Confused new guy about Priming

[supersteve]

Hello all!

So I was just thinking ahead of bottling my Wherry and decided I might try and prime it by getting a second FV on the weekend, Initially I had it in my mind that you transfer the finished fermented product into the second vessel with the priming sugar and then leave for a week or so to let more of the yeast settle and then bottle up from there.

Would this be wrong? :|

 

[graysalchemy]

Yes If you add sugar the yeast will get going on it straight away. What I would do is transfer it to the second fv for a week to allow it to drop clear. Once it is clear I would transfer it back to the original FV (cleaned and sterilised) and add the appropriate amount of sugar to for the whole batch dissolved in a little boiling water give it a gentle stir and then bottle straight away.

You could alternatively just tansfere to secondary FV and bottle straight away but giving it another week allows all the sediment to drop out and minimises the amount of sediment transfered.

What you want is nice bright clear beer before you bottle, that way you minimise the amount of sediment in the bottles. :thumb: :thumb:

 

[supersteve]

Oh okay, thanks for clearing that up.

Would you say letting the beer clear for another week really makes a difference?
And would you add Finnings at this stage, if you were going to add them?

 

[NickW]

It really does make a difference to clarity and lessens the amount of sediment.

I don't use finings and don't believe you really need to in most cases so I can't really advise on that.

 

[Jimmy321]

You could alternatively just tansfere to secondary FV and bottle straight away but giving it another week allows all the sediment to drop out and minimises the amount of sediment transfered.

This would be my option just leave it in the first FV to finish and clear, using a FV with a bottom tap and the little bottler attachment saves a lot of time and it helps reduce the amount of air introduced to the beer.

 

[graysalchemy]

You will not get air transfer Jimmy if you are careful, but you will run the risk of sediment using your method. Also leaving beer in dirty FV's for any length of time will increase the risk of infection. :thumb:

 

[chrig]

All this racking sounds painful.

I tend to crash cool in the primary vessel for a few days then syphon it in to my bottling bucket with priming sugar on bottling day.

I can see the appeal of another racking if you where using finnings before putting it in a keg but otherwise its currently lost on me.

 

[Rolfster]

Oh okay, thanks for clearing that up.

Would you say letting the beer clear for another week really makes a difference?
And would you add Finnings at this stage, if you were going to add them?

Add to a new FV and add the finings at this stage. It can speed things up.
Time will do the same job as the finings...

 

[NickW]

All this racking sounds painful.

I tend to crash cool in the primary vessel for a few days then syphon it in to my bottling bucket with priming sugar on bottling day.

I can see the appeal of another racking if you where using finnings before putting it in a keg but otherwise its currently lost on me.

I am currently of this persuasion. 2 weeks fermentation, 1 week crash cool. Into bottling bucket. I know from many posts that GA is not

 

[graysalchemy]

I know from many posts that GA is not

No I am not I like to do things properly no short cuts. :grin: :grin:

Its common sense to get your beer away from sediment, but in doing so you are going to disturb some so by letting it settle again your beer will be clearer. And clear beer is what it is all about.

 

[Aleman]

It is so much easier to take your sediment away from your beer :whistle: :whistle:

 

[graysalchemy]

Yes if you have a conical :grin: :grin:

 

[supersteve]

So am I wrong in thinking I could transfer into another FV, let it settle and then a week later gently stir in some sugar and bottle? I'd assume it would be better than bottling immediatly. :hmm:

 

[Rolfster]

there are 2 schools of thought on this topic.
1, do what you are proposing. This gets it away from the sediment, and lets more sediment drop out of solution, but may lead to oxygen gettting to the beer.
2, leave it in the same FV and cool it. This speeds up the yeast and stuff dropping out of solution, but leaves you with more sediment to disturb, but limits oxygen getting to the beer.

I tend to move it into a clean FV and put it somewhere nice and cold for a week or 2.
Then move to the bottling bucket and prime with sugar.

 

[Maysie]

Apologies if this is a daft question, but is the clarity issue less important if doing a stout that has a pretty dark/thick consistency anyway, ie you wouldn't notice how clear it was(n't). I am about to do the same thing and going around in circles.

 

[chrig]

So am I wrong in thinking I could transfer into another FV, let it settle and then a week later gently stir in some sugar and bottle? I'd assume it would be better than bottling immediatly. :hmm:

The amount you need to stir to mix properly would lift all the sediment back up, negating the effects of the final week clearing.

 

[graysalchemy]

So am I wrong in thinking I could transfer into another FV, let it settle and then a week later gently stir in some sugar and bottle? I'd assume it would be better than bottling immediatly. :hmm:

No transfer to secondary getting your beer off the trub, after a week transfer back into another FV carefully then add sugar solution and stir. :thumb:

 

[graysalchemy]

but may lead to oxygen gettting to the beer.
.

Now in all my time on this forum I have yet to see a post with someone complaining about oxidised beer or off flavours attributed to oxidation.

However I have seen plenty of posts about infected beers and clarity issues.

So to me it is clear that the risk of oxidation is minimal compared to clarity and infection issues.

 

[Aleman]

Apologies if this is a daft question, but is the clarity issue less important if doing a stout that has a pretty dark/thick consistency anyway, ie you wouldn't notice how clear it was(n't).

I have a stout I am drinking now, that certainly has a haze . . . It just appears Muddy

 

[winelight]

Clarity certainly does show in a stout.

I used to do the 2 weeks in FV then move to the cold but only one infection and I've changed to the GA method. But I don't bother with another transfer for priming, I bottle prime. Works for me. About to bottle a brew this afternoon, in fact. Once I get off here.