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I have a question about the liklihood of oxidation during secondary fermenting.

I'm brewing a NEIPA, second brew ever, from NorthernBrewer. OG 1.068, now 1.032 after 15 days in primary. Directions called for transfer to secondary for two more weeks (this was optional but I went for it). During transfer with siphon, all was going well until about half way through the 5 gallons, started getting lots of bubbles in the line. I think as the beer got more dense low in the bucket where dry the sludge got stirred up, the siphon started pulling in air around the seal....anyway, lots of bubbles on the way into the fermenter. I'm hoping the yeast isn't completely done in the secondary glass carboy, but not sure.

Any thoughts on oxidation, whether I should add the recommended last dry hops in a couple of days, or just general advice would be appreciated.

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  • Please add a comment if you vote down a question, so we can improve the question.
    – Philippe
    Commented Apr 29, 2019 at 13:55

2 Answers 2

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I highly recommend skipping the secondary in the future. There is just no value and the downside is possible oxidation. These beers are super-sensitive to oxidation.

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    Or if you feel you must use a secondary, flush the secondary with CO2 first, and use a primary fermentation vessel with a tap and a hose so you can run your beer into the secondary without turbulating it. Siphons are a pain and a great way to aerate your beer late in the fermentation, which is a definite no-no.
    – Frank van Wensveen
    Commented May 2, 2019 at 9:28
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Regarding bubbles while siphoning, that should not be enough to oxydize your wort. Also since fermentation is not completed, the yeast will use that remaining oxygen and CO2 will still be produced to form a protective layer above the beer.

I would not be worried about dry-hopping in the secondary, I found that it takes a lot more than that to oxydize a batch to the point of ruining it. Santize your equipement well, it's way more important at this point.

You can find a lot of information regarding oxidation using the search, for instance : Worried about oxidation

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  • Thank you for replying. A a new homebrewer, this sets my mind much more at ease. I'll try to minimize the air in the transfer, but not get as freaked out by it. Thanks again for your thoughts.
    – Michael Russell
    Commented Apr 30, 2019 at 14:25
  • I disagree. Bubbles while siphoning will aerate the beer, which is to be avoided after the start of the fermentation. If it happens late in the fermentation this can lead to anything from oxidation to the formation of acetic acid.
    – Frank van Wensveen
    Commented May 2, 2019 at 9:29
  • If the fermentation is still going, it should not oxydize the beer at once. I often transfer to secondary and never oxydized my beer doing so. I find that long exposure to air will oxydize the beer, but not for a few minutes, specialy if CO2 is still present in the wort. We are talking about a few bubbles while racking... Michael Russell, please let us know if you notice any oxydation, but I would be surprised.
    – Philippe
    Commented May 2, 2019 at 16:10

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