just kegged my Coopers, that I got the message.

It does seem an idea, to get the wort off all that slurry. And yet, did not Jim himself recently say he doesn't bother? Sees it as just another opportunity for infected air to get at ye wort? More kit to sanitise? Somethings like that?

So; What's the consensus, please? I'm especially interested in what some of you 'Under The Table' guys think. (I don't know what St. Daab's opinion was). But any in put would be something else to consider. I'm just curious.

Cheers

[maxashton]

If you're kegging, personally, i don't see the point. Secondary fermentation will still take place in the keg.

As others will no doubt say, it's another container you have to sanitize, purge, and risk an infection.

Only reason I'd really recommend it is if you're planning on going on holiday or whatnot and don't have time to bottle. This obviously only applies if you're bottling.

You might want to do it if you're planning a very big beer that requires a lot of aging, like a barley wine or some Belgian stuff.

[Ditch]

Oh, right ...... Won't bother then, Max. I mean; I've never done it before. My beer's fine as it is. Like seems to be the opinion; It is potentially just more work and water.

Sounds like a case of " If it ain't broke ... ". Cool. I'll spend my next bit of hard earned on another FV and fish tank heaterstat then. Oh; And another keg!

Getting nicely back into the swing of things again now.

Just finished a pint of Wherry. Letting a few things drain before slinging my London Dockland Porter in. Then it's another pint of Wherry. Half a dozen shots of Jameson. And Ditch Shitter will be leaving the building once again!

God knows what poke that Wherry's putting out but, compared to Guinness, it hits me like liquid senility!

[Horden Hillbilly]

If I make a brew which is going into my king keg, I don't bother with a secondary. It goes straight from the fv to the kk.

If I intend to bottle the brew, I always transfer it to a budget barrel & leave it for 10-14 days to clear up & mature. I then bottle it from the budget barrel.

[adm]

I did my first few brews using a secondary, then started just doing a primary ferment then into the corny. Couldn't taste any difference....but the brews were all a bit hazy.

Now though, I'm experimenting with finings and am doing the fining in the secondary before racking the bright beer to the cornies. I figure that by doing it this way, I'll have kegs full of bright beer that I can transport to parties if necessary without worrying about the sediment getting shaken back into the beer....

[DEV]

I've always left in FV for a minimum of 10 days
then into barrel to 2nd ferment.
condition in barrel for 4 weeks, clear as a bell.
kits, extract, and AG.

[ni9e]

I never put beer into a secondry until last two brews but since trying I have had crystal clear pints kegging and bottling If you have probs clearing beer then deffo give it a go with a secondry

[Prozac]

Now you're all confusing me..... easily done!!!
I tend to decant the from the FV into a secondary FV, to get it off the sediment...... this allows me to weigh all the priming sugar in one go, to dissolve into a jug of beer then give it a real good stir to mix in the primer.
I then bottle immediately.... in the belief I get a more even prime.

Seems to work ok for me.
If you're putting the beer straight into a 2nd FV for a couple of weeks prior to bottling, presumably you're not adding the priming sugar so really the 2nd FV is just a clearing tank.

[adm]

Now you're all confusing me..... easily done!!!
I tend to decant the from the FV into a secondary FV, to get it off the sediment...... this allows me to weigh all the priming sugar in one go, to dissolve into a jug of beer then give it a real good stir to mix in the primer.
I then bottle immediately.... in the belief I get a more even prime.

Seems to work ok for me.
If you're putting the beer straight into a 2nd FV for a couple of weeks prior to bottling, presumably you're not adding the priming sugar so really the 2nd FV is just a clearing tank.

Pretty much (although I'm kegging, not bottling).....although I also need my primary fermenter back quickly so I can get another brew in it!

[vacant]

I've done:

• one FV, sugar teaspooned into individual bottles
• two FVs: transfer just before bottling to mix priming sugar solution
• two FVs: transfer after initial vigourous fermentation (Munton's advice to avoid "yeast bite")

Conclusion? I doubt I could tell the difference in a blind tasting. I also think kits, temp & conditions vary too much - for instance the trub using safale04 can be solidly stuck to the bottom or loose and easily disturbed.