To rack or not to rack this is the question

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Of course, you must rack must in order to get lees, but otherwise I think must might be too strong a word.

[Trough Lolly]

Lagers yes, Ales no - I do use a reducer and I have a rubber bung under the fermenter (beneath the tap) so the sediment falls away from the reducer during primary....I also skim hop matter (when I use plugs and flowers) off the top of the krausen in the first day or two of primary as well - make it a lot easier to harvest yeast out of the slurry when you take the hop material out beforehand.

Cheers,
TL

[rwh]

Why don't you strain the wort somehow before it gets to the fermenter?

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Drifting off-topic a little, I wonder (regardless of whether you currently use or tried and discarded them) in what orientation who uses/used their sediment reducers - slot/opening up or down?

From memory, I tried both before discarding them, but my memory is basically shot...

[drsmurto]

Interesting to read about titling your fermenter TL. A pseudo conical effect.....

I tend to rack, particularly now i have experienced yeast autolysis. Damn porter tastes like vegemite! Not that i dont like vegemite and did suggest to Kev i should drink it with a slice of buttered toast.....

[Boonie]

Drifting off-topic a little, I wonder (regardless of whether you currently use or tried and discarded them) in what orientation who uses/used their sediment reducers - slot/opening up or down?

From memory, I tried both before discarding them, but my memory is basically shot...

Slot up. I still have them, just do not use them.

[Trough Lolly]

Why don't you strain the wort somehow before it gets to the fermenter?

Good point - I normally do (whirlpool and use a braid hose in the kettle) but lately I've been dry hopping into primary (I know, the aroma gets knocked out during vigorous primary fermentation), but I've been lazy and with a kilo plug of Tettnanger to "get rid of before it's too old" I've been tossing it into anything I brew!!

...and my reducer is normally slot side up, but I'm gonna do the next one slot down so it doesn't suck in loose leaves and floaties from the tettnanger addition. The yeast is always well clear of the tap.

Cheers,
TL

[rwh]

...and my reducer is normally slot side up, but I'm gonna do the next one slot down so it doesn't suck in loose leaves and floaties from the tettnanger addition. The yeast is always well clear of the tap.

I'm not sure which way the slot is up will make a difference re: sucking of leaves... they always seem to find and block the opening, no matter where it is. Which is why I don't use sediment reducers any more. But I'll look forward to hearing how it goes.

[warra48]

As Trough Lolly said, ales no, lagers yes.
Ales stay in primary for 2 weeks, and any dry hopping is done in primary when the active fermentation is quitened down.
I do have a Märzen brewed back in January still in the lagering fridge It was racked after 4 weeks in primary. It is due to be bottled sometime within the next week.
I no longer own a sediment reducer.
I tilt my fermenter back about 10º from the vertical, and the tap stays clear that way when it comes to bottling time.

[SpillsMostOfIt]

...and my reducer is normally slot side up, but I'm gonna do the next one slot down so it doesn't suck in loose leaves and floaties from the tettnanger addition. The yeast is always well clear of the tap.

Theorising... Do you think you might get more yeast getting sucked through that way? If (repeat: *if*) there is some sludge under or near the reducer, will not the beery breeze carry some of that yeast along with it?

[Trough Lolly]

Possibly....I'm not into speculating fluid dynamics but the tilt keeps a lot of the yeast at bay so I'm inverting the slot to avoid a hop leaf logjam - the "breeze" will move the yeast around the sediment reducer regardless of how the slot is located or the side my tongue sticks out of my mouth when I rack the beer!

Besides, by the time the last litre or two of beer leaves the fermenter, the flow is very slow and creates minimal turbulence near the outlet...fact not theory!

Cheers,
TL

[PaulSteele]

racking is another nice touch you can add to your beers, like filtering your water, using finnings, et cetera.

in some of my beers racking is practically part of the recipe, because of the style, or desired outcomes i have in mind.
if i'm just making a sessional type of beer for fast drinking, i may not bother racking.

Pauly