How do you do your secondary?

Shaun · Post by **Shaun** » Sunday Dec 04, 2005 3:18 pm

Cheeno keep up with the raking and drop the bulk priming it is a waste of time and takes all too much effort for very little if any improved result. Go with the scoop measure and individually prime each bottle.

The racking is worth the effort, you end up with a cleaner beer that you can lager or cold condition if you so desire while it is in the secondary.

Cheeno · Post by **Cheeno** » Sunday Dec 04, 2005 3:48 pm

Thanks again all for your help. General, no offence taken, I really am a big fan of simplicity. Which is why I see I have been using way too much water sanitising. I think I will stick with the individual prime... after racking my brew; it makes everything feel more handmade. Looking forward to brewing up a storm.

Regards

Daron · Post by **Daron** » Monday Dec 05, 2005 3:31 pm

Would I be wrong in assuming that cold conditioning in the bottle wont work?

I left a brew in the primary for 15 days... time escaped me. Anyway, I hope the 15 days didn't fornicate with my beer.

I have racked once or twice and found the brew to improve. Having said that, time has been precious of late and I have only gone from primary to the bottle.

However, I move next month and once settled will get the brewery up and running in earnest.

Phantom · Post by **Phantom** » Tuesday Dec 06, 2005 9:51 am

Well I have the bulk priming thing to consider and am about to now test the new pourer supplied as part of this test process.
Just for interests sake this pourer allows one to pre dissolve the sugar and place into a bottle for a measured dose and once I get the knack i'll be reporting back to the provider of course however I do have a question after a near diaster some timeago.

Whilst bottling an ESB 3 KG aussie bitter brew, now three weeks in bottles and still not touched!!
I decided to add sugar after filling the bottles and voila a burst of froth whilst I struggled to get the lids on, best done before adding brew???

God the foam went everywhere but managed to get the lids on towards the end of the bottling in good time just before it got to the top.
I really reckon this pre disolved pourer will solve this problem.
just need to know add to the bottle before brew or after?

Phantom

Beerpig · Post by **Beerpig** » Tuesday Dec 06, 2005 12:12 pm

Before brew

Cheers

king_canute · Post by **king_canute** » Wednesday Dec 07, 2005 11:33 am

This is the first time I've racked into a 2nd fermenter after reaching the desired final gravity.

Whats the ideal amount of time to leave it before bottling:?My HBS guy said 7 days.It seems an excessivly long time to me.What have others found to be optimum?

I'm doing a Morgans Amber Ale.

PS thanks for the tip re being careful not to re-oxiginate the brew,I hadn't thought of that

cheers and beers.

Tyberious Funk · Wednesday Dec 07, 2005 12:39 pm

Shaun wrote:Cheeno keep up with the raking and drop the bulk priming it is a waste of time and takes all too much effort for very little if any improved result. Go with the scoop measure and individually prime each bottle.

I really don't understand this. I don't find bulk priming any slower than individually priming each bottle. Actually, I find it marginally faster with the added convenience of being able to use a variety of bottle sizes safely. Having said that, I've got my technique down pat these days...

db · Post by db » Wednesday Dec 07, 2005 12:51 pm

Tyberious Funk wrote:
Shaun wrote:Cheeno keep up with the raking and drop the bulk priming it is a waste of time and takes all too much effort for very little if any improved result. Go with the scoop measure and individually prime each bottle.
I really don't understand this. I don't find bulk priming any slower than individually priming each bottle. Actually, I find it marginally faster with the added convenience of being able to use a variety of bottle sizes safely. Having said that, I've got my technique down pat these days...

correct me if I'm wrong.. but from memory Shaun kegs the majority of his batch. which would make bulk priming the last couple of litres a PITA.. scooping sugar into 6or so bottles aint that bad - 30 on the other hand

if your priming a whole 20+ litre batch thats a different story. IMO its faster to bulk prime

MHD · Post by **MHD** » Wednesday Dec 07, 2005 1:01 pm

How do you bulk prime without disturbing the Beer to much?

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Thursday Dec 08, 2005 3:22 am

Mix the dex with some boiled water, pour it in and give it a gentle stir.

Dogger

MHD · Post by **MHD** » Thursday Dec 08, 2005 6:42 am

and it is cool to bulk prime in the secondary just before bottling? or do you need to transfer back into your (cleaned etc) other container?

Picking up a fermenter my dad used to use for ginger beer so hoping to play with this next week...

General · Post by **General** » Thursday Dec 08, 2005 10:06 am

MHD,

Best thing is to mix your dex and water, allow to cool in another fermenter, and rack gently onto this, stir gently (do not aerate), then bottle.

Post by **Oliver** » Thursday Dec 08, 2005 11:11 am

So yes, MHD, you rack from fermenter into secondary, then after a few days back into the original container to bulk prime.

That way you get the beer off any trub and other crap that's left on the bottom of the secondary, leaving you with a nice, clear beer.

Cheers,

Oliver

MHD · Post by **MHD** » Thursday Dec 08, 2005 11:21 am

Kewl... Hopefull I will be back from sydney this weekend one fermenter richer... and then I will be giving an amber honey ale recipie a go... keen to try secondary fermentation in the fermenter as I want this beer to be the best it can be... And bulk priming is attractive as I have a variety of bottle sizes (I never realised there was such a diversity of stubbie sizes until I started brewing, from 320-375ml)

I assume everyone uses dex to prime? Or can you use malt extract instead?

General · Post by **General** » Thursday Dec 08, 2005 12:08 pm

MHD,

You can use Malt Extract to prime, but it is a little fiddly as you have to calculate the fermentable sugar, it will also "thicken" the finished product.

You can use any type of sugar, even table sugar (sucrose) is ok as the amount used to prime will not infuse a cidery taste in such small quantities.

Daron · Post by **Daron** » Thursday Dec 08, 2005 1:25 pm

By the time you've moved the beer thorugh three kegs it seems to me there's a lot of wastage. I'm happy to rack, but bulk prming ina third would take the joy of my wife priming the bottle for me with the scoop then capping!

Let them take part in your bottling and it's a shared hobby with the messy stuff taken care of.

This way when you're consumed in, and taking over all available space with beer, it's miore accepted.

Works for me anyway.

Apprentice Brewmaster · Thursday Dec 08, 2005 1:57 pm

on average how much brew would you lose per rack?

Daron · Post by **Daron** » Thursday Dec 08, 2005 2:07 pm

my guess would be about 2 litres each time

Apprentice Brewmaster · Thursday Dec 08, 2005 2:17 pm

SO, you would lose *approx* 2 litres racking first to second, then another 2 if you were bulk priming in a third vessel, then maybe another 2 (maybe not that much?) from third if bottleing?

yardglass · Post by **yardglass** » Thursday Dec 08, 2005 3:23 pm

Daron wrote:my guess would be about 2 litres each time

with a little practice you don't have to lose this much.

the night before i Rack, I prop the rear of the Pail up so it's leaning slightly forward, then rack with little or no disturbance.

i spose I lose about 250 ml, no way would it be 2 litres.....

yardy