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What are your criterias to decide when to rack from 1st to 2nd fermenter?

I didn't get any satisfying answer while search on the net so far. Any help?

First of all, a lot of people don't bother with a secondary fermentation anymore, on account of they don't really need to. I do though, because I'm usually not ready to bottle when the beer is done fermenting, and I don't like keeping my fermenting buckets tied up that long. It's also a good time to dry hop. So, think about whether you really want to rack it. That said, rack it when it's done, or almost done if you're going to have a significant amount of head space. If you're new, you may want to use a hydrometer to make sure you're done, but after awhile you can tell by looking. When the krausen is mostly gone is a good time.

amartin wrote: When the krausen is mostly gone is a good time.

I'm avoiding the primary these days but if I have reason to do so this is when I rack it.

I tend to avoid a secondary ... you really don't need to, the beer should clear on it's own in the primary... but if you do wish to do a secondary I would measure the SG and if you've hit or your close to your target final gravity it's fine to rack it.

I do secondaries for dryhopping or adding fruit. Other than that, not.

So, typically how long does it take for the beer to clear in the primary? Batch I have on now is the first time I haven't racked to secondary, and beer after 2 weeks still looks a bit cloudy. I figure I'm leaving it another week and than going to keg.

2 weeks in primary, should be clear by now. I wouldn't say I've found any difference in time-to-clarity for primary only vs secondary.

I leave it in the primary for about 10 days (or when fermentation comes to a crawl) and rack to a secondary for another 5-7 days for clearing. However, the secondary is not necessary but it is what I've always done. So far so good.

Do you have an airlock or blow off tube on your primary? If you are using the NG suggested loose lid method for your primary, then you should transfer to a secondary as soon as the krausen drops. If your primary is airlocked, then it is your choice whether to transfer or not. I usually go straight from the primary to the kegs.

Thanks everyone. My conclusion is that racking from 1st to 2nd fermenter is out. Brewers now think that only one fermenter will get the beer clear enough (if you ferment it 2-4 weeks), maybe better (because yeast potentially clean its own mess) and it will be less subject to problems related to O2 since CO2 will take most of the empty space in the fermenter when using an airlock.

mr x wrote:I do secondaries for dryhopping or adding fruit. Other than that, not.

^ this + lagering for me

I agree with the other guys on here. I used to use a secondary but since I switched to using just a primary, my beer has been much brighter. If I want to dry-hop, I throw the hops in after 5-7 days of fermentation and seal the bucket back up. I find the aroma a lot better this way as well.

The fact that it is less work doesn't hurt, either.