The Unnecessary Secondary: Why I Don't Use Secondary Fermenters 

I’ve actually found the primary to be pointless. I’ve started going direct the the secondary.

I've never used a secondary. By the time I started brewing, a few years ago, most veteran homebrewers had already debunked that step so I never messed with it.

Agreed 100% Larry. I stopped using a "secondary fermenter" 15-20 years ago and have had zero issues. That said I started using conical fermenters a few years ago but that was mainly to switch to stainless steel and for ease of yeast harvesting for washing and re-pitching. Cheers

When I made my first 3gallon batch of mead I let it go for six months in the primary fermenter, far too long because I got lazy and didn’t have confidence in my ability to brew alcohol... it tasted OK but had a bit of a dead yeast taste, so I siphoned it into some old liquor bottles and added a stick of cinnamon and a medium handful of raisins to each bottle and let it sit for two weeks, after that it was delicious! You can really smell the raisins but they don’t overpower the drink! Now I’m alot more confident with home brewing thanks to all the great RU-vid videos.

For the most part I agree with you. I do use a secondary sometimes. Mainly for dry hopping or for a stout onto vanilla beans etc. It is absolutely not necessary to transfer though. I do find the beer will clarify faster in secondary but that's about the only other benefit I see. Cheers Larry! 🍻

Personally I like the secondary for the effect it has one clearing up the beer. I work as a canner in craft beer industry, and view a secondary fermenter as similar to a bright tank. Transfering it into the carboy from the brew bucket leaves less Trub to deal with when you're tranfering to your bottling bucket or a keg, even if you cold crash it. Although I do respect what you're saying and ill give it a try on a hazy ipa I have planned in the near future

Agree 100%. I brew partial mash recipes. My rule-of-thumb is, you leave your Ales in the fermenter for 1 week past completion of fermentation & your Largers for 2 (up to 3 weeks, depending on type/style) weeks. Does it take more time? -yes, does it take more effort? -no, does it improve the end quality of your beer? -hell yes!

Completely agree. I only use a secondary for lagers, beers that I'm adding something to towards the end (fruit, dry hop, etc), or something that will be aging.

I feel like secondary speeds up how fast it clears up and finishes, you can leave it in primary, but will get the same beer faster with a secondary ferment. I have been doing beer and wine both ways for a few years and prefer the two stage ferment. That's the beauty of brewing your own, you do it your own way.

I never used a secondary when I first started brewing but recently I have started to move my beer off the trub for bottling. I have to say it has made my bottling process much easier and a clearer beer before carbonation which probably doesn't make a lot of difference as it will clear either way. I did use a secondary for dry hopping but I bottled straight from that as I had used a nylon bag for my dry hops. The other advantage for me is that I don't have as much of a clean up on bottling day because the bottling bucket is relatively clean after bottling is done. But Yes, I agree, it's not necessary to secondary. It's more down to the space and equipment I have I think.

Generally speaking: the only thing "necessary" to making alcohol is sugar, water and yeast. Anything beyond those three things literally come down to what you "prefer". Beer and wine both develop flavors as they age. Adding brown sugar vs white sugar to wine will taste nearly identical two weeks in the bottle but wait three months and the difference is significant. If you plan on drinking a batch within a month or two then it probably doesn't make a difference. If you let it sit in a bottle for 3 or more months then it likely makes more of a difference.

I agree with you 100%. I've been brewing for 4 years and I've never done a secondary fermentation in another vessel. Northern Brewer explains what secondary fermentation is. The primary fermentation occurs relatively quick until a slowing occurs. The secondary fermentation actually has very little fermentation occurring. Secondary fermentation is simply letting your beer settle out. Typically towards the end of the second week most fermentation has halted. Just let it go the full two weeks and keg. Perfect Ale everytime. We've never had a bad batch in 4 years. This is probably the best video I have seen on this subject. I also like to remind people that a thousand years ago people were making really good beer. They didn't have conical s,refractometers or brewers yeadt for that matter. The air fermented their beer. Dont force it. Let your All Grain recipe speak for itself. You got this! CHEERS!

As a beginner I started with one fermenter. All was good for me. Now I started doing a secondary and did not see much difference. The only reason I can think of is that you get a supposed clearer wine when using secondary. However, that can still be achieved by siphoning it correctly into bottles without touching the bottom of fermenter or agitating the mix. For sure, much less work and less risk of contamination. It is always nice to hear different opinions from experience guys. Thanks Larry.

