Hey folks -
Every since I heard JZ say he gave up secondary a few years ago on Brewstrong, I have stuck with primary only. Wondering how many folks do the same.
Generally 3 weeks in the primary & then keg, although you could call the keg a secondary of sorts… Cheers!!!
I stopped using a secondary last year. though I’m curious about dry hopping without one.
i used to secondary, then i quite it, then i started it again, sometimes… depending on dry hopping, the size of the beer, how long i’m aging it…
I’ll still use one occasionally if I’m going to let a big beer that I’m planning on bottling bulk age for several months or more. Other than that it’s always 2-3 weeks in the primary and then into the keg. When I dry hop I do it in a bag in the keg.
Just do what Tygo says.
I generally don’t use a secondary, although I have a Flanders Red aging with some Bett in a glass carboy right now. For most ales and lagers a secondary is really not necessary and can actually do more harm than good IMO.
I stopped using a secondary last year after reading the pros/cons discussed on this forum. Only use it now for dry hopping, though I will probably switch to dry hopping in the keg.
I dry hop in my primary with no problems. I haven’t tried to dry hop in the keg yet, so I may give that a try some day down the road.
+1 dry hop in the primary all the time with no problems
I stopped using secondary because I’m lazy ;D
The only time I use them is when I want to reuse the yeast from a beer that I’m going to dry hop ( rack to secondary then dry hop rather than trying to rinse the yeast later ). If I’m not reusing the yeast, I dry hop right in the primary.
Yes I do a secondary fermentation for all of my beers. That is when the yeast are cleaning up the fermentation byproducts, e.g. diacetyl and acetaldahyde.
Do I let the yeast clean up in the primary fermenter or the secondary fermenter? It depends on the beer. Lagers get long secondaries in kegs. Big beers and dry hopped beers get moved to secondary.
One should go by taste and not the calendar when saying a beer is done.
+1
After primary fermentation, I typically keg my beer, so if we all agree to call that a secondary “fermentation”, then I am doing a secondary in the keg eventhough that is the final package as well.
So I guess technically, I’m doing “secondary fermentation” in my primary fermenter and keg. I have only been brewing since Oct 2011, so I haven’t done any real big beers or lagering. My first I racked to a secondary because I thought it would make it better, but after reading several comments on the subject, I’ve eliminated racking to a secondary with my “basic” ales.
I’ll be attempting my first Tripel soon, so I’ll definitely be racking to a secondary fermenter for that one, unless otherwise advised. 
I’m not sure why you’d treat a tripel any differently than other beers.
I seldom use a secondary fermenter, but I do it on occassion and usually it’s only to free up a primary and if I don’t have an available keg. IMO the poll should have a third option, as things are seldom 100% one way or the other.
Lately, I’ve dry hopped in the keg and added oak chips in the keg which are both things I used to do in a secondary fermenter but are much easier in the keg. I have lots of 5 gallon carboys that get very little use.
My first two beers have been in a primary for about 7 days then racked to secondary carboy for about 7 days then bottled and carbonated naturally. For me racking to a secondary fermentation is not that more work and for my basic knowledge is the better option to control potential “off” flavors from letting the beer stay on the yeast cake. Once i start making more complicated beers like barely wine types, it seems like a secondary or aging carboy is a must.
I think its safe to say that all of us probably used secondaries for our first beers.
But current best practice is that the off flavors we thought we were avoiding are not really being produced if you let the beer sit in the primary.
So, you can skip the secondary and save the small amount of work and the additional risk of oxidation and/or sanitation.
My old ale is sitting in primary for going on a month now. It may go straight into kegs or it may go into secondaries, but that will only be if I need the kegs for the Belgian Blonde and the Dopplebock.
Since I gave up beer for Lent, my kegs aren’t emptying themselves like they used to.
I thought the same thing about getting off flavors from letting the beer sit on the yeast cake. However, I let my ales sit in primary for 3 weeks and keg and have yet to taste any off flavors from sitting on the yeast cake.
Yeah, I stopped years ago after tasting no difference between secondary and non-secondary batches. Maybe it would be good for really big beers that need to age for a long time, but I never make beers like that so it seems pointless. I’m with the three weeks to ferment and then bottle/keg crowd.
i think “sometimes” would have been a nice third option.
the only difference i’ve noticed is that it “seems” like the beers i secondary i a different carboy are clearer.