Racked into Secondary too early

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Question:

Harry, I’ve done this before and everything works out fine as long as you simply siphoned to the secondary. Plenty of yeast should still be in suspension to continue fermenting (assuming that you didn’t filter). If not, you can pitch additional yeast, but I would wait a week or more before repitching (if it is necessary). Hope this is helpful. Cheers.

Glad to hear this. I siphoned and _hopefully_ the yeast kept on fermenting. I’ll be bottling up the beer that was transferred to the secondary early and will post the results here this week.

Response:

there is still enough suspended yeast to finish the job. A lot of brewers rack to the secondary fairly quickly to get the beer off the trub.

I have found that my best beers were ones that were racked to the secondary early as apposed to late. However, in this case I might have racked a bit too early. I’ll be bottling up the beer that was transferred to the secondary early and will post the results here this week.

Response:

This isn’t really a problem, it will finish fermenting in the secondary. You may have more spent yeast in the bottom of your secondary than if you waited longer, but you still have accomplished the main goal of getting the beer off of the trub. Relax etc.. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I racked into my secondary too early. The beer had been fermenting for 4 days and tasted pretty sweet when I tasted a sample. Will it likely finish fermenting in the secondary or will I get a sweet tasting beer. The Specific Gravity was 1016 and it really should have been closer to 1010-1012. Anyone had any experience with transfering to secondary too early?

Response:

I racked into my secondary too early. The beer had been fermenting for 4 days and tasted pretty sweet when I tasted a sample. Will it likely finish fermenting in the secondary or will I get a sweet tasting beer. The Specific Gravity was 1016 and it really should have been closer to 1010-1012. Anyone had any experience with transfering to secondary too early?

I wouldn’t worry too much there should be enough yeast suspended in the brew to complete the fermentation in the secondary. Paul P.S. Can anyone tell me why I never see my follow-up postings? I know others see them because I have been sent e-mail in response but they never show up after I "get all new headers".

Response:

Don’t worry about it. I racked a lager with an OG of 1088 after one week. The SG was 1022 at racking. It finished at 1014. (ABV of about 9.6%). It tastes like Jack Daniels, but thats another story. In short, there is still enough suspended yeast to finish the job. A lot of brewers rack to the secondary fairly quickly to get the beer off the trub. Mike Kidulich DNRC Minister of Home Brewing, Relaxation, and Really Cool Toys Holder of Previous Knowledge O-

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you are doing a single-stage fermentation, then the primary/secondary distinction is a little hazier. It essentially happens when you fill the fermentation lock. This fermentation is not racked until it is finished and ready to bottle. If you rack it too early, you lose your yeast bed, and since the yeast do not effectively reproduce in the secondary anaerobic stage, the beer can take a very long time to finish with what little yeast it has. It may never finish, i.e. remain sweet, or it may just take a period of months to finish, or get bottled and consumed before it ever does finish. I would call this racking FROM the secondary, because the beer is already in secondary, i.e. anaerobic fermentation…….I guess this is what you are calling racking TO the secondary ? You are talking about containers, I am talking about stages in the process. I see the confusion now. Thank you for explaining it to me. Greatferm

You really confused me on this<G. I guess I am talking about containers and two stages in the process. I suppose for the most part the yeast is in an anaerobic stage when I transferred. I’ll be bottling up the beer that was transferred to the secondary early and will post the results here.

Response:

Sounds pretty close to me. Don’t worry about having racked too early — if there’s more fermentation to happen, there’s enough yeast in solution to do the job. There may be more dextrins in your particular brand of extract (or due to your mash temperature) than you expect, hence the sweetness and slightly higher-than-expected f.g. Maybe we’re defining the terms differently. I understand primary fermentation to mean the aerobic stage, when the yeast is just getting started and needs oxygen to reproduce. This is also the foaming stage, when the fermentation needs headspace Secondary fermentation is the anaerobic stage, when the yeast works more efficiently (from the human point of view) at producing alcohol if it does not have oxygen. This is the stage when it works in the carboy, with air excluded by the Fermentation Lock.

The first post had it right: I think greatferm’s definition is different from what most people here (and most books I’ve read) use as primary and secondary fermentation. Primary fermentation is when the beer is in the primary fermenter, secondary fermentation is the stage after it is racked. The terms primary and secondary fermentation do not refer to whether the yeast is in log phase or anaerobic respiration. Thus, if the beer is not racked, it never goes through "secondary fermentation." Certainly, it goes through anaerobic respiration and produces alcohol, but I do not think of these two terms as synonymous. In a two-stage fermentation, when you rack from a primary container with headspace to a secondary container without headspace, this is a change from 1st to 2nd stage.

Exactemente. If you are doing a single-stage fermentation, then the primary/secondary distinction is a little hazier. It essentially happens when you fill the fermentation lock. This fermentation is not racked until it is finished and ready to bottle. If you rack it too early, you lose your yeast bed, and since the yeast do not effectively reproduce in the secondary anaerobic stage, the beer can take a very long time to finish with what little yeast it has. It may never finish, i.e. remain sweet, or it may just take a period of months to finish, or get bottled and consumed before it ever does finish.

If you bottle too early after single-stage fermentation (i.e. no secondary fermentation), there will be a sufficient amount of yeast in solution to finish the job, and you will get bottle grenades. I would call this racking FROM the secondary, because the beer is already in secondary, i.e. anaerobic fermentation…….I guess this is what you are calling racking TO the secondary ? You are talking about containers, I am talking about stages in the process. I see the confusion now. Thank you for explaining it to me.

No sweat , Bill

Response:

Souders) writes: I racked into my secondary too early. The beer had been fermenting for 4 days and tasted pretty sweet when I tasted a sample. Will it likely finish fermenting in the secondary or will I get a sweet tasting beer. The Specific Gravity was 1016 and it really should have been closer to 1010-1012.

I don’t understand why you think you racked too early. I would have recommended you rack earlier. Way earlier, as soon as you could contain the foam in the secondary carboy. Maybe we’re defining the terms differently. I understand primary fermentation to mean the aerobic stage, when the yeast is just getting started and needs oxygen to reproduce. This is also the foaming stage, when the fermentation needs headspace Secondary fermentation is the anaerobic stage, when the yeast works more efficiently (from the human point of view) at producing alcohol if it does not have oxygen. This is the stage when it works in the carboy, with air excluded by the Fermentation Lock. In a two-stage fermentation, when you rack from a primary container with headspace to a secondary container without headspace, this is a change from 1st to 2nd stage. If you are doing a single-stage fermentation, then the primary/secondary distinction is a little hazier. It essentially happens when you fill the fermentation lock. This fermentation is not racked until it is finished and ready to bottle. If you rack it too early, you lose your yeast bed, and since the yeast do not effectively reproduce in the secondary anaerobic stage, the beer can take a very long time to finish with what little yeast it has. It may never finish, i.e. remain sweet, or it may just take a period of months to finish, or get bottled and consumed before it ever does finish. I would call this racking FROM the secondary, because the beer is already in secondary, i.e. anaerobic fermentation…….I guess this is what you are calling racking TO the secondary ? You are talking about containers, I am talking about stages in the process. I see the confusion now. Thank you for explaining it to me. Greatferm

Response:

Arrrgh! I have the same problem right now, except mine is much too sweet! (1.030)!! I was using Wyeast European Ale Yeast and it seems to form on top and just sit there! If you give it some time it should ferment out though, you can rouse the yeast a little bit, carefully, as not to oxigenate the beer!! Al

Response:

| I racked into my secondary too early. The beer had been fermenting for 4 days | and tasted pretty sweet when I tasted a sample. Will it likely finish | fermenting in the secondary or will I get a sweet tasting beer. The Specific | Gravity was 1016 and it really should have been closer to 1010-1012. | | Anyone had any experience with transfering to secondary too early? Y’know, I really don’t think it’s a problem at all. If you racked "too early", then there was probably a lot of yeast still in suspension — plenty of yeast to finish the fermentation. I’d actually be more concerned about racking too *late* — if there’s insufficient CO2 being produced to purge the headspace, you may be at risk for oxidation. — Mike Uchima

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