[brewhappy]

Hey guys,

I'm working on a Belgian IPA right now, hoping for a high alcohol beer with a lot of hoppy flavors. I've never done a secondary fermentation and am realizing that with all the ingredients we put into this beer, and our plan to dry hop, that it may be a good idea here. Our beer is currently in a 5 gal glass carboy, 2nd day of a very strong fermentation.

My issue is that the only other 5 gal carboy I have is plastic. I remember reading somewhere that secondary fermentation in a plastic carboy isn't a great idea. Is that a myth? Thoughts on secondary fermentation in general?

Cheers,

Adam

[Stevie]

It's fine. I use plastic for 99% of my beers. I keep a 3 gallon and 5 gallon glass around, but never use them.

[HoosierBrew]

It's fine. I use plastic for 99% of my beers. I keep a 3 gallon and 5 gallon glass around, but never use them.

+1

[dmtaylor]

No need to rack to secondary -- no real advantage.  Leave it in primary!

[Stevie]

No need to rack to secondary -- no real advantage.  Leave it in primary!

I was going to add this. I do this, some disagree.

[damonjordan]

You guys dry hop in primary? Have you ever fined in a primary? I can see where not racking might be of some advantage to avoid oxygenation, etc., so I'm just curious.

[Stevie]

I rarely fine at all honestly. If I do fine in primary, I only do it if I don't care to save the yeast.

[dmtaylor]

You guys dry hop in primary? Have you ever fined in a primary? I can see where not racking might be of some advantage to avoid oxygenation, etc., so I'm just curious.

Yes and yes.  Why not?

[erockrph]

You guys dry hop in primary? Have you ever fined in a primary? I can see where not racking might be of some advantage to avoid oxygenation, etc., so I'm just curious.

I dry hop in primary all the time. I rarely fine my beers, but when I do it it's as I transfer to a keg. If I still bottled and wanted a brighter beer I'd see no issue with fining in primary.

[a10t2]

You guys dry hop in primary? Have you ever fined in a primary? I can see where not racking might be of some advantage to avoid oxygenation, etc., so I'm just curious.

Dry hop in the fermenter, add finings in either the keg or bottling bucket. Why mix the yeast that's already flocculated back into suspension?

[damonjordan]

I usually fine before I dry hop (if I am doing both). I have always done it in the secondary, though. If I am just kegging something at home that doesn't need dry hopping, I just keg it out of the primary; however, sometimes I want to fine the beer and if that beer takes dry hopping, I do it after the fining (almost always gelatin in my case) so it doesn't wash the oils out of the beer. Anyway, thanks for the thoughts.