secondary fermenter yes or no?

[steveh2112]

hi all,

i have a few English ale and IPA beer kits i'm trying out, to see which ones i like. i have 2 going already, started about 6 days ago.

the instruction say to wait until fermentation has finished then bottle.

in the past, i've transferred to a second fermenter for a week or so before bottling.

i think there are pros and cons to this right? pro - clearer beer going into the bottle. con - more work and more chance of oxidization in the extra transferring and exposure to air.

so i wonder, overall is it worth the trouble to transfer to another bucket for a week or so before bottling, or just go straight into bottles?

thx steve

 

[DoctorMick]

I've never bothered, the risk seems to far out weigh the reward in my mind. I was reading something the other day that said racking before fermentation was finished was a bad thing because the yeast haven't finished clearing up the beer although I'd have thought there would be enough in suspension to finish the job.

 

[GHW]

I'm with the good doctor on this one. Some swear by it but I suspect most home brewers don't bother. I think it's a hangover from early wheeler and Palmer books which advocate various complicated phases on fermentation and conditioning.

The key is giving the fv a clear two weeks or more before bottling / kegging. Then plenty more time to condition. Your beer will clear eventually thanks to gravity.

 

[Covrich]

I don't bother either, if you're going to do long bulk conditioning in a secondary I think Palmer says it should be in a glass fermenter.

I only transfer into bottling bucket on bottling day

 

[MickDundee]

Another one who doesn't bother here. My last beer was the clearest I've had yet. I'm putting it down to it having just over 3 weeks in the fermenter rather than my usual 2, and the fact that Mangrove Jacks California Lager yeast is some kind of freak of nature!

 

[terrym]

I always transfer to a second FV when the primary is nearly finished - normally after 7 to 9 days - then follow up with three or four days at fermenting temperature, and a final two days in the coolest place I have, the last stages usually in conjunction with a dry hop This significantly reduces the yeast being carried forward, although the beer is never completely clear.
I have never noticed any oxidation effect.

 

[MyQul]

I'm another not bother. Although I do rack to 2x10 bottling bucket's if my FV is on the kitchen floor as I can't pick up a full FV due to a bad back. I try to make as many as my brewing phases as simple as possible as I'm lazy

 

[geetee]

My primary fermentation is usually 3- 5 days followed by 1 day rest at about 14°C then crash cool. I then leave the fermenter at 2-3°C for about 5 days (or a little longer depending on circumstances) before bottling. On bottling day I transfer to another vessel with priming sugar taking care to avoid as much splashing as possible. Once primed I then leave it for an hour or so for any transferred yeast to settle out so only the last couple of bottles are significantly cloudier than the rest. I hate wasting the last pint just because it's at the bottom of the barrel so everything gets bottled.

Once in the bottles the beer is normally hazy rather than cloudy but generally clears during secondary fermentation and is crystal clear after a week or so chilled.

 

[steveh2112]

thanks, seems the consensus is don't bother.

but on a related note, why bother with a bottling bucket? why not just add priming sugar to the bottles and and go straight from your FV into the bottles? less sanitizing, less work, less O2.

 

[HebridesRob]

I usually don't. I do if there's a reason, like taking the beer off a huge pile of dry hops or the current beer I've transferred to secondary and fined because I want the beer to be really clear and the yeast strain apparently hangs around (going to add different yeast when I bottle).

 

[MyQul]

thanks, seems the consensus is don't bother.

but on a related note, why bother with a bottling bucket? why not just add priming sugar to the bottles and and go straight from your FV into the bottles? less sanitizing, less work, less O2.

I normally do this if my FV is on my kitchen work surface rather than on the floor. Your right, less work and less sanitising and less O2. For even less work, just batch prime rather than adding primingh sugar to the bottles. Just make sure you wait 30 mins after stirring in the priming solution to let any disturbed sediment settle back down

 

[BeerisGOD]

whenever I open my FV Im always wanting just to close it soon as possible, so for that reason alone Im only going to stick with primary.
three weeks and an ice bath day before bottling I find gets a lovely clear beer. goes down as if it ain't broke why fix it scenario.
I've no doubt youl get an even clearer beer via the secondary route but as long as I can see my hand through the opposite side of the glass I'm as happy as a pig in ****

 

[Covrich]

I think the bottling bucket is one of them things some people will do some dont. My Fv does't have a spigot on I could put one in I suppose but I add the priming sugar to the bottom of the bottling bucket.. then rack on to it, this way I mix the prime in without distrubing the sediment and because of this I can actually bottle easier without sediment in especially as the beer gets low.. (I still leave my BB 20-30 mins after transfer to settle anyway)

Again.. thats my take, many just go in straight and are fine

 

[DoctorMick]

thanks, seems the consensus is don't bother.

but on a related note, why bother with a bottling bucket? why not just add priming sugar to the bottles and and go straight from your FV into the bottles? less sanitizing, less work, less O2.

Because it's a pain in the **** to measure sugar per bottle and add it individually. I used to do it that way but the process is significantly quicker since I bought a bottling bucket.

 

[Cwrw666]

Oh yes, scooping up half a teaspoon of sugar and tipping it into a funnel in your bottle is such hard work. It takes forever...

 

[geetee]

thanks, seems the consensus is don't bother.

but on a related note, why bother with a bottling bucket? why not just add priming sugar to the bottles and and go straight from your FV into the bottles? less sanitizing, less work, less O2.

I always use a bottling bucket because it is easier to prime, I take great care to avoid oxygenation and gives a chance for any transferred crud to settle out before bottling.

 

[serum]

Depends on the beer. I'll always use a second fermenter on bottling day but might age in glass carboys or demijohns if the beer is strong. Oxidation happens over time anyway but if you splash the beer around when transferring you'll get more of it.

 

[JapanBrew]

I take it 666 hasn't bottled 100 at a time!

Back to the topic, I don't second... Like everyone, adds another chance for little critters to get in.
I wish I could bottle straight from my FV but they're glass with no spouts. I got a great bottling bucket with a perfect spout for my wand.

 

[MyQul]

I take it 666 hasn't bottled 100 at a time!

Back to the topic, I don't second... Like everyone, adds another chance for little critters to get in.
I wish I could bottle straight from my FV but they're glass with no spouts. I got a great bottling bucket with a perfect spout for my wand.

My FV's dont have a tap either and I bottle straight from the FV. I just use a syphon

 

[Crawfordid]

Honestly I cant be bothered with a 'bottling bucket' or measuring suga, I just use the sugar drops, nice and easy!