What I find amazing is that many people get into home brewing via the wort kits that you see in many home brew shops. This is the way I got into the hobby. These wort kits even today outline a secondary racking step in the process. It’s like getting started with bad process out of the gate lol
Secondary fermentation is the yeast cleaning up by-products of fermentation, so I've never understood why you'd want to remove the yeast. I ferment and serve from the same keg - zero transfers and no opening the lid. Much better all round!
I still can’t believe people go straight to bottle and don’t keg. Kegging is so much simpler and it’s really not that expensive. For about $100 you can be kegging, well worth it. And I bottle off the keg to give to friends and take places.
Kegging may be slightly simpler, but costs a LOT more than your $100 to set up. Then you need to have the space to set it up in, and a few friends only too happy to help you empty the kegs. Kegging takes at least as much time in cleaning kegs, beer lines and other equipment, then there is the ongoing cost of CO2. On the other hand bottling, if done with flip top bottles, can be streamlined to be simple, fast and efficient. Plus you can have several beers at any one time to choose from, rather than have to wait to empty a keg.
Don't know about the $100. But It's definitely pretty cheap, as the price of one or two beers brewing is for sure. Generally, I started without steel kegs. I just used 30L plastic kegs from a bar near my house. Some are disposable and are thrown out anyhow. You only need to purchase a filling head, gearbox, and fittings. CO2 cylinder rent for a penny. As a result, you need to use a float to remove the beer from the top of the kegs. In the process, I boil the wort and pour it into a plastic keg. Then, I ferment it for 5-7 days, then coldcrash it and immediately put it in the CO2 for 3-5 days. THAT'S IT! Within 10 days maximum 15, the beer has completely fermented and become bright and perfectly carbonated.
I'm in the middle of the primary fermentation process of a lager. Once primary is finished, and I let it have a diacetyl rest, are you saying I shouldn't rack to a secondary for lagering? That I should just rack straight to a keg for secondary/lagering/conditioning (I keg beer, I don't bottle)?
Straight to keg 😊 And have the keg really good purged and try to do an oxygen free transfer 😊 Then cold crash and force carbonate at the same time. The first beer will be hazy, but then it clears up. And you could add galetine if you want it super clear 😊
The case in which it does make sense to get rid of as much yeast as possible is for beer intended for aging. Yeast autolysis is a thing and can influence the taste of aged beer negatively. Another use case is when you intend to serve beer from a keg after moving it, e.g. at an event. You just can't always wait for the yeast to sediment.
I haven’t had autolysis in beers even though I’ve aged them for several years. But it might be a good idea. Kegs aren’t a problem for me either. After pouring the first beer all the sediments are gone 😊
For Lagers I often leave about 2 months but past that I do not like them to sit on the yeast cake to avoid possible yeast autolysis. I typically keg them at that point and put in kreezer to lager. I typically use spunding valve last part of fermentation for proper carbonatation the last few gravity points and do closes transfers from fermenter to clean, sanitized and purged keg so no risk of oxidization.
Its not really necessary to do it, but it's not really a bad process either - just unnecessary in some peoples view. I also think the term 'secondary fermentation' is a bit misleading because I think most people do it for conditioning rather than secondary fermentation because they feel that beer conditions better in bulk. But the comment about it oxidizing your beer is not correct - it's not the act of transferring it from one vessel to another that oxidizes beer - doing it wrong is what oxidizes the beer. I sometimes do it for stronger beers and have done so for over 20 years on and off and I always find that beers transferred to another vessel for conditioning for a bit longer turn out better than ones bottled straight from the primary.
Thanks for a good post 😊 How will you prevent oxidation when transferring? Heavier beers without hops can acually benefit from a small oxidation to get a little sherry flavor faster…
@@Beerstories There's nothing really special to do - just make sure you don't splash it around or cause any bubbles. As I said, it's not the act of doing it, it's the way that you do it. Home brewers have been transferring to another vessel after fermentation has completed for decades without any problems, but this myth about it causing oxidation seems to have started in the last few years that I'm aware of.
What I find amazing is that many people get into home brewing via the wort kits that you see in many home brew shops. This is the way I got into the hobby. These wort kits even today outline a secondary racking step in the process. It’s like getting started with bad process out of the gate lol
Yes, they still use the same description they started with 20 years ago 😉
Secondary fermentation is the yeast cleaning up by-products of fermentation, so I've never understood why you'd want to remove the yeast. I ferment and serve from the same keg - zero transfers and no opening the lid. Much better all round!
Yes, exactly 😊
The second myth sounds more like a personal preference than a myth.
But why risk oxydation? 😊
I still can’t believe people go straight to bottle and don’t keg. Kegging is so much simpler and it’s really not that expensive. For about $100 you can be kegging, well worth it. And I bottle off the keg to give to friends and take places.
That's so true :)
$100? Where you storing those kegs? Keep dreaming mate.
Kegging may be slightly simpler, but costs a LOT more than your $100 to set up. Then you need to have the space to set it up in, and a few friends only too happy to help you empty the kegs. Kegging takes at least as much time in cleaning kegs, beer lines and other equipment, then there is the ongoing cost of CO2. On the other hand bottling, if done with flip top bottles, can be streamlined to be simple, fast and efficient. Plus you can have several beers at any one time to choose from, rather than have to wait to empty a keg.
100? I did just buy a gear for kegging - CO2 tank, CO2 gas regulator, 19L Keg (new) and some connections for 300€.... and it was a bargain price
Don't know about the $100. But It's definitely pretty cheap, as the price of one or two beers brewing is for sure. Generally, I started without steel kegs. I just used 30L plastic kegs from a bar near my house. Some are disposable and are thrown out anyhow. You only need to purchase a filling head, gearbox, and fittings. CO2 cylinder rent for a penny. As a result, you need to use a float to remove the beer from the top of the kegs. In the process, I boil the wort and pour it into a plastic keg. Then, I ferment it for 5-7 days, then coldcrash it and immediately put it in the CO2 for 3-5 days. THAT'S IT! Within 10 days maximum 15, the beer has completely fermented and become bright and perfectly carbonated.
I'm in the middle of the primary fermentation process of a lager. Once primary is finished, and I let it have a diacetyl rest, are you saying I shouldn't rack to a secondary for lagering? That I should just rack straight to a keg for secondary/lagering/conditioning (I keg beer, I don't bottle)?
Straight to keg 😊 And have the keg really good purged and try to do an oxygen free transfer 😊 Then cold crash and force carbonate at the same time. The first beer will be hazy, but then it clears up. And you could add galetine if you want it super clear 😊
The case in which it does make sense to get rid of as much yeast as possible is for beer intended for aging. Yeast autolysis is a thing and can influence the taste of aged beer negatively.
Another use case is when you intend to serve beer from a keg after moving it, e.g. at an event. You just can't always wait for the yeast to sediment.
I haven’t had autolysis in beers even though I’ve aged them for several years. But it might be a good idea. Kegs aren’t a problem for me either. After pouring the first beer all the sediments are gone 😊
For Lagers I often leave about 2 months but past that I do not like them to sit on the yeast cake to avoid possible yeast autolysis. I typically keg them at that point and put in kreezer to lager. I typically use spunding valve last part of fermentation for proper carbonatation the last few gravity points and do closes transfers from fermenter to clean, sanitized and purged keg so no risk of oxidization.
Cool 😊
Its not really necessary to do it, but it's not really a bad process either - just unnecessary in some peoples view. I also think the term 'secondary fermentation' is a bit misleading because I think most people do it for conditioning rather than secondary fermentation because they feel that beer conditions better in bulk. But the comment about it oxidizing your beer is not correct - it's not the act of transferring it from one vessel to another that oxidizes beer - doing it wrong is what oxidizes the beer. I sometimes do it for stronger beers and have done so for over 20 years on and off and I always find that beers transferred to another vessel for conditioning for a bit longer turn out better than ones bottled straight from the primary.
Thanks for a good post 😊 How will you prevent oxidation when transferring? Heavier beers without hops can acually benefit from a small oxidation to get a little sherry flavor faster…
@@Beerstories There's nothing really special to do - just make sure you don't splash it around or cause any bubbles. As I said, it's not the act of doing it, it's the way that you do it. Home brewers have been transferring to another vessel after fermentation has completed for decades without any problems, but this myth about it causing oxidation seems to have started in the last few years that I'm aware of.
What about lagering?
Dry hopping?
Lagering just in the bottle or keg 😊 Dryhop in the fermenter. I do it with magnets to keep it oxygent free 😊