Larry, I only Brew Ales and have tried secondary a few times but do not do it anymore as I also think it is a waste of time . I do not bottle anymore either because it is a pita but I do use 6 1/2 gallon plastic buckets and love them! I leave my brew in them 2 weeks and cold crash for 24 hours and also have a clean empty and sanitized keg in kegerator ready to accept the beer from the fermenter. Once in the keg I put 20# co2 on it for 2 days and its ready to drink. Cheers! Dale

Agreed! We have moved to only using one fermenter and cold crashed to get great results. Especially with things like the depth charge on the the Big Mouth Bubbler which helps with dry hopping or adding things post fermentation. Cheers!

Great video Lar'!!! I only go to secondary when the recipe calls for dry hopping an IPA (other than high krausen dry hop) or special ingredients added like cocoa nibs, vanilla bean, and toasted coconut for a coconut stout for example. I love your, keep it real "REAL FUN" simple attitude!! Thanks again.

Thank you for clarifying what Ive been feeling all these years. I have never transferred my beer to a secondary, but always thought I dis wrong. all the time my beers went out great. secondary is not necessary. Thank you Larry.

I have always leaned to the K.I.S.S. method. Started brewing ales in the late 90s with a glass carboy and never did use a second fermenter and I have been brewing great tasting beer ever since. So, from my own experience I agree a 100% when brewing ales.

Thank you for posting this. I dry hop, add fruit, etc. all in primary. Never had a problem.

Ferment for how ever long it takes, normally chuck the drop hop in when 6 points from target gravity I don’t even cold crash and keg it the following weekend after it’s hit the mark. Every thing I use and how I go about it is standardised and I use the most efficient/least labour intensive products. The most time consuming part is taking the fittings off of the fermenter to clean it. It’s got to the point now that it’s actually less work to keep the fermenter constantly in action. I just passivate it once a year. Kit I use if your interested :- SS Brewtech brewmaster bucket & FTss backed up with a heat belt on an inkbird if the temperature/weather is a bit unpredictable Tilt hydrometer PBW for cleaning (100% labour free) Starsan in a spray bottle Cyklone paint mixer in a drill to aerate the wort Supermarket mineral water In- keg dry hopper if I feel it needs a little more of a kick, which is just left in till it’s drank I tend to use extract kits for quickness and just sub out the brewing sugar for mangrove jacks pure malt extract. I few times a year I can get a drum of fresh wort from a brewery but to be honest I can’t really say I can notice much difference. It’s all way better than shop bought. Just kegged a fresh wort batch with a massive amount of hops and mango extract that I’m really looking forward to

I dry hop, cold crash and add gelatine all to my primary. I rack off crystal clear (commercial quality) beer every time, usually in 7-10 days from brew day. I have SS Brew Buckets so have an adjustable racking cane so it makes avoiding the trub during bottling/kegging easy.

Hearing this information just cleared up my schedule for this evening

Haha, nice. Watching as my beer drains into the secondary. Cheers!

Great vid as always. Cheers, I’ve been making mead for over 10 years and recently started home brewing. 4 batches of extract under my belt so far. I’ve never secondary fermented my meads or home brews. I agree with those that say it allows for possibility of oxidation. In my eyes it’s too precious to risk. Also I don’t take gravity readings to determine when fermentation has leveled off. Again it’s too precious to waste. I want every ounce of goodness. Currently fermenting 5 gal of Lock Down Brown Ale extract/partial mash. I hit the target OG at 1.052 and I’ll give another week, a total of 3 weeks before racking. Waiting for my case of 2L Palla growlers to arrive so I can rack in those.

Yep I agree. I've been brewing for 24 years. Never noticed the difference with racking unless it is a super heavy porter. I guess it makes me happy to rack off the 3 inches of slooge to let it age a little longer.

It depends on the type of ale your brewing. I make NE style IPAs and West Coast Pales so secondary and even third dry hopping do incorporate new bright oily flavors. Hops sitting in your beer longer than 4-6 days can start putting off a vegetabley grassy flavor. I like to keep em fresh and plentiful to get that juicy hop nectar

I have done this many times. Stuff turned out great. I have left wine in primary for 6 months, turned out great. I think, we have a situation were most people have become google experts and base their knowledge on a google search rather than trying it or experience.

Sorry to necro-post on a 2 year old video, but from what I've heard, just like you mentioned, there ARE certain times you need to get your beer or your wine off the dregs. Lagers are one, however, my personal opinion is that you have to allow enough time for your yeast to "clean up after themselves" so to speak. So if you are going to use secondaries, which is totally up to the individual brewer or vintner, don't be in too much of a rush. I have 12 gallons of wine that up until recently, had be sitting on the secondary dregs (yeah yeah I racked it out of primary after a month or so lol) for about 9 months. I just degassed it and oaked half of it. It may sit several more months until I'm ready to bottle. Patience is always rewarded. Happy brewing! Love the videos btw!

You are 100% right, not only is the green beer susceptible to airborne bugs, secondary fermentation is a complete waste of time. Without blowing my own trumpet, I have been homebrewing since 1982 and decided to grainbrew in 1990 and such experience has taught me that secondary fermentation increases the chances of a ruined five gallon (23 litre) batch. For convenience I use the Grainfather that is highly recommended. Happy brewing!!

I had a feeling that a secondary fermenter is a waste of time and money. And you Sir nailed it. Thanks!

Thank you I have been racking my brain as to why I have to do a secondary. Great video and much thanks

100% can attest to this being true. I used to do primary and secondary when brewing 15 years ago; then had a break, moved country and started brewing again recently - same recipes, different rig, but stopped secondary and the beer is terrific, clear, no off flavour and much easier.

Secondary fermentations are more for wine, or meads. There are a couple of reasons that I do this. The main reason I do it on my meads is natural fermentation takes time. I use my first fermentation and rack to burn through the surgars and get my mead up to my preferred ABV. Then, I re-rack it to flavor it, and back sweeten. Since I add volume I use a less aggressive yeast, to keep my mead honest as a mild secondary ferment. It is a way that I can speed the fermentation process up, and bargain with the flavor and sweetness at the same time.

I agree after first fermentation is done what you need is just patience

This is a good psa on secondary fermentation. I personally think it’s not necessary for most recipes. I’d say stouts and complex ales should have a secondary fermentation. It’s really not too necessary and the joys of making beer can still be reached either way.

Good to hear this. I've been trawling the web the past couple of days trying to get this settled in my head after preparing to get a brew on after a looong time off. You've just confirmed my suspicions. It makes sense, the best beers I ever made were the ones when I first started off simple. Complications came when I overcomplicated the process after 'researching' and convincing myself I should be doing things that are really unnecessary. Cheers 🍻 subbed 👍

I see your point about not liking secondary fermentor. I'm still young in Home Brewing and use the glass carboys for secondary for simply clearing my beer. That's really what it was intended to do unless you filter your beer when transferring it. There is always risk of infection when transferring beer, but the best way to avoid bit is to PRATICE RELIGIOUS SANITATION HABITS, you can never over sanitize.

An old school brewer 20+ years and going to try this on my next batch. I will need to rack my lambic into a secondary, i need the room to add a few pounds of raspberries. Thank you for the advice, I will also like not having too prep/clean more items than needed!

I'm about to start brewing for the 1st time. I've always thought this seemed unnecessary, and I certainly know now. Thanks bro!

Thank you . I don't brew yet- I'm learning.

The reason I rack to a secondary fermenter is for clarifying my beer. No, it is not necessary, but by using a little bit of polyclar and crash cooling , I can have a beer that is clear and carbonated in 7-10 days!

I'm so glad i finally have someone else agreeing with me. I've been brewing for 3 years and I only use secondary if i'm adding fruit or something like that after a week or so, and i'm sure even that isn't necessary, i just find it easier to make sure certain flavorings or oak chips are spread out more evenly if i rack on top of them. Love your channel and happy brewing!

Larry, I've been following your advice for quite a while, and I think this was one of the topics I asked you about a while ago. So I've only been using a single fermenter, then it goes into the keg. And while yesterday's "Labor Day IPA" may only be my 9th? batch, I still haven't made a beer I didn't like. Thanks for all your help!

I've reached the same conclusion, secondaries are not needed most of the time. Exceptions for me: Lagers and if I'm dry hoping. Otherwise, couple weeks fermentation then into the keg, force carbonate and drinking it in short order. I have found that long fermentations are just not needed in most cases, in fact, 2 weeks seems about right for most beer styles.

I know this video is old but I would like to comment anyway. This is something I have certainly encountered before, the single stage fermentation. I used to talk to my mothers best friends husband (lol, yeah I know) all the time about his fermentation techniques several years ago when I was just starting out in my own brewing endeavors, his name is John. John no longer brews at all and I haven't spoken to him in years, but he used to make wines, beers, meads, and a lot of fermented foods. The guy was just a fermentation NUT lol. Anyway, he was a BIG believer in the single stage fermentation when it came to basic ales, pales, porters, and just about anything dark. He would only rack to secondary for beers with a more sensitive or delicate profile like lambics, lagers, etc. or beers that require a long aging process. As long as you are using glass and not a bucket for your primary (most brewers ditch the bucket altogether at some point and stick to glass whether they rack to a secondary or not) there's really no "game breaking" reason not to use a single stage fermentation. From all the things I have read and all the people I have talked to, the most important things about making beer are the basic things like personalized taste, experience, and overall methodical preference. In other words it is much like cooking in the way that there is no "wrong" way to do it. Naturally there are a few rules set in stone you have to follow for a safe, flavorful, quality product, JUST LIKE YOU DO IN COOKING. But, like cooking, it all comes down to what you want to achieve with your beer, knowing your flavor profile, and finding a balance between work put in and quality of output. In other words, and simply put; TO EACH HIS OWN :-) Because YOU are primarily the person you are making the beer and food for, YOU are the most important judge of what to make, how to make it, and making it how you like it. Everything in-between are simply details. This is only the second video I have seen on your channel (the first was the amazing bbq'd beans from scratch video), and I am going to check out some more, but I'm pretty sure I'll be subscribing. Thank you for sharing your content with the community, it is appreciated!

Thanks again Larry! I am quitting the practice this week. My best beers have been my own SMaSH's brewed and bottled after just 2 weeks to make it 30 days to drinking. I use carboys and 22 ounce bottles yet but contemplating going to kegs. About 50 batches now since Feb. 2019. I need to quit giving so much away!

So at age 60 I am making my first batch of beer. I ordered the stuff and today I got my first batch in the fermenter. As I am reading directions when it comes to fermenting I get. Ferment for 1 week then transfer to the secondary fermenter for two more weeks, or just leave it in the primary for three weeks. WTH??? So this evening I am trying to figure out what to do. Thanks Larry, single fermentation is what I'll do. This interweb is power. I haven't seen anything for my simple ale to tell me anything different. Much thanks, my first beer I will drink in your honor.

1:02 100% agree. I use a secondary fermenter for my lager style beers because I really do believe it helps the beer come out clearer when fermentation is done and you start laggering the batch. But for Ale's, completely pointless. It just introduces oxidation.

Hey Larry, Your videos got me into brewing! Thanks for all the great content and reviews!

I think you are 100% correct! When the is done, it's done! Cheers

Always followed the received wisdom of the time and racked the beer off the sediment before it was finished fermenting so it continued in the secondary fermenter. Added finings and fitted an air lock at this point too. Never had any issues with infection or oxidation and it produced very clear and clean beers. Now I only use a secondary vessel for lagering, as the conventional wisdom now seems to suggest its a bit of a wasted effort. However, whilst there is not difference in flavour, I find that my ales are more hazy now at kegging / bottling stage and take longer to drop clear than previously and never quite get as crystal clear as before. I should be grateful for your advice on when and how to use finings with only one fermentation. The finings I use advise me to add after fermentation and leave for two days to clear before kegging - but I'm reluctant to do this as it will let oxygen to come into contact for a few days. Alternatively should I add finings earlier or at kegging / bottling? Thanks in advance for your kind advice, your videos are excellent. You saved me a fair wad of cash by convincing me that I don't need a conical fermenter, and you know what - I really don't. Cheers buddy!

"Secondary Fermentor" is actually a misnomer. Fermentation is usually done before racking takes place. I call mine my racking carboy. Consider: I use finings, so I add my positively charged fining in the primary, rack after a week, and add the negatively charged finings in there. Then, after the carboy is clear, I move to a bottling pail, and bottle from there. Some of us just don't like to bottle from beer that's sitting on the lees. to each his own. Happy brewing.

One of the things I started doing like 2 years ago was I do 1 week in the fermenter (6 gallon carboy) then i put my fermenter in my keg fridge for about a week or till it’s nice and clear, we’ll as clear as it will get on its own, then I rack it in to my keg. The nice thing is that the Trub stays nice and compact.

I agree with not using a secondary fermenter. I started home-brewing about a year and a half ago. When starting off I was always following the time guidelines on how long to let it sit In primary and then secondary. Now a few months ago I've just been leaving my beer in primary and just going strait to keg and have had no issues. Even for the beer that I have not had room in kegs for that sat in the primary for close to a month. Defiantly not racking to secondary cuts down on time. I defiantly would say it may help to a point for clearing your beer but from experience if you going to keg most of everything will settle out in the keg and it will pour out within your first pours especially when using gelatin.

I wish you were my neighbor!! I have brewed off and on for many years ..yup I have done my process by the book.. Thank you you for sharing your experience !

I am a fanatic for clear beer why i dont know but i like clear beer. I have used secondary fermentation and have kegged out of primaries and have had no problem with clarity on most beers, but when I brew pilsners/lagers I use secodaries to get the beer off the yeast bed to avoid off flavors and for clarity.

I think the confusion comes from brewing most other things like cider. I kept getting sediment on the bottom of my cider bottles without that second rack

Totally agree. I brew all belgian style ales and the bottle is the only secondary you need in homebrew

No it isn't necessary but it most definitely does make a big difference in aroma and clarity.

I don't do secondary fermentation, I don't do gravity readings, I don't do any of the fancy stuff (gypsum, PH readings, acid levels, etc). I use spring water I buy from Kroger by the 2&1/2 jug and I start cooking. Make sure to use Starsan and keep your stuff clean. count the bubbles, bottle or keg then enjoy. I have not much respect for people who over complicate a process that has been done for thousands of years.

"The ability to brew more often by getting rid of the hassles and roadblocks in your way..." Absolutely! I think people quit the hobby because they get to a tipping point as they transition to more complicated brewing techniques and things get difficult and expensive. I do either batch sparging or BIAB and my brew days aren't marathons...they're enjoyable times with brewing buddies and the beer turns out great. Good stuff.

Thanks Larry, I am rather new to this whole home brewing stuff and your videos are very helpful. Keep up the good work!

I can't tell the difference. I let an American ale sit for a month in a bucket and it was fine. I did the same thing with a porter. Couldn't tell. I 2-staged a Belgian Tripel and didn't notice any flavor transformation when I transferred fermenters. I know a local brewery owner, and I showed him this video. We're gonna make 7 barrels with a single ferment process. We're gonna let 3.5 barrels sit for 8 days, brew again, and dump the trub from the first session into the second one. This will happen in July. The guy said, "I'm overpitching your beer, a lot, but it's only an issue if we're doing it multiple times."

I agree with you on most styles especially ales that a secondary is totally unnecessary,

I am new to brewing, but I see the secondary fermenter mostly as an opportunity to clean the beer before bottling. When I transfer the beer from primary to secondary (via spIgot, not siphon), I run it through cheesecloth, so the beer is perfectly clear. If I were to bottle directly from the primary, it seems I would need to leave a bottle or two behind, or else I would be bottling the gunk at the bottom.

I'm a newbie kegger and only learnt today that people secondary ferment. Luckily I watched your video before picking up some bad habits. I'm guessing it's not common here in Australia as we have no problems with cloudy or hot beer as long as it's alcoholic;-)

Agree, Two weeks in Blichmann and transfer. Only if i do dry hopping i just add it to the fermentor.

I agree totally. My practice is just as you described and my beers are great. The only time I have done a secondary was when I did a fruit beer. Keep up the good work. I really enjoy the videos!

This is why I love conical fermenters- you can basically secondary ferment without transferring.

I agree with you I also dry hop in the primary

I have always only used one fermenter, for the last 30 years. I just keep an eye on not getting any sediment into the bottles.

I began home brewing in 1972 and always used a secondary until 3 years ago. As an experiment I let it set in the primary for 4 weeks before kegging and there was no difference. Needless to say, I don't use a secondary anymore.

I rarely do a secondary mostly a waste of time for a Pale Ales, IPAs and some other ales that are best fermented for less than a month.

IMHO for the typical weekend home brewer with a $200 - $800 setup the problem is you have your initial product after the (hydrometer"Fg" reading) setting on a yeast cake that is full of waste by-product, (( kind of like changing your oil and leaving the dirty filter on)) leaving it in the primary for 2,4, or even 6 weeks isn't a problem "depending on the masterpiece you are brewing" transferring it from primary to what I call a conditioning carboy is a must for a great tasting creation but to each his own. Brew on!!

I agree, but I'm adamant about using glass vessels (carboy and bottles). I don't like using plastic anything. I put the dextrose right into the bottles and bottle it straight from the carboy.

When I got started in making homebrew was in the early 90s and the first kit was a single stage fermenter a 6.8 gal bucket just got started that way.

I typically make my common ales without secondary, straight to the keg and force carbonate. When going for a specific style, I will use a secondary and bottle or keg. I like to make specific styles for freinds.

Would you consider doing a vid- ez peasy- dump hot wort into corny keg to chill in fridge- oxegenate with wand in keg next day, than in same keg pitch yeast and ferment with spunding valve to pressurize up to 25psi- chill to 40F and serve (now at 8psi) out of same keg with floating ball clear beer dispense type system? Seems like the simplest way to brew! And only one thing to clean; with a diy keg cleaner!!! Your thoughts?

I make more meads than brews these days but I like secondary for clarity. Like you said I doubt there is much difference in taste but it sure it pretty to have less sediment.

I thumbed this up 7 months ago. I normally move to keg after primary. Thus the keg is secondary, especially when I dry hop for 3-5 days. Oh BTW, I don't have a problem with clarity. Hoss

Who am I to argue. You have been doing this longer than me. CHEERS!!

Hey Larry, hadn't made any beer yet, but just picked a bushel of grapes and have crushed them & added sugar, pectin, nutrient, mbsulphite and have the must sitting overnite to pitch the yeast tomorrow. Thinking hard about ordering a couple fast fermenters. Watched a ton of vids last season on them. Really like the idea of no racking, just drop the sed ball. So cool. Anyway, my daughter has loads of grapes, so I had to do it. I agree with your thoughts on this. See ya

The only time as a wine maker I use a primary then a secondary...is if I'm use a large amount of fresh fruit...if it's just juice straight into a carboy and let her rip...good call ....

Depends on the style. I definitely find it necessary when bottling.

I only do lagers and don't use a secondary. 3 weeks in the primary (including diacetyl rest), crash to 32°, gelatin, rack to keg and lager for 2 to 4 months. I did this because I lacked enough fermenters, but once I bought another for use as a secondary and noticed zero difference, I just had another fermenter to use for other brews. I think people like the process of creating and get really particular about how they do it. I started out using only spring water, now I use city water straight from the garden hose and there was no difference with the end product. If people want to use secondaries, specific water chemistry, in line filters, plate chillers, yeast starters, whatever, that's their business so I don't really judge them. I keep it as simple as possible with as few steps as possible, but like I said, some people love the process of creating and some want to be as precise as possible. We all have our own methods, but if the end product is a great tasting beer, who cares how you got there.

beer will clear fine in the bottle with out secondary fermentation. beer will also take a little longer to carbonate in the bottle after second fermentation because you will have more yeast settled at the bottom of your fermenta

I brewed a batch I thought surely couldn't taste decent (my first one) and we left it in the bucket for 6 weeks maybe more, the temps were not cool all the time because we had a dirty a c unit apparently I later discovered lagers and Ambers prefer different temps . No secondary fermentation. We went to mixing the priming sugar to the bucket and bottling. We did keep the vessel very still so we could take the liquid from the top and skip the sediment. I was super pleased with the clarity of the beer. Like drunken idiots brewing beer for the first time, we thought, "cool they're bottled. Put em in the fridge" *DON'T* they need to sit at room temp or so in order to secondary ferment and carbonate. We removed them and they fermented fine I a couple weeks. I'm drinking nicely carbonated perfectly above average Amber beer (tastes super rich n dark actually, nice surprise, I thought with the Brewers best beer kits I get a pussy version but flavor is on point). Bottom line, if I can do it anyone can. Got all my brewing equipment from looking online for free equipment. Got extras to give to neighbors to get them started too from the freebies (there Is a fuck ton of random shit to buy). happy brewing

As regards beer, my experience matches your own. For the last 5 years, I have only made wines, predominantly meads. My primary reason to rack into another container is to let the fermented wine sit on fruit. In general I find it easier to rack the wine onto the fruit. If the wine deserves additional bulk aging I rack it once more, just because some of the more delicate fruit seems to have a limited time before it begins to have a negative effect on taste. While I have never experienced this directly, there is a persistent notion in some reviews that claim that Lalvin 71B-1122 can impart some less desirable tastes if left too long. Personally, I like to use this yeast for fruit wines, but because of the process I describe above I have probably never been in a position to see this happen. I would be interested to hear if anyone has experience that contradicts the supposed issue with this strain. Thanks for the great video.

My first batches of my double IPA were awesome...i didn't do a secondary ferment. I have 2 batches now going with 2nd ferment after roughly 5-6 days of primary and 7 for 2nd. The beer seems much clearer, but not convinced it will taste that much better. We'll see! Cheers! And great video buddy!

I agree. Depending on how much sugar you have in a batch and what type of yeast you are using for that specific batch, yeast can only consume so much sugar and can only handle so much alcohol before it dies. All you are really doing is allowing the batch to clear up on its own and using a siphonless fermenter along with kieselsol and chitosan as a clearing agent, you really don't need a secondary fermenter in my humble opinion. But if anyone is happy using a secondary fermenter, by all means please use one. Do what ever makes you happy.

20 years ago secondary was the norm with homebrewers. I think some old schoolers keep doing it out of habit but I stopped secondary a few years ago as well and never looked back.

Question: How do you keep the trub from being transferring into the keg using this method?

Just did my first primary-to-corny. Thanks for making me feel like it was a good choice! Mark Butera, owner of O'so Brewing Company in Wi, has also told me that secondary is a waste of time. Question for you BnBBQL, what is the fastest pale ale from cook to serve? The Cream Ale I cooked on Oct 31 I am trying to serve on November 15th. I kegged on the 10th, it is in a fridge now, then I am going to carb it tonight (Nov 13th). I'll let you all know what happens.

Hop bag/spider, screened funnel, double-mesh strainer...there are so many low-effort ways to stop trub from getting into the fermenter in the first place. And plastic conicals are so cheap now you can still do practically hassle-free primary/secondary without transferring.

I just started home wine making three months ago. I kept hearing about secondary fermentation until finally one guy on RU-vid who had been brewing a long time set me straight. There is no secondary fermentation. Somebody made that up. There's fermentation and then there's finishing which includes degassing (which isn't necessary), clarification, and stabilizing. With beer or sparkling wine there's also conditioning. All of these processes are done best naturally and with time. I have used super clear once and probably never use it again because I feel like I have to always warn friends and family about possible shellfish reactions. I have also used bentonite for clearing which I'm not real concerned about. Right now I need to find a way to put CO2 into carboys where I have too much head space because of too much racking. Now if I had just let it sit after it fermented with the airlock on, if I had been patient it would have clarified of it's own within a few months. I figure the helicopter wine makers really just can't resist sampling. That's the real reason for all the handling. I have concluded I'm going to trust the process and just leave it alone. Now, I intend to use whole fruit for all my wine and I will rack it once I'm done with the fruit but after that it will set for months.

I’m actually in the middle of my first home brew but I can totally see the point you’re making here, it just leaves me with 2 questions. What do I do with my glass carboy? Can I ferment a different batch in there? And how do I know my beer is done fermenting and ready to be bottled in the “primary”?

I stopped doing secondary a couple years ago. Its a waste of time. I see some people say they prefer secondary for clearing up the beer. The vessel doesn't affect that. You will get the same clearing effect if you just leave it in one vessel for the amount of time you would put it in primary and secondary. If you're really worried about sediment, cold crash it.

I like to harvest yeast, and that is easiest and cleanest out of the primary fermenter when transferring to a secondary. I transfer when there is still fermentation and carbon dioxide being produced but at a lower level. Enough for the yeast to still be using oxygen.

00:01 Secondary fermentation is not necessary for home brewing beer. 00:58 Secondary fermentation is not required for most beer styles 01:28 Contrarian opinions on using secondary fermenters 01:59 Using a secondary fermenter is unnecessary 02:31 Not using secondary fermenters saves time and reduces the risk of contamination. 03:08 Using secondary fermenters is unnecessary for brewing beer 03:45 Simplicity and brewing more often by eliminating the need for a secondary fermenter. 04:11 This video promotes the sale of beer and barbecue shirts.