How long in secondary

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by ballslaponthefartbox, Jan 31, 2013.

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  1. ballslaponthefartbox

    ballslaponthefartbox Initiate (150) Jan 29, 2013 Massachusetts

    So I bought a couple kits from Austin Homebrew Supply and tonight I'm transferring them over to secondary. In their instructions they both say leave in secondary for around 10 days for it to clear up. One recipe is for an Imperial Stout and the other is for an Arrogant Bastard Clone. Then they let the beer sit in the bottle for 3 months, and 6 weeks based on each recipe. These are both high ABV beers and I'm just used to at least letting the imperial stout sit in the secondary for around 3 months. How will bottling that soon impact flavors or is there no difference since it's going to sit in the bottle for the same amount of time as the carboy? What is the secondary for besides allowing flavors to meld and does this happen as well in the bottle?
     
  2. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    “What is the secondary for besides allowing flavors to meld and does this happen as well in the bottle?” I have no scientific studies to back up my assertion, but in my humble opinion conditioning is conditioning. There are some proponents that state bulk conditioning (i.e., conditioning in a secondary) is ‘better’ but I don’t know if there is any scientific reasoning behind that opinion.

    One difference between the two methods (extended aging in a secondary vessel and the bottle aging process) is that by bottling earlier you do have a genuine secondary fermentation occurring earlier (you need the secondary fermentation to produce CO2 for carbonation). In my opinion the bottle conditioning for carbonation and then bottle aging (additional conditioning) process is the same as doing an extended secondary.

    Cheers!
     
  3. premierpro

    premierpro Savant (1,060) Mar 21, 2009 Michigan

    I am the same. When the beer has sat on the yeast for three or four weeks it is time to bottle. I just cracked my newest Barly Wine after three weeks in a bottle. I cant wait for a year to go by.
     
  4. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,135) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    A secondary has its place. I mainly use it for aging beer on fruit. I don't speak for the group, but, empirically speaking, I see more people on this forum that skip the secondary than use it for simple aging. Brewers use secondaries successfully all the time, so to each there own. But kegging or bottling is just as good IMO in this situation, and it eliminates a chance for oxidation.
     
  5. ballslaponthefartbox

    ballslaponthefartbox Initiate (150) Jan 29, 2013 Massachusetts

    Thanks for the input! I guess I'll just use the secondary for dry hopping and adding oak chips for about 10 days and then let them bottle condition.
     
  6. chetw

    chetw Initiate (0) Jan 24, 2013 Pennsylvania

    If I were to leave it in the secondary longer than two weeks I would add CO2. Actually I add CO2 anytime I transfer beer to a secondary I am paranoid of oxidation.
     
  7. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,135) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    You could absolutely secondary for dryhopping, but it is really not nessessary. If you need to ferment something else, transfer to secondary and dry hop. But otherwise, you can just dump your hops in the primary and let them settle. The dumping of the hops will cause some CO2 to come out of solution and help push some of what little oxygen got in there.
     
  8. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    :wink:
    “I'll just use the secondary for dry hopping and adding oak chips for about 10 days …”

    It is certainly is your prerogative to conduct a secondary for dry hopping and oak additions. I personally would just add the dry hops and oak to the primary for a timeframe of 10 days. Why transfer to a secondary and risk oxidation for such a short timeframe?

    Cheers!

    P.S. It appears that scury311 is a faster typer than me.
     
    scurvy311 likes this.
  9. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,135) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    Great minds think alike.
     
  10. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah


    Na Zdrowie!:slight_smile:
     
  11. AlCaponeJunior

    AlCaponeJunior Grand Pooh-Bah (3,452) May 21, 2010 Texas
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Fixed it for ya. :sunglasses:
     
  12. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,135) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    Stini yasus

    Much abliged.
     
  13. psnydez86

    psnydez86 Initiate (0) Jan 4, 2012 Pennsylvania

    Its a total myth that a beer will magically clear up when transfered to a secondary vessel. Its perfectly fine to let the beer sit in primary for 2-4 weeks and many people go past a month with no ill effects. It will clear just as fast in primary (if your not moving it to a new location every day) and avoid contamination/oxidation. If you have the ability to cool down your primary vessels to 35-40f before transfering to a bottling bucket, more yeast will be encouraged to drop out and will leave your bottles with less sediment as they conditon for a few weeks or months. The stout will benefit from a couple months in the bottle to smooth out the sharp roasty/toasty dark malt characters and should age gracefully with a good clean process.
     
  14. Matt_Beagle

    Matt_Beagle Initiate (0) Feb 2, 2013

    I have always been a fan of moving into a glass carboy for secondary fermentation after about a week or so of active fermentation. I feel that getting it off of the leftover sludge from the initial boil helps to clear it up faster and produces a cleaner flavor. Having less sediment in your vessel when siphoning into the bottling bucket is always good as well. The cleaner the beer is when it hits the bottle the better.

    As far as extended aging goes , I usually just let it sit in the bottles.
     
    DAllspaw likes this.
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