or this process you'll need a secondary fermentation vessel clear carboys including glass and plastic varieties are ideal for secondary fermentation because they allow you to monitor the conditioning and clarification process without having to risk exposing the bearded contaminants you'll also need a siphon of some kind Otto Steffens our great choice and make the process much easier lastly you will also need an airlock and a stopper when rocking the primary fermenter should be located at a higher elevation in the secondary fermenter to allow gravity to its job when siphoning if it is not then you should carefully move the primary fermenter 24 hours prior to racking to allow any sediment that could have been resuspended within the beer to resettle clean and sanitize your carboy and place it at a lower elevation than the primary fermenter then gently remove the lid from the primary fermenter you will see a ring around the liquid line this is croizon consisting of byproducts of the fermentation process it's normal and completely harmless in fact it's a sign that fermentation took place sanitize the siphon and tubing and then ensure that all excess liquid is removed to ensure that all interior surfaces are sanitized you can pump the siphon continuously with the tubing and the sanitizing solution to recirculate the sanitizer through the siphon insert the tubing all the way into the carboy so that the outlet end is touching the bottom this is important as it will help eliminate splashing do not want to splash the beer when racking as it will introduce oxygen into the beer oxygen creates a higher potential for infection so avoid bringing it into the mix at all costs insert the siphon into the beer without disturbing the Croy's inert rub at the bottom of the fermenter good rule is to work your way down from the top to the bottom following the liquid air line the whole way down the racking cane a few strokes and let gravity do its part direct the beer from the higher elevation vessel the primary fermenter to the lower elevation vessel the carboy make the process a bit easier you may want to use a siphon clamp which attaches the siphon to the side of the fermenter this frees up your hands but you will still want to monitor the liquid air line and ensure that the siphon tip is always submerged as you get to the bottom be especially careful not to act any of the trub the job is the bed of sediment at the bottom of the fermenter consisting of yeast cells and byproducts of the fermentation process carefully elevate one side of the fermenter and extract as much of the beer as possible without getting the trub once you've gotten what you can take the siphon out then remove the tubing from the secondary fermenter and seal it with the sanitizer stopper and airlock because he and light are enemies of beer be sure to store the secondary fermenter in a cool dark place to avoid them as best as possible now if your dry hopping this is the perfect time to do so simply pour the hops into the secondary fermenter and insert the stopper in airlock you can also pour the hops into a muslin bag and place the bag into the fermenter lastly once you've completed the racking process be sure to properly clean your fermenter you wait the fermentation byproducts will dry under the surfaces and it'll only become harder to clean now we wait patiently for the beer to condition and clarify for two to four weeks