On the homepage at AHA. Looks like I’m a low percentage brewer. Never use a secondary
They’re a good idea for extended secondary or actual secondary fermentation (like if you add fruit or something). Completely unnecessary otherwise.
If you can transfer to an o2 free secondary (like a corny keg or bright tank) then it’s great or, as Tom says, for fruit or other actual secondary fermentation.
I never use a secondary either. Even for a beer which needs extended aging I would just move to a keg and store there on gas and in the fridge. I am not sure which beer would need to be aged off gas and at a warm temp. I suppose such beers exist.
Also I suppose some brewers age in secondary while they wait for an empty keg. I don’t brew enough to have that problem.
+1. I use one for these reasons too, and I use a purged secondary for dry hopping now as well. Otherwise it isn’t necessary.
I will use a secondary if I am dry hopping a beer and planning to reuse the yeast. If I’m not reusing the yeast, I’ll dry hop right in the primary.
Any other additional (spice, wood, etc) get added to the keg.
I’ve stopped using carboys as a secondary fermenter. If I do a secondary, it’s in a purged keg.
I was surprised by the poll, especially since I have heard of so many homebrewers going away from secondary.
I guess I haven’t been homebrewing long enough to remember it being ‘mandatory’ in the general homebrew SOP.
I think it’s still common with beginner to intermediate homebrewers. Equipment kits are still sold with ‘deluxe’ versions including a carboy for secondary. Ingredient kits include secondary in their directions. Beersmith uses a two-stage ale fermentation schedule as it’s default schedule. People learn this stuff early and are uneasy about letting go. Plus, it’s a thing to do. It’s hard to grasp doing nothing being more advanced than doing something.
Also, with recent finding about how yeast and hops play together I think some people are reconsidering secondaries for dry hopped beers regardless of yeast reuse plans.
On the retail side, knowing several owners of LHBS around, it is one more item they can sell to the new brewer along with some of the other things you eventually find you didn’t really need.
That being said I know a few brewers that still use them even though they know they don’t need to for every beer. I just use them when oaking or adding fruit, that’s it.
I’ll bulk age in a purged corny or extended bottling conditioning cold.
Last week a guy in my club had two glass carboys break in the same brew session. One was full of beer in his fermentation chamber and slid off the hump and broke. The other had just been cleaned so it was wet and slid off a table. Fortunately it was empty. Even more fortunate, nobody got injured.
The next day several members put their glass carboys up for sale.
It’s probably a good thing people are moving away from using those things in homebrewing. They are quite dangerous, especially if you are moving them around by hand rather than a carrier.
Yeah, +1 to the cynical reason for the persistence of routine use of secondary
I’m one of those. No dry hops, no secondary. But if I plan to dry hop, I’ll go 3-4 weeks in primary, then rack to secondary and dry hop. I prefer the results from doing it that way.
Denny I’m somewhat surprised by how long you leave your beer in the primary. I understand that there isn’t a problem in doing it, but I find myself wondering if there is a benefit (other than ensuring FG).
He’s too busy writing books!
I have found benefits, such as no more acetaldehyde problem. To my understanding, hitting FG doesn’t mean the yeast is done doing its job. I’ve also found that it depends on how big the beer is and the temp. My personal method is finding FG and no off flavors, not just FG. For me, generally that’s 3-5 weeks
Steve, laziness is the main reason I think. It all kinda depends on when I get around to taking a gravity reading or feel like I have time to deal with it if a reading shows me it’s done.
I too may go 3-4 weeks in primary, no secondary except for fruit, dry hop in keg. Less transfer, less chance for problems.
The only time I rack to secondary is if I’m splitting a batch, or adding bugs after primary. Otherwise everything stays in the primary for at least 2 weeks (I’ve gone as long as a couple of months for big beers - haven’t picked up any autolysis flavors yet). I dry hop, add fruit/spices, whatever. I just haven’t seen a need for it. I don’t have a lot of free time, so I go for the simplest method that makes good beer.