I think they should remove the “optional: rack to secondary after fermentation has finished”
from kits and replace it with
“place your fermenter into a pool of water to keep fermentation temperature constant. Fermentation generates heat! This is an easy way to keep the temperature (of the beer, not the room) from fluctuating and rising! Or, ideally, use a temp controller and refrigerator.”
‘Homebrew’ would certainly get a better name among non-beer nerds at least.
Why replace the first? Just add the temp control recommendation prior to the secondary comment and no one will complain. Might make better beer, too.
I’ve just tasted so many oxidized homebrews in the comps I have judged/stewarded, and from guys in clubs who swear by ‘secondarying’ and I feel like people invite more trouble than improvement when the rack just to ‘get it off the yeast’. They originally put it in the directions, from what I understand, because yeast used to autolyze way sooner. Pro brewers only do it to harvest yeast and for carbonation/cold conditioning (and they have automated equipment to insure against oxidation), why should homebrewers do it?
I’ve just tasted so many oxidized homebrews in the comps I have judged/stewarded, and from guys in clubs who swear by ‘secondarying’ and I feel like people invite more trouble than improvement when the rack just to ‘get it off the yeast’. They originally put it in the directions, from what I understand, because yeast used to autolyze way sooner. Pro brewers only do it to harvest yeast and for carbonation/cold conditioning (and they have automated equipment to insure against oxidation), why should homebrewers do it?[/quote]
Interesting. I think I might have a really unrefined palate. I dont secondary often anymore, but when I do, I never get an oxidization flavor in the beer. Maybe you’re saying some people arent careful enough when they do this? Or do you feel moving to secondary at all is the cause?
Oh and to the OP, I agree with Shadetree that your revision would be a good one to simply add in addition to the secondary instruction.
[quote=“Pietro”] why should homebrewers do it?[/quote]IMO, there are lots of good reasons to not use a secondary, but simply to avoid oxidation is not one of them - if a brewer can’t rack to a secondary without oxidizing the beer, then they might want to choose another hobby.
I thought it was because they thought it autolyzed way sooner, not that it did. And pro brewers do it because with all that pressure it would autolyze under the weight of beer. That was my impression, but it whatever the reason it doesn’t really matter to the point of your post.
Yes, the directions could be changed but then they wouldn’t sell any five gallon carboys and the five gallon carboy distributes would be sad… 
[quote=“inhousebrew”]
Yes, the directions could be changed but then they wouldn’t sell any five gallon carboys and the five gallon carboy distributes would be sad… [/quote]
ding ding ding! 
Good call on the diastatic (I think) pressure on the yeast cake @ comm’l breweries. 20-40bbls of beer could put some pressure on a cell wall I suppose!
I think I may have a real low threshold on papery/oxidized flavors (though I have a high one for diacetyl). Even when using an autosiphon, unless you are CO2-flushing your carboy (or whatever ‘brite’ vessel you have), I feel like you are introducing oxygen, which seems particularly evident in hop-forward beers to me.
Probably not worth the pixels on this screen debating, but I personally feel duped by my early-on belief, largely gleaned from kit instructions, that secondarying was necessary when it indeed is not.
[quote=“Pietro”]Probably not worth the pixels on this screen debating, but I personally feel duped by my early-on belief, largely gleaned from kit instructions, that secondarying was necessary when it indeed is not.[/quote]Unless you’re able to drop the yeast, then carbonate in and server from the primary, a secondary is absolutely necessary (bottle or keg usually). 
[quote=“Pietro”]I think they should remove the “optional: rack to secondary after fermentation has finished”
from kits and replace it with
“place your fermenter into a pool of water to keep fermentation temperature constant. Fermentation generates heat! This is an easy way to keep the temperature (of the beer, not the room) from fluctuating and rising! Or, ideally, use a temp controller and refrigerator.”
‘Homebrew’ would certainly get a better name among non-beer nerds at least.[/quote]
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the “they” you’re referring to, but where on this example document does it say “optional: rack to secondary after fermentation has finished”?
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documenta ... gerIPA.pdfI agree with Shadetree that if you can’t rack to secondary without oxidation, you should probably find a new hobby. Now, if someone is aging a beer that shouldn’t be aged, and it’s getting oxidized that way, that’s a whole other issue.
[quote=“Vaughn_S”][quote=“Pietro”]I think they should remove the “optional: rack to secondary after fermentation has finished”
from kits and replace it with
“place your fermenter into a pool of water to keep fermentation temperature constant. Fermentation generates heat! This is an easy way to keep the temperature (of the beer, not the room) from fluctuating and rising! Or, ideally, use a temp controller and refrigerator.”
‘Homebrew’ would certainly get a better name among non-beer nerds at least.[/quote]
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the “they” you’re referring to, but where on this example document does it say “optional: rack to secondary after fermentation has finished”?
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documenta ... gerIPA.pdfI agree with Shadetree that if you can’t rack to secondary without oxidation, you should probably find a new hobby. Now, if someone is aging a beer that shouldn’t be aged, and it’s getting oxidized that way, that’s a whole other issue.[/quote]
this one does not seem to say optional, this one implies, actually EXPLICITLY REQUIRES that you rack to a ‘secondary’! (Step 17).
I think even by racking with the ‘error free’ autosiphon and racking cane, you are introducing some oxygen that doesn’t need to be introduced.
I honestly can’t find a single person that does this that has a better explanation of why they do it other than “its the way I do it”.
