On Mon, 23 Apr 2007 07:03:00 +0000, Dick Adams wrote:
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> Willus <JBS1069@yahoo.com> wrote:
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>> I'm a newbie and had a few questions on doing a 2nd stage ferment..[/color]
>
> Welcome to the club.
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>> How long should i wait till transfering??[/color]
>
> As soon as the first fermentation has ceased.[/color]

Some use this as a guideline to determine when "primary" fermentation is
over: When your airlock is bubbling once every 60 to 90 seconds, it's time
to rack to the secondary if you are doing a 2-stage fermentation (see
Complete Joy of Homebrewing). It's definitely arbitrary, and a bit sooner
or later won't hurt. I've left brews in the primary longer than that with
no ill effects.
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>> Should i leave all the sediment in the first bucket??[/color]
>
> YES! The purpose of racking is to get the wort off the trub.
> If you don't, the trub will likely induce off-aromas and
> off-flavors into your beer.[/color]

Some brewers even go to the extent to allow the trub to settle for a few
hours or overnight and racking then, before fermentation has started. I
usually follow the "Complete Joy's" advice to not worry. It normally won't
cause a problem if you rack within a few days.
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>> Should i use a filter when transfering to 2nd bucket??[/color]
>
> No, that will slow down the racking and create the
> opportunity for oxidation.[/color]

I've never heard of a filter, but Dick's advice is sound in all respects
here. Depending on how fine a filter you would use, you could also reduce
the yeast count and remove some flavor components also. Not a good idea at
this point. Arguably worth doing if you keg after secondary fermentation,
but you still risk removing some flavors if you use a really fine filter.
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>> Any help on do's and dont's would be very appriciated..[/color]
>
> There is a free book on home brewing by John Palmer at
> [url]www.howtobrew.com[/url]
>[/color]

Good advice, Dick. If you want an easy to read paperback handbook, try The
Charlie Papazian's book: The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. You can get older
editions on Amazon.com used in the Amazon Marketplace, but I would
recommend skipping the first edition--no index. Another book worth getting
is Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make
Great-Tasting Beer.

There are others, but this will get you started. Charlie's book is less
likely to scare you away from what COULD happen than Dave's book.

The online book by John Palmer is free, though, and fine as it is.

Don