How long to leave IPA in primary?

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LarsonLE

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Hello everyone! I am new to the hobby of home brewing, but I am extremely interested and can see this becoming a big part of my life.

I just brewed my first batch of beer (an IPA), and it has been exactly 6-7 days since my beer has been in my primary fermenting container. I've been reading some other threads regarding the length of time that is recommended when fermenting. About 48 hours ago, my beer stopped actively fermenting (there are no more bubbles). If I left my beer in there for another week, do you think it would be a good time to start bottling? Also, I haven't opened up the container to look inside, but I am kind of curious to see what is going on in there and to see what the current SG reading is, would it be fine to look inside or would I risk contaminating my beer?

Thanks,
Larson
 
well it is recommended to let your beer sit for 2-3 weeks before bottling. but if your in a hurry to taste your brew you can bottle as soon as the SG stops falling. of course opening the bucket will risk contamination. but if your good about the sanitation of anything you put in the beer you will be ok.

and just because the airlock isn't bubbling doesn't mean that it is done fermenting. the CO2 could be escaping from around the lid of the bucket which is common and nothing to worry about.
 
It's your first brew, open it up and look, taste and take a reading. It is a learning experience and you should be familiar with what the wort looks like after 6 days. I usually don't test my gravity for 10-14 days, but the first time I brewed I tested the darn thing every other day out of pure curiosity.
 
Everyone will tell you something different. For instance, I'm brewing an IPA myself, but I'm going to be leaving it in the primary for 3 weeks. This allows for the yeast to do it's job and clean up after its self. I'll then be moving the beer into a secondary bottling bucket. Leave it set for a week and then bottle or keg. Be patient. For your own self, do whatever you feel comfortable with. Best way to know if fermentation is complete is to check SG against your OG three days in a row. However this means you'll be losing some brew. At lease you'll get to see the color etc. If you want to see your beer as it's fermenting, get yourself a 5 or 6 gallon carboy for your primary.
 
I'm constantly making IPAs for the wife. 10-14 days in the primary and 10 in a secondary for dryhopping. I found this time frame works quite well.
 
Honestly, I used to have the same problem with wanting to mess with my brews. Its best to simply let it sit there for a minimum of 3 weeks, then go ahead and bottle. Even if there arnt any bubbles in the airlock, the yeast is still doing work cleaning up and making your beer better. Don't rush things, RDWHAHB :)
 
With big beers like an IPA i like to give them 4 weeks in primary. Then keg or bottle and give another 4 weeks. I have found it takes about 8 weeks for an IPA to be really good
 
Thanks for the all of the advice everyone. I will probably be leaving my IPA in the primary for 2.5-3 weeks, then bottle for another 2-3 weeks.
 
Hey guys I just tested out my IPA and was really amazed with the taste even without carbonation. I'm pumped to bottle this. Also, I got a SG of 1.012 and the instructions that came with the kit said I should get an FG from 1.014 - 1.017. Is this not a big deal? How often are you guys within the range of the expected FG?
 
for a new guy Id say a few weeks. but with a healthy yeast pitch,mine is in the glass now and is only 3 weeks old. that includes 5 days dry hopping and 3 days cold crashing. but I keg and love fresh hops.

and on that note I think I shall go refill my glass. :D
 
I recently (3 weeks ago) brewed a Black IPA/Cascadian Dark, and my estimated FG was 1.020, it actually came out to 1.016, so it went from an 8.5% beer to a 9% beer! Holy Makerel & Jiminy Cricketts, regardless because of the "bigness" of this beer, I will allow it to stay in the priimary for 4 week, then I will dry hop in the primary for an additional 7 days before racking to keg.

So to answer your question, no, yeast attenuation can vary depending on the conditions.
 
I recently (3 weeks ago) brewed a Black IPA/Cascadian Dark, and my estimated FG was 1.020, it actually came out to 1.016, so it went from an 8.5% beer to a 9% beer! Holy Makerel & Jiminy Cricketts, regardless because of the "bigness" of this beer, I will allow it to stay in the priimary for 4 week, then I will dry hop in the primary for an additional 7 days before racking to keg.

So to answer your question, no, yeast attenuation can vary depending on the conditions.

Well thats some really good news to hear.
 
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