As you are researching how to make beer online, you will find a debate amongst home brewers as to whether or not secondary fermentation os necessary. When brewing beer, after it has fermented in the primary fermenter for awhile, some brewers choose to complete the fermentation in a secondary fermeneter. Other brewers simply leave the beer in the primary fermenter a little longer and avoid the secondary fermenter altogether. In some cases, secondary fermentation can make a difference, and may also be necessary in some situations. This is a quick overview of the pros and cons of secondary fermentation for those that are just getting started learning how to make beer.
As opposed to secondary fermenting your beer, you simply leave the beer in the primary fermenter longer. In other words, you still ferment your beer for the same length of time, but you just ferment it in one vessel as opposed to breaking up the fermentation period into two separate vessels.
The two main reasons home brewers rack to a second fermenter is to help the clarity of the beer, and autolysis. However, not all beers need to be clear, especially darker beers. Autolysis is the contamination of the beer from being left on the trub too long. It is basically when the yeast cells die. However, autolysis is very unlikely to happen when home brewing, and many home brewers have left their beers on the trub in the primary fermenter for months and not seen any ill effects.
So then, why would someone want to secondary ferment? If you were making a batch of beer that called for the addition of fruit, you will want to add the fruit in the secondary fermenter, not the primary. Also, if you are brewing a lighter beer, you may want to secondary ferment in order to allow the yeast a chance to clarify the beer. (Alternatively, you can also add fining agents in secondary fermentation to aid in clarifying your beer).
Otherwise, leaving your beer in the primary longer is perhaps the better option to racking it to a secondary fermenter. If you have a secondary fermenter (and most beer starter kits come with two buckets) and do not secondary ferment your beer, then you now have an extra fermenter that will allow you to brew another batch of brew. You then would have two batches of beer fermenting at the same time.
If you decide to secondary ferment with that extra bucket, you can always purchase and additional fermenter so that you have a constant pipeline of home brew fermenting. Another drawback to secondary fermentation is the possibility of exposing your beer to the air and microorganisms that can potentially contaminate it. When racking to the secondary fermenter, you have to be careful not to splash the beer as it pours into the secondary fermenter and aerate it. This can lead to spoiling your beer and having to dump it.
No matter how careful you are, there is always the possibility that bacteria and germs can get into your beer. If your beer is left in the primary, then this potential risk and exposure is not an issue. If you research how to make beer online, you can find many home brewing forums. This topic has been debated continuously over time, so you can find more information and more in depth conversation about this issue if you wish to learn more.
However, the main point of this article is to show those new to learning how to make beer that secondary fermentation isn't always necessary, and a step that many home brewers skip.
Get a free e book showing you how to make beer
Visit my blog to get more info on how to make beer
As opposed to secondary fermenting your beer, you simply leave the beer in the primary fermenter longer. In other words, you still ferment your beer for the same length of time, but you just ferment it in one vessel as opposed to breaking up the fermentation period into two separate vessels.
The two main reasons home brewers rack to a second fermenter is to help the clarity of the beer, and autolysis. However, not all beers need to be clear, especially darker beers. Autolysis is the contamination of the beer from being left on the trub too long. It is basically when the yeast cells die. However, autolysis is very unlikely to happen when home brewing, and many home brewers have left their beers on the trub in the primary fermenter for months and not seen any ill effects.
So then, why would someone want to secondary ferment? If you were making a batch of beer that called for the addition of fruit, you will want to add the fruit in the secondary fermenter, not the primary. Also, if you are brewing a lighter beer, you may want to secondary ferment in order to allow the yeast a chance to clarify the beer. (Alternatively, you can also add fining agents in secondary fermentation to aid in clarifying your beer).
Otherwise, leaving your beer in the primary longer is perhaps the better option to racking it to a secondary fermenter. If you have a secondary fermenter (and most beer starter kits come with two buckets) and do not secondary ferment your beer, then you now have an extra fermenter that will allow you to brew another batch of brew. You then would have two batches of beer fermenting at the same time.
If you decide to secondary ferment with that extra bucket, you can always purchase and additional fermenter so that you have a constant pipeline of home brew fermenting. Another drawback to secondary fermentation is the possibility of exposing your beer to the air and microorganisms that can potentially contaminate it. When racking to the secondary fermenter, you have to be careful not to splash the beer as it pours into the secondary fermenter and aerate it. This can lead to spoiling your beer and having to dump it.
No matter how careful you are, there is always the possibility that bacteria and germs can get into your beer. If your beer is left in the primary, then this potential risk and exposure is not an issue. If you research how to make beer online, you can find many home brewing forums. This topic has been debated continuously over time, so you can find more information and more in depth conversation about this issue if you wish to learn more.
However, the main point of this article is to show those new to learning how to make beer that secondary fermentation isn't always necessary, and a step that many home brewers skip.
Get a free e book showing you how to make beer
Visit my blog to get more info on how to make beer