The Beer Makes a Move

The beer has left a ton of sediment in the primary fermenter; lots of left-over hops and grains that have settled to the bottom as well as about a 1-inch layer of yeast that had reproduced so quickly then went back into hybernation.

Joel and I moved the beer into a secondary fermenter, being careful not to aerate the beer to much; oxygen is our enemy right now as the beer ferments. This step helps to add clarity to the beer (though not too much...this is a pretty dark beer), and gets the fermenting beer off of all that sediment. The sediment could cause some "off" flavors in the beer, especially a tannin taste from the barley husks that made it through the strainer. Tannin is great for strong red wines, but not so much for beer.

I filled the airlock with vodka; the alcohol level in the vodka helps kill anything that may try to enter and play with the beer, and if some of it gets sucked through or into the beer, it's not a big deal. It's alcohol.

Here the beer will sit for a week or two. Next step is bottling.

UPDATE: I used a redeye-fixing tool to fix Joel's eyes. Instead, it made him look slightly demonic. So Joel's title changes from Chief Assistant Brewmaster to Chief Assistant Brew Demon.