1.050 OG Blonde Ale - How long in primary?

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Heavyfoot

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Hi all,

I've got the Call Me! Blonde Ale from Brewing Classic Styles fermenting away in my primary right now.

Can beers that are 1.050 or less get away with just a couple weeks in the primary and then bottling? I've generally been letting my beers sit for three weeks or more but they've also all been a bit bigger beers.
 
Hi all,

I've got the Call Me! Blonde Ale from Brewing Classic Styles fermenting away in