Do I Really Need a Secondary Fermentation When Homebrewing?

Secondary fermentation is a topic that’s oftentimes misunderstood among first-time homebrewers. There’s some belief that it’s a necessary step when brewing beer, but this isn’t necessarily true. While adding a secondary fermentation to your homebrew may offer some benefits, there are also some disadvantages in doing so. Whether this is your first attempt at homebrewing, or if you’ve been doing it for years, you should weigh the pros and cons of secondary fermentation to determine whether or not it’s right for your brew.

Secondary Fermentation Defined

Let’s first go over the basics of a secondary fermentation, as some people are likely hearing about it for the first time. In short, secondary fermentation is when you transfer an already fermented batch of beer into a new container to ferment again. This may take anywhere from 2 weeks to a month or longer depending on the brewer’s preference.

Pros and Cons of Secondary Fermentation

You might be wondering why in the world anyone would actually want to ferment their beer for a second time. After all, isn’t a single fermentation enough to create a fizzy, carbonated beer with the proper alcohol content? Allowing your homebrew beer to ferment for a second time helps to filter out some of the unwanted sediments. While sediment typically won’t ruin a batch of beer, it can create an unpleasant texture that most brewers dislike. The good news is that you can filter out this sediment by using a secondary fermentation.

But transferring your homebrew beer into a secondary fermentation increases the chance of contamination. Even if you can’t see it, there’s a good chance of bacteria and other microbes lingering on the surface of your equipment. Some of these microscopic invaders may transfer into your brew, affecting its flavor, alcohol content and other qualities. This is why it’s critical that you properly sanitize all of your pots, kettles, tubes and other equipment before transferring your brew into a new container.

So, Should I Use a Secondary Fermentation

Now for the million dollar question — should I use a secondary fermentation in my homebrew? There’s really no easy answer to this question, as it depends on your current setup, available time, experience, and your desired objective. With all of that said, using a secondary is perfectly fine if you are able to keep your equipment sanitized.