OT - Beer fermentation - Primary vs secondary?

[RUhappy69]

Ok, I brewed a batch of Wit beer over the summer and just fermented it in my glass carboy for a few weeks until fermentation was done (no more bubbles). Transferred it to my PVC bucket (secondary) and added by primer, stirred then bottled it. It came out great so I never did a secondary. So why is it necessary or is it? I'm doing a coffee Porter next so I'd like to know. Thanks

 

[RUChris]

Witbier and porters are both ale style (top fermenting) beers. I've never done a secondary fermentation with ales. If you were doing a lager, you'd need to do a secondary fermentation. Here is an explanation that you may find helpful: http://www.homebrewjunkie.com/2009/06/is-secondary-fermentation-necessary-for.html

 

[Ready to Rumble]

Ok, I brewed a batch of Wit beer over the summer and just fermented it in my glass carboy for a few weeks until fermentation was done (no more bubbles). Transferred it to my PVC bucket (secondary) and added by primer, stirred then bottled it. It came out great so I never did a secondary. So why is it necessary or is it? I'm doing a coffee Porter next so I'd like to know. Thanks

I typically don't bother with a secondary unless I'm doing a lager which will sit for months. There's a lot of different opinions on the pro's and con's of doing a secondary. Here's a write up on it....

http://beersmith.com/blog/2015/01/15/should-you-use-a-secondary-for-beer-brewing/