OK. After reading howtobrew online and other sources via google I think I understand the three fermentation steps.
- Primary (alcohol production)
- Secondary (conditioning)
- Bottle (carbonation and further conditioning)
The presence of oxygen is required at the start of the primary but to be avoided like the plague during secondary and bottle. Some people seem to think a secondary fermentation off the trub is vital, others don't seem to think it matters one way or the other (generally speaking). The danger of secondary is getting oxygen in the secondary fermenter and producing vinegar. Somehow the presence of oxygen in the bottle is not nearly as bad as in the secondary, or at least people seem to accept it as a necessary evil.
If I read correctly and the above reflects an accurate understanding of the situtation, then I have some questions.
- What is a racking cane? I see the term used, I see what it looks like and I still have no idea why you would use it vs just plain tubing. Maybe they are easier to clean?
- Do the auto siphons work for moving to the seconday & bottling? How do you purge the oxygen from the line during the transfer to the secondary? I assume it matters because some have suggested filling the siphon tube with sanitizer. This does not seem like not a good idea, so what other options are there?
- What about using food grade mineral oil in the secondary so that there is NO space above the wort and therefore no oxygen to skunk the beer? Mineral oil does not seem to be a good medium for the presence of bacteria, yeast or any other nasty.
- How difficult is it to purge bottles with CO2 before bottling? It seems that you would need some special device in order to use the CO2 cartridges that you can get a Wal-Mart. Is it even worth it if you could?
- Is there a difference between PET bottles used for water, i.e. Crystal Springs, and those used for soda pop? Are the soda bottles engineered differently? Is there a danger of the water bottles failing after being carbonated, assuming NORMAL carbonation. Obviously if you put too much priming sugar in all bottles of all types are subject to failure.
I'm sure the answer to these questions are self-evident to those that have been brewing for a while. Google is a wonderful tool, but sometimes it matters how you ask the question.
Thanks for your help,
Frank