Secondary fermentation - carboy or beer barrel

[jaytee1]

Hi there,

Just found this forum and it looks quality.
I have a few questions.
I have just invested in a new beer barrel 'king keg' and wanted to use it to store and dispense my next brew which is a 'Fixby Gold'. In the past I have had problems in clearing the brew and have had to be careful in pouring off the beer from bottles to prevent the sediment shaking up.

I have read in the instructions with the homebrew that I can rack off the beer into a carboy to aid clearing after primary fermentation has occured.

Can I use another 25l fermentation bin instead of a carboy, and should I add the secondary fermentation sugars at this stage? Also how long should I leave it for before transfering into the barrel.

Or should i simply transfer into the barrel and add finings and secondary sugars?

Any help would really be appreciated.

JT

[maxashton]

You don't need to add sugars for secondary fermentation, and there's no reason a bucket shouldn't be used.

You only need sugars when you bottle or keg. Leave it in your secondary bucket for a week, then transfer it to a keg or bottles and add sugar as required.

Many people will tell you not to bother with secondary fermentation as it introduces greater risk of contaminating your beer, but at the end of the day it's all a learning experience. Do what you feel safest with.

Happy brewing.

[steve_flack]

You can quite happily leave the beer on the yeast for a couple of weeks in the primary - in fact this is probably a good thing as it lets the yeast tidy up after itself. The common advice seen on American websites about racking to a secondary as soon as the primary is over is a waste of time for ales. The yeast won't autolyse in that amount of time so long as the beer doesn't get too hot.

Personally I never secondary. I leave the beer in the primary for a week or two after the primary fermentation is finished then I rack straight to a keg.

[jaytee1]

thanks for the replies lads, i think that on this occasion i will follow the method of leaving it in its primary fermenter for longer than usual and then rack direct to the keg.

I can see how introducing another piece of equipment, another fermentation bin, could cause issues in terms of oxidation. It also means that I dont have to sterilise another bin, a job worth missing if you dont have to do it.

right ill let you know how it comes out in 5-6 weeks time

thanks again

james

[mysterio]

I usually go straight to the keg after 10-14 days. Something stronger that I want to clear out a little or if I need keg space I'll leave in a secondary.