fardy

Recipes 

Hi,

I'm about to do my first batch using a Coopers Can kit. I'm going with a long primary without a secondary. I've read many different posts saying to leave a long primary for about a month or more. Is this rule applies to all-grain only or is the fermentation time's the same for every methods of brewing ?

Thanks for your answers !

dantodd

Recipes 

Fermentation time should be pretty close whether All Grain or extract. Have fun and good luck waiting that long for your first homebrew!

Remember getting everything that touches the wort/beer after the boil clean and sanitized is the most important single step you can make to improve your final beer!!! Clean and sanitize EVERYTHING!

broadbill

Recipes 

Well, the quick answer is...it depends!

The conventional wisdom around these parts is the 1-2-3 rule...1 week in primary, 2 weeks in Secondary, 3 weeks in the Bottle. If you are are planning to put the beer in a secondary then you can extend the primary to 3 weeks/1 month with no ill effects.

It also depends on style. A wheat beer, for example, you would want to bottle sooner (as soon as fermentation is done) as they are best when fresh and an estery flavor profile is desirable in this style. You would want to let other styles of beer sit for awhile so the yeast have a chance to clean up those esters and other byproducts of fermentation.

It has nothing to do with All-grain vs. extract vs. PM....

broadbill

Recipes 

I agree with this and add that EQUALLY IMPORTANT is controlling fermentation temperature and time. It seems to me that what most new brewers are complaining about with their first brews are the taste of byproducts from warm fermentation or not letting their beer sit in the fermentor long enough and bottling it too quickly.

fardy

Recipes 

Thank you all for your quick response. Really helpful.

Cheers to you !

dantodd

Recipes 

Well, I was trying to pick ONE major thing that you can control easily. I'd rather drink a beer brewed a little warm than one that was infected!