5
votes
Bottling Bucket - really necessary?
Most of the equipment is not really necessary. It may just make it much easier.
When you use a bottling bucket, you rack from fermenter to bottling bucket, leaving a layer of dead yeast cells and ...
- 1,266
5
votes
Has your airlock ever shot out of your carboy?
It usually happens with strong fermentation when the krausen clogs the airlock, it is then ejected with the pressure.
If the fermentation was still active when you returned, the beer might not be ...
- 4,806
4
votes
should i re-rack my beer?
Most people these days do not use secondary. It is not necessary and usually not recommended....Here's what John Palmer had to say....
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=...
- 33.4k
4
votes
Accepted
Bottling Bucket - really necessary?
If you have a bucket w/ a tap in it, it sounds to me like you already have a bottling bucket. I'd probably buy another bucket w/o a tap to ferment in and bottle using your current bucket.
You can ...
- 167
4
votes
Accepted
Can you add additions to the primary?
If you don't have a secondary then, feel free to add them to your primary. You don't really have to worry much about making additions in your primary, I have done it many times in the past when I ...
- 7,018
3
votes
Accepted
Storing beer in a keg
This would seem to be the same process as storing beer in a "brite tank" to allow it to clear after fermentation. Using a clean keg is always a good idea but I have found it sufficient to scald the ...
- 5,631
3
votes
Storing beer in a keg
I do this regularly, not using a keg, but e.g. a glass container.
Clean and disinfect well before usage
Make sure that you do not splash when transferring
What I also do is add some extra sugar to ...
- 3,655
3
votes
Adding water and sugar to secondary fermentation
You can. Don't do it.
Transfer beer to bottling bucket just before bottling. Add priming sugar, let it dissolve. Bottle. Bucket will be partially empty most of the time anyway, because you are ...
- 3,718
3
votes
Accepted
Secondary for ciders and wines
I wouldn't say it is a consensus, although it is not required all the time, there are cases where racking is usefull for beer as well: What's the point of secondary fermentation?
A big difference ...
- 4,806
3
votes
Airlock required for lagering or conditioning?
You used the term "lagering", so if you are truly lagering, the answer is 'it depends'. If your beer is indeed a lager, then your yeast WILL be active....potentially down to freezing temperatures (if ...
3
votes
How long can I leave beer in the secondary fermenter?
As long as you want.
As with anything, there are considerations:
Hop Flavor and Aroma
This is a big one. Hop compounds break down and dissipate extremely quickly. If you want a fresh hop flavor ...
- 1,073
3
votes
Amount of oak chips
The question of how much to add and how long is like asking how much salt to put into your food. It depends on the food and your taste. That's why the recommendations you've come across vary so widely....
- 2,480
3
votes
How to do I mitigate diacetyl in cider that developed during secondary fermentation?
Diacetyl is a normal part of most fermentations. Nice thing is that yeast will eat it. The yeast just needs time. Give it 3-4 weeks of age, and the diacetyl should be cleaned up. No fancy actions ...
- 3,417
3
votes
Accepted
Secondary Fermentation Temperature and Purpose in Belgian Style Beer
There's a lot of questions here, I'll try to break them up.
How is this possible? Will the yeast be able to operate in so low temperatures?
Secondary fermentation is a bit of a misnomer- typically ...
- 1,773
2
votes
Chile Pepper Ale
So far I've made two brown-chili batches and here's what I did.
I actually made a chili concentrate by having hot chili flakes boil in raw alcohol (100% ethanol) for about 30-45 minutes, because ...
- 121
2
votes
Accepted
Adding coconut after fermentation
Seems like a good plan. I conduct secondary with low fermentable addition in closed lid buckets without problems. These lids are not perfectly airtight, and this imperfection is enough to let CO2 out. ...
- 3,718
2
votes
Accepted
Gelatin before or after dry hopping
My routine is to dry hop in that primary towards the end of fermentation. At fermentation temperatures. Then I rack to a keg (or a secondary in your case) to add my gelatin. But there is no "aging"....
- 36.2k
2
votes
Gelatin before or after dry hopping
I've always done finings after all fermentation addition schedules have completed.
Most finings work best during or after cold crash.
You want your hops to be warm and suspended for their dry hop ...
- 18.5k
2
votes
Gelatin before or after dry hopping
For taste and aroma, 4 to 7 days of dry hopping are optimal. For clarity I prefer to give isinglass 7 to 14 days. Probably it's the same with gelatin, these are similar. Thus, I obviously add gelatin ...
- 3,718
2
votes
Secondary for ciders and wines
When I think of "raking to a secondary" I can think of two reasons you would want to do this. #1-Clarity; racking gives the beverage more time for sediment to settle out. #2-Aging; depending on the ...
- 121
2
votes
Rack onto yeast cake then fast rack to secondary?
Don't wash with wort, you won't get the chance. It will take off before what you want to extract settles. Just rack on top the cake and use it for what it is.
As long as you practice good sanitation ...
- 18.5k
2
votes
Rack onto yeast cake then fast rack to secondary?
It's probably as safe as anything in a sanitary environment, though if I'm understanding you correctly it means another, however small, potential window of exposure to dangerous microbes since you're ...
- 366
2
votes
Accepted
Adding water and sugar to secondary fermentation
The generally approved advice is don't dilute beer post fermentation - and that advice is "not wrong". However it depends on the type and gravity of the beer. I have regularly dissolved the priming ...
- 5,631
2
votes
Forgot to add sugar
IMHO for this situation it is best to leave the wine as it is and bottle when appropriate.
If one does not know the O.G. of the brew then it is very difficult to guess what it was and thus to ...
- 5,631
2
votes
Storing beer in a keg
After beer is done fermenting can I move it to a keg not carbonate it and let it sit for a long time?
Bulk aging at cellar temps is generally not done in a keg, unless you use a spunding valve or ...
- 2,178
2
votes
Adding priming sugar to lagering secondary
adding your sugar to secondary then cold crashing, the yeast may start eating sugar and fermenting again even at near freezing temps (not likely but possibility), and then you would need to add more ...
- 1,769
2
votes
Can you add additions to the primary?
I agree with previous answers: if you have no secondary, there's nothing wrong with chucking whatever you want to add into the primary. However, if your additions are highly aromatic, you may want to ...
- 2,480
2
votes
Accepted
Wooden barrel treatment
It will not dry out in two week. It had hard alcohol in it which pretty much kills anything. When I empty wine barrels, we literally wash them out with hot water and drip dry for a couple days. We ...
- 3,012
2
votes
Amount of oak chips
The type, roast and cut (i.e. surface area) of the wood has a huge impact on the amount of wood flavor you get, and the length of time changes not only amount of flavor, but the types.
Start with a ...
2
votes
Fast secondary fermentation (wine)
Speed of fermentation usually depends on:
the amount of yeast cells (and nutrients)
the temperature of fermentation (the higher the faster)
To slow down fermentation:
Drop the temperature using Ice ...
- 4,806
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