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(Beer)Secondary fermenting question.
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Joined: 12/31/2012(UTC)
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I'm on the timed boil part of my 5 gallon India pale ale cook and I'm stumped on the two-stage (secondary) fermentation recommendation. They tell me to have a second carboy, air lock etc. They say that when the primary 5-7 days of fermenting is up and things have slowed, dump the beer into the 2nd carboy and let it ferment for another two weeks. I don't have a second car boy, can I dump it into an ale pale, clean out the original fermenter and dump it back?
Thanks,
NS
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 Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 7/25/2009(UTC)
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i dont know the answer but it sounds like they want to get the beer off the yeast-- rack it back into the pot an off the lees and then back into the fermenting bucket... just my take on it.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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Thanks Scotty, the whole secondary fermenting process according to them (Brewers best kit) is supposed to help with clarity and a purer taste, I don't know 
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator
Joined: 7/25/2009(UTC)
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if thats what it is for then juggling it around and eventually back to your original formenter sounds ok at least to me.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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"You could but all the beer books and forums stress cleanlyness and cross contamination so just make sure everything is cleaned and sprayed down with San Star and you should be OK. Yes Racking to a secondary gets if off the yeast but it also clears it. Some guys rack it a 3rd time to help with clarity. You can buy additives for that as well. I usually just rack to a secondary, let it sit for a week or two and then transfer to a corney keg or Bottle.
Get yourself a 5gallon glass Carboy for a secondary (next time) and you should be all set.
Archie"
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/31/2012(UTC)
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Thanks for the replies and info, very helpful 
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"Gents, you dont have to use a secondary at all.......now the explination, if you leave it just the way it is and at the correct fermentation temp for that particular beer style you can do a single vesel fermentation and then go right bottling. The idea is that if left on the yeast cake, the yeast will clean up after themselves as in eating the esters that might have been developed and are in your wash. Lets look at it this way, if I do a single fermenter and leave it alone for 3 weeks, it WILL be SETTLED and be done with fermentation no dought. Now if I do one week in primary, then one week in secondary and one week in another, damn.....all you have accomplished is makeing if very possible for extra contamination to take over. I didn't say either is wrong its just unnecessary to do the latter. Moving from one jug to another does not make it clear moreso than just leaving it alone. It just invites misshap.  "
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/24/2013(UTC)
Posts: 37
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Hi all, long time home-brewer here that is interested in upping the octane! This is a debate that I have had with other long time, award winning brewers. Some rack to a secondary, some don't. I generally (not always) do rack to the secondary after the krausen drops. I'm pretty fastidious about sanitation and have never had a bad batch. The reason I do it is for clarity as well as the fact that I harvest the yeast for reuse and getting it off the trub gives me cleaner yeast from the secondary. (see http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter9-3.html) I always use an auto-siphon. Autolysis is what can give beer bad flavors if they sit on the yeast/trub too long. http://www.howtobrew.com...ction1/chapter10-3.html, The last sentence is true and I have left beer in the primary for many weeks without issue as well. HTH, B.
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(Beer)Secondary fermenting question.
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