Secondary Fermentation

So tonight I transfered the fermented beer to its secondary container. Roomba-bot was busy cleaning away at the mess from the brewing party that took place exactly 5 days ago. Incidentally, 5-7 days is the recommended time for the primary fermentation. First things first, I took the bucket and placed it on the dining room table to elevate it. It has to sit there for a few hours so all the sediment can settle down.

At this time I was going through my kit that SF Brewcraft so kindly provided us with. I notice a hydrometer. This device measures the alcohol (specific gravity) of the beer. You are supposed to measure this at the beginning of the primary and again at the end. You then perform a subtraction of the final specific gravity to the original and, viola, you get your potential alcohol level. Provided enough sugar burning during the bottle phase. There's a graduated cylinder that you fill to drop the hydrometer in. I filled a coffee mug with water and a sprinkle of sanitizer, held it to the bucket's tap to clean it and filled the test tube with beer.

It came out hazy. This is good. Over the next few weeks it will clarify.



So it took me forever (roughly twenty minutes) to figure the hydrometer out. There's like paper in there, no mercury meter; my increasingly inebriated mind couldn't figure it out. Finally I fill the test tube fully with beer, drop in the meter and it floated! I read the level of the liquid and I had the gravity. Around 1013. That's fine for the first one. Probably could have used an extra day. Since I didn't take an initial reading, it's incomplete data and I'm just gonna hope it's a 6-7% beer.



By the way, it tasted like beer. A little flat, needed some sugar, but definitely tasted like what I would like. I was drinking a Bear Republic Racer 5 at the time so I put it side by side to the new beer to compare color. The Racer 5 was distinctly darker, a deep amber; mine was more a light tan. Hopefully clarification will give it some tint.

So now I sanitized some equipment. I used the malt bucket from before. One tablespoon sanitizer to one gallon water; I threw it in the 5 gallon carboy and mixed. I solution poured some into the bucket and threw in a hose (to connect the spigot of the bucket and the carboy), the airlock and stopper. I also used the cup from before to sanitize the tap.

Now I'm supposed to let the carboy air dry for a few hours, but I don't have that kind of time and I don't know what I'm doing. So I empty as much sanitizer solution as I can from the carboy. There's still residual solution in the carboy when I'm ready to pour the beer. Considering the low concentration and minimal dilution, it shouldn't be a problem. In the beer will go.



The hose, by the way, still is wet with sanitizer solution. Oh well (in my professional opinion). The tap is open and the carboy fills. Takes about 5 mins.



That's it! I attach another airlock (with water) and stopper and I'm good to go. This'll sit for 6-12 days to clarify and then it'll be ready to bottle. Next batch: Olympic Ale.