You're going to drink that?

So, making beer, volume 2.


On Monday I moved the beer from the primary fermenter to the secondary fermenter. This is done for two reasons. One, the yeast on the bottom of the primary, and there is a lot, is starting to die. That can leave a yucky taste. Second, the secondary fermenter helps to clarify the beer. Since this is a fruit beer, I actually have a third reason. Get the fruit product into the beer and let it ferment.


I don't have a lot of pictures of the process because I have to worry about contamination and have to hurry along. It's a shame really. The grossness that is inside the primary would probably cure an alcoholic! Anyway.....


I need to move the beer from primary to secondary. Anytime we move the beer into something new, it is called racking. I have some pretty fancy racking equipment: flexible tubing and a racking cane. I set the primary on top of a high table and take off the lid. I have filled the flexible tubing with water and clamped it closed, then into the beer goes the racking cane. I need to use gravity to help me get the beer out, so I open the clamp and run out the water until I draw the beer in. I will then put the tubing into the secondary and let the beer in. I am trying to do this while introducing as little air as possible. Air at this point does not make for a good taste.






Now, the secondary had been sterilized and a gallon or so of sweet cherry juice added to it before I put the beer in. I could have used frozen cherries, but I didn't want to deal with the mess and I was worried about contamination from the berries. Whole Foods has an awesome organic, not from concentrate, unsweetened and pasteurized cherry juice that I opted for.


After the beer goes in, I put a stopper in and the airlock. Or I would have added the airlock if it hadn't snapped in two! I had a moment of panic and then decided that I would use the blow off tube set up that I used earlier. Only the tubing is so stiff that when I bent it to put it into the pot of water, it slowly pulled out the stopper enough to let air in. Grrrr.... I shoved the stopper in all the way and duct taped it in place. So far, so good.





In a week I will be bottling!