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Secondary Question
Hi All,
I have been reading that many of you do not use a secondary fermentation for ales which I am thinking of going to with my next batch. Unfortunately, I in the secondary process and I need some thoughts. I am brewing some Caribou Slobber and am using a secondary fermentation. I did 10 days in primary and am at 10 days in the secondary. I noticed some particulate matter forming on the sides of carboy (especially at each one of the "bands" that surround the carboy. There are also 3 or 4 "floaters" which look like floating yeast. This has not happend in any of my other 3 batches (of non-Caribu Slobber). The wort doesn't look as clear as the other batches I have brewed. Should I be worried?
thanks for any advice/support you could offer.
I could be wrong, but my guess is floating yeast clumps. if this guess is right, you have nothing to worry about. take a sample and smell it and taste it. if it tastes like beer, you're good. if it's sour or funky, you might have contamination. But usually this is caused by floating yeast. when the beer is fermenting, it creates co2, most of which escapes out of the airlock, but some will stay suspended in the beer. sometimes yeast will cling onto a co2 bubble and float around.
I think you're fine. I've seen the sediment forming on the walls of the carboy before especially around the rings. I think its just yeast sticking to the sides either by static cling or the insides aren't completely smooth where those rings are and make a good area for the yeast to collect.
The clumps on top of the wort are probably just yeast or possibly escaping CO2.
Next time I'd skip the secondary and do 2 or 3 weeks in primary and go straight to bottling or kegging. Less work and less risk of infection or oxidation.
Another reason why not to use carboys, Ha ha. Everyone has their preference, but transfering into a secondary for a beer that's good to go in 14 days is just double handling the beer for no good reason. Save that secondary for the lagers.
I love using carboys. like seeing what's going on.
As far as those floaties in the secondary. Yeast is a living organizm so most likely those floaties are just yeast poop. As others mentioned you need to give the yeast time to clean things up. Now we know why.
DC
Thanks Everyone for your help. I am putting it in the keg today and hope to be carbonated by the Super Bowl (this will be my first kegging experience). I was talking to a friend that does his secondary in a modified keg. Basically a normal keg set up but he cut a few inches off of the dip tube so he can easily transer from his secondary into his dispensing keg without sucking out the sediment. After the primary, his beer NEVER sees O2. I am planning on getting a few more kegs and trying this out myself.
Carbed up in two days. I'll say a prayer to the BrewGods for you.
Might put 2.5 oz of sugar in the keg, & pressurize to 20# or so. Leave it warm until the last minute.
I watched a video on Youtube where a guy carbonated his beer in a very short period of time....like 20 min. He basically transferred his beer to the keg, turned up the pressure to 30, laid it flat and rolled it back and forth for about 15 min. He relieved the pressure after that and gave it a taste. I tried the same and it was somewhat carbonated but I am hoping that leaving it over night (or 2) will finish the job. it seems like it worked and burned off some calories (so I could drink more beer!)
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