Don't Secondary

Sometimes for dry hopping.

 

I started brewing over 20 years ago and I was taught that a secondary was important to get the beer off the trub. Alot of the younger brewers in my brew club dont secondary. I secondary everything because thats how Ive always done it and its not a big deal to me. I think it makes for a cleaner beer and I've never had a judge mention oxidation in one of my beers.

Edit: I just reread your post and my experience has been the opposite. Its the older brewers that secondary and the younger dont. Personally I say do what works best for you. I dont think there is a right or wrong answer.

 

As long as a "standard beer" includes ipa/dipa then yeah i do. I get better clarity when i secondary highly hopped and high abv/high hop beers. I do not seem to experiance the oxidation problems other claim and no loss of hoppyness.
it should be noted that i do brew alot of beers 14 5+ gallon batches so far this year and the ipa/dipas do not last long so that may be the reason there cause a ipa/dipa made here is gone generally 1 month to 6 weeks after it is bottled.

Definatly secondary for IRS, fruits, oak/wood flavorings, nibs, burton ale, and most dark beers with ABV over 8.5 just because again i get alot of settling out in the secondary and i was taught high abv dark beers need to secondary to allow for the melding of flavors.

right or wrong, thats my deal.

next

 

The only time that I've ever used a secondary is when I brew a lager. It will ferment in my 6.5 gallon carboy, but I'll transfer it to my 5 gallon carboy when lagering in the fridge.

 

I've only been homebrewing for about 4 months, so my opinion doesn't bear much weight, but I've never used a secondary. I follow the KISS principle, and everything I'd read when beginning my initial research indicated that secondaries weren't necessary except for the specific reasons you listed.

 

I'm new and am not using a secondary fermenter for my first Brew (maybe my vote shouldn't count)

 

Only for dry-hopping which I do infrequently. I'm scared of oxidation and care little about clarity.

 

This is a hard question to answer. I technically use a secondary vessel on most all of my beers. I keg, and if need be jump off the trub/yeast/sediment to another keg as needed. I transfer from my primary to a keg for dry hopping, adding coffee, oak, spicing, finings, etc. If I have a standard beer with no post fermentation additions then it goes straight to package, but even then I will transfer to another keg before moving it so as to keep the sediment from kicking back up. For big beers or lagers I keg and let bulk age. For sours I use another fermenter or barrel. So, technically, I secondary every beer pretty much, it just depends on the definition of secondary. When I finally get my conical fermenter this will change as I can rack my yeast from the bottom for reuse, add the hops, spice, coffee, finings, etc, to the conical, then transfer the beer to serving vessels after it has cleared.

 

I'm in the sometimes camp. Yes for lagers. Yes for ales if I don't have an open keg, need the primary for a new batch, and am feeling too lazy and/or don't have the time to bottle.

 

I'm also in the "sometimes" camp. I've been brewing beer for 26 years now (much longer for wine), and used to always use a secondary. Over the last few years, I changed and now almost always brew the lighter beers using only a primary. However, I have brewed beers with oak, a sour beer, and other heavier beers that had to sit longer, and for those I either used a glass carboy as secondary, or used the keg as a secondary. Also, I often brew a double batch (10 gallons). For these I always use a secondary (glass carboy) to store the second five gallons until the first five gallons have been drunk (I have one waiting right now, and also have a sour beer in another secondary). I also use a glass secondary when my keezer is full and I need to store it until there is room.

So there's a completely new valid use for a secondary that has not been mentioned previously, exept by kellyst.

 

Sometimes for IPA's with heavy dryhopping, otherwise not really. I got away from it after awhile. I did secondary all beers for the first year or so that I brewed and then learned that it wasn't necessary

 

I used to use a secondary for all brews. Now I don't because its obviously unnecessary to me. I might get a secondary fermenter though because it would let me free up my primary for another brew.

 

This is my experience exactly. I dh at least half of my beers . . . my results have been better in the keg than primary so that's my direction. The beer is going to end up in the keg anyway, but I suppose this qualifies as a secondary. In all cases, when dh'ing is complete the beer is "jumped" to a fresh keg. Using this method the only time the precious brew is exposed to oxygen after racking is when it exits the faucet (where it is met very by a set of thirsty lips). I like the results from cold crashing (kegs) and have good luck with finings in the keg. The kegs that aren't jumped always have some sediment poured off before serving. If I intend to transport a keg I'll "re-jump" a clear beer to another fresh keg (@jbakajust1 taught me that, thanks) and pretty much guaranteed no pesky sediment is roused. So some beers will have gone through as many as three kegs before being quaffed. I guess that means they have been in a secondary, tertiary, and quaternary.

EDIT: Sometimes I bottle from the quaternary keg to a quinary bottle (yes, I had to look those last two up).

 

I use a secondary for most dry hopping or late fermentation/aging additions, also for any beers that clarity adds value but that's it. If I'm dry hopping with same hops that I used in boil, then I don't bother. If I'm bottling with different yeast, then I may decant up to 4 times depending. Overall, it's situationally dependent and I feel it has rather small significance in the long run for taste, but actually a large difference in clarity if you care about that.

 

2 weeks in primary for most of my beers. bigger beers I let sit for 3. the rest i bottle condition

 

I voted always. In the limited number of batches I have brewed (7-10), I have always racked to secondary. Whether it be for dry-hopping, a fruit addition, aging on oak chips, or to free up the primary, it is just always something I have done. It is part of my process. I haven't had any issues doing so, and any extra labor hasn't really been a detriment. Things may change with time, but for now, I'll continue using secondary.

 

19 years and probably racked to secondary a couple of times. Then again I brew using lager yeasts at room temperature which is absolute heresy.

 

Do they taste like lagers when finished?

 

You will be surprised how much yeast clings to the cone.