Second fermentation process. Problems?

[nightsod]

Hi.
I've looked around the forum a fair bit and one of the things pretty much all of you seem to stress is a decent fermentation time.* I've got a "Brewferm Tripel" just started, at 25c.

Regarding a second fv, I get the logic of trying to clear out the beer a little more before bottling (all my Brewferms got bottled.) but what are the drawbacks, if any? I naively thought that once the brew reached fg, get it sorted! I imagined that you ran the risk of infections if you leave it for much longer? How can you tell how long is long enough or too long?

I've seen some of you folk talk about another two weeks in a second fv before bottling!? So I've got 2 main questions:

Infections? Is there a risk of this in an fv that isn't ferociously bubbling away on the airlock?
Wort loss, do you lose much in the way of wort at the bottom of the vessels (in processing/bottling)?

I'd be grateful to anyone who could give me more detail into this topic though, or point me to where it's no doubt already been discussed!

Best.


*esp. for bottling...

 

[RobWalker]

Your beer creates a co2 cloud which pushes the oxygen out and protects it, it will last for weeks after fermentation. The yeast can start cannibalizing if they run out of sugar, which apparently leaves an off flavour...not really sure how to identify that one, lol, but i always clear in primary and dont seem to have any probs! Its actually fine to bottle after fermentation, thats what bottle conditioning refers to :-)

As for loss, im usually around 2l, but my beer goes in the fv hot so i get a lot of trub! Take it easy when syphoning and tilt the fv gently near the end, your trub should be nice and solid allowing you to rack off easily.

 

[nightsod]

So, in a fv with an airlock you're safe from nasties for a good while.

As to the loss, this is only a 9ltr kit! I will do what I've always done, bottle straight from the 1st fv, unless anyone has any better ideas.

 

[graysalchemy]

Drop it into a secondary fv So that it will clear . It is also better to drop it back once it has cleared and you are ready to bottle. It means that you wont get any sediment in your bottles.

 

[nightsod]

Drop it into a secondary fv So that it will clear . It is also better to drop it back once it has cleared and you are ready to bottle. It means that you wont get any sediment in your bottles.

I do find it easier to prime from a separate vessel, as I hate trying to be accurate with priming sugar. It always seems a little iffy that.

I might try it this run. Use a 2nd fv; then drop into another fv to add the sugar, and bottle.

 

[Pinck]

I only use a secondary fv for one of the two following reasons:

1. I'm planning to leave the beer in a carboy for more than 4 or 5 weeks. Anything past that and I start to be able to taste off flavors from the yeast that died after primary fermentation starting to break down. I find S-04 notorious for this.

2. I'm planning to dry hop AND I'm wanting to reuse the yeast. I'd rather pull the beer off the yeast that I'm trying to save prior to making a mess of it with adding hops to the fermentor.

Aside from those two reasons I don't use a secondary because I don't want to introduce another possible point of infection (through doing the vessel transfer), and because I feel there's less chance of oxidation in the primary due to the sheer volume of Co2 produced during that stage.

 

[nightsod]

Thanks, interesting.

That reinforces my prejudices really. Involve myself as little as possible... I might just leave the 1st fv for an extra week, to let the brew settle out more.
Which I think would help my beers anyway, I think I'm too quick to rush in when the fg is there sometimes.

 

[RobWalker]

agreeing with Pinck here, I'm all about not fiddling with it. Only reason I've ever secondaried is for bottling.

Less messing around = less potential problems, just give it a total of 2-3 weeks in primary and then chuck it in bottles/keg.

 

[nightsod]

Thanks peeps.

 

[graysalchemy]

As long as you are careful with with transfer, making sure everything is sterile and you don't let the beer splash then it is beneficial as you are putting the beer in a clean sterile environment away from the crud from fermentation around the top of your fv which will be infected with airborne contaminants. Have you ever noticed a slight vinegar whiff in the old dried on krausen?

It also allows you to remove the beer off any cold breaks (obviously more important with all grain and extract than kit brewing), as well as spent yeast allowing you to collect healthy yeast which drops out in the secondry ready for your next brew.

 

[Andyhull]

as well as spent yeast allowing you to collect healthy yeast which drops out in the secondry ready for your next brew.

Why do you bother to collect yeast from the previouse brew when it's so cheap to buy?

 

[graysalchemy]

Yes yeast is relatively in expensive in dried form but if you want to use a specialist yeast then it is not so cheap. Also using a yeast cake is the best way to get a fast healthy fermentation because you are using a cell count much higher than out of a packet which will mean a quicker lag time and less chance of infection. Finally it means that you can culture up a yeast from a commercial bottle conditioned beer and always have it.

But yes I am a cheap skate :lol: :lol: