Racking

[JAZZA]

Just woundering how you Guy's rack your beer into the second fermenter ? I have never worried about sediment but it would be nice to have some clear beer for guests.(how many days in the first fermenter)

Dry hopping is there any chance of infection if you use the pellets from a sealed bag?


CHEERS,


JAZZA

[Lebowski]

If I'm not feeling too lazy i stick my keg gas line into the secondary and give it a blast of c02 then put my sanitised syphon tube from the tap into my sanitised cube down the very bottom so i dont get too much air in the syphon tube and turn the tap on half way untill the tube fills with beer then turn the tap on all the way till I get down near the yeast bed. Screw on the top and stick it in a fridge if you can for a week or so then into a keg or bottles.

As I understand the alchohol content of the beer helps ward off infections a little bit and the hops themself have a preservative quality (which is why India Pale Ale beers were hopped very strongly for long sea voyages). If you where really worried you could soak them in boiling water for a little while before tipping it into the fermenter?

[da_damage_done]

Racking

1) Take fermenter out of fridge and place on bench (carefully so as to not stir up the sediment)
2) Sanitise second container \ fermenter and racking hose
3) Put hose on 1st fermenter tap and coil other end in bottom of 2nd container (2 metre hose)
4) Pinch hose about half way and turn on tap - fill that section of the hose and let go.
5) Allow gravity to do its thing
6) Put 2nd container back in fridge
7) Clean out first container

I also bulk prime - so i need to rack again - not sure if this contributes to clearing up the beer - but it means i don`t have to be as careful when bottling not to stir up the crap at the bottom

Like the Big Lebowski said re: hops - you should be right but if you are really paranoid then boil them up (but remember this may change the outcome you are trying to get by dry hopping).

Cheers

[The Carbonator]

Ive only racked afew times, and it took FOREVER for my bottles to carbonate.

And you know how I hate low carbonation

[JAZZA]

Thanks for your help fella's

CHEER'S,


JAZZA

[Chris]

Boiling your hops would be a little paranoid. As was mentioned above, both the alcohol and the low pH, as well as the yeast being firmly in control of the brew, all make it very unlikely for infection to occur.

Also as mentioned above, to boil your hops would not contribute to aroma, more likely flavour, or potentially bitterness.

[Beerpig]

I'm lazy & have never racked ................. another fermenter to clean & sanitise ..................... another chance for infection etc etc

The only advantage people seem to write about is clearer beer. A bit of cloudiness I can cope with.

As I said in another thread, John Palmer doesn't recommend racking ales in the latest version of his book, main reason being he sees no advantages to it & plenty of potential down sides

Cheers

[Tassie b€rew]

I'm assuming all of your beers have come out well beer pig???? How long do you leave your brew in the fermenter before you bottle it and what do you bulk prime with???

Cheers mate

[Beerpig]

Tassie

Have done 20 odd brews, all have come out fine apart from one dark ale which was infected.

The brew stays in the fermenter only until fermentation is complete (same SG reading over 2 days). This varies depending on the type of beer, yeast etc

I don't bulk prime, use the measuring scoop & dextrose

Cheers

[chris.]

I agree beerpig. Racking isn't necessary for every brew.
Even Palmer has changed his tune:

"In the next edition of HtB, I confess that I rarely rack to a secondary these days, and I no longer recommend racking every beer to a secondary to get it off the trub.
As many other brewers have noted, just leaving it alone in the primary for 3-4 weeks accomplishes the secondary fermentation or conditioning processes, and the beer is much improved over one that was moved too soon. Like MtnBrewer, I rack lagers*, and high gravity beers, and fruit beers. Otherwise I just leave it in the primary.

*I didn't rack a Vienna I make for the SCal homebrew fest last year, just lagered it in the primary and it was great.

I have tasted autolyzed beer while judging, so it can happen, but I have never had it happen to me. Good yeast practice, good fermentation practice, = no need to rack most of the time.
Cheers,
John"

http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?s=00 ... 3281&st=32

[Beerdrinker32]

after i rack beer into second fermenter how long do i leave it? and at what temp if using ale yeast brewed at 20degrees. does primary fermentation have to be complete before racking? thanks

[da_damage_done]

i usually go 4-5 days for ales

i usually wait till the krausen is about mid way through dropping