Just finished brewing this (extract kit). The recipe does not mention a secondary fermentation. Happy to skip the extra step, but just wondering if it will be better if I do an additional 2 week secondary?
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/west ... xtract-kitYou will have to decide for yourself, hopefully based on research and experience. But… using a secondary is rapidly going the way of the dodo. Pretty much everything accomplished in a ‘secondary conditioning’ vessel can be done in your primary fermentation vessel. I was a secondary user when I started, based on what I was reading at the time. Now, I only rack for secondary conditioning when I lager for 2-3 months. Also if I really want to reuse the yeast cake and I’m not quite ready to package.
So, if it were me, I’d probably keep that West Coast Red in the original fermentation vessel for a couple weeks after my SG is stable. Mostly to let it settle and clear. And yes, if it has dry hops, you can do that in the primary.
Thanks a lot for the info, very helpful… only my 3rd batch so still a lot to learn 
This has nothing to do with the original question but I wanted to comment on the west coast radical red. I did a ten gallon all grain batch several months ago. About two and a half weeks primary then the ten gallons went into two five gallon kegs.
I started drinking it three weeks after brew day and I was not keen on it at all. It finished up taking the wife and I about a month to finish off that first keg. I kept putting off getting that second keg into rotation because we didn’t want to drink it.
Fast forward 14 weeks after kegging and I finally put it into rotation. What a difference, it was a completely different beer. What was my least favorite became a firm favorite.
So if you first take a sip and your’re a little dissapointed, give it some time.
Paul
So back to the original subject of secondary. I am planning to do a RIS the first weekend of October. The instructions are to ferment for 2 weeks primary and I think 6 weeks secondary. First of all why such a long ferment? Does anything really happen after the first 2 weeks? If the beer is going to spend 8 weeks in the fermenter can I still skip the secondary transfer?
A high gravity beer like a RIS often needs extra time to ferment, although 2 weeks is probably good as long as your temps are in a good range. But, beyond fermentation, high gravity brews benefit from an extended mellowing or ‘cooling off’ period. During this time some of the harsher flavor compounds are changed to less harsh, and the complex flavors meld. Traditionally this is done in a secondary conditioning vessel, but it can be done by leaving it in the primary for up to 3 months or so without problems.
I have not personally done a RIS, but people seem to think they get better and better with time. Even better after a year than after a couple months. I’m not that patient… :cheers:
