Secondary fermentation....

[fretlessman71]

....in philosophy, could a 2ndary be looked at as aging the beer BEFORE you bottle it? Just curious to see what people have to say about this idea.... and is there a time limit as to how long beer can be left there?

[Tweek]

yes, it can be looked at as an aging vessel. I have "bulk aged" many beers in secondary. The longer you leave it there the more yeast will fall out of suspension though and if you plan on priming for carbonation you will need to allow for more time for the remaining yeast to do its job. As far as time is concerned you defiantely wouldnt want to leave it there longer than its shelf life but I would imagine right up to it would be fine as long as you are keeping it sealed up tight.

[mmmBeer...]

Doesn’t true secondary fermentation mean the addition of another batch of yeast to the fermented beer after the primary yeast is finished? I could have sworn that I read somewhere that what home brewers refer to as secondary fermentation is actually a misnomer in that we are just aging and clarifying the beer, as the yeast have done their job so there is no real fermentation going on.

But then again I could be wrong…
:confused:

[LorenzoJ]

I think that mostly we are just referring to continueing the primary fermentation in a second(ary) container. And trying to get the beer away from the initial "fallout" on the bottom.

[fretlessman71]

So, is it possible/desirable to pitch a SECOND time to make sure that all of the fermentable sugars are eaten by the yeastybeasties?

[davesarman]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
So, is it possible/desirable to pitch a SECOND time to make sure that all of the fermentable sugars are eaten by the yeastybeasties?

I've seen this recommended but only in extra strong beers (barleywines, some Belgian styles) and usually with a high alcohol tolarant yeast (i.e. champagne yeast) to make sure that fermentation completes after the initial yeast has died out from either stress or too much alcohol. (what a way to go! :p ) Never tried it myself tho.

[fretlessman71]

Reason I ask is because I never seem to get down to the final gravity that the kit tells me I'm aiming for. Can't tell if it's because I'm killing my yeast somehow or if it's something else. I'm about .015 away from my target on this last batch, but there's also about 10 oz. of lactose added to it that the kit didn't call for. Does this seem about right?

[MARK123]

The fermentation of malt sugars into beer is a complicated biochemical process. It is more than just attenuation, which can be regarded as the primary activity. Total fermentation is better defined as two phases, the Primary or Attenuative phase and a Secondary or Conditioning phase. The yeast do not end Phase 1 before beginning Phase 2, the processes occur in parallel, but the conditioning processes occur more slowly. This is why beer (and wine) improves with age. Tasting the beer at bottling time will show rough edges that will disappear after a few weeks in the bottle. Because the conditioning process is a function of the yeast, it follows that the greater yeast mass in the fermenter is more effective at conditioning the beer than the smaller amount of suspended yeast in the bottle. Leaving the beer in the fermenter for a total of two or even three weeks will go a long way to improving the final beer. This will also allow time for more sediment to settle out before bottling, resulting in a clearer beer.

The reason for racking to a Secondary Fermenter is to prevent a yeast breakdown called autolysis, and the resulting bad taste imparted to the beer. This will not be a problem for these relatively short fermentation-time ale beers. Other beer types, like Lagers and some high-gravity beer styles, need to be racked to a secondary because these sit on the yeast for a longer period of time.

[davesarman]

So in essence, the answer is "give it time"?!? I made a Scotch ale this fall that for various reasons, I left in my secondary for about 6 or 7 weeks. (Normally I go no more than 2 weeks.) I was a little worried how it would turn out, but then I thougt it can't be too different than what it goes through during bottle conditioning...I must admit it has turned out extrordinarily smooth and mellow. I've been thinking the extra time in the secondary had contributed to that.

[fretlessman71]

Does the priming sugar interfere with the aging? I'm confused.... why would bottling it make it not age as well? I know there's more sediment... is that basically all there is to it?

[davesarman]

Oh man, only one more to go to 1,000, Fret!!!!

As far as I know, priming sugar solely contributes to carbonating while in the bottle. There is some bottle conditioning that occurs as well, and I have to believe that the priming sugar is in direct correlation with that process. Does that make sense?

Congrats on 1K, Fret!

[mmmBeer...]

I thought that I read somewhere that the addition of priming sugar reactivates the yeast and leads to a secondary fermentation. There are a couple of beers that use this when they describe why there is yeast in the bottom of a bottle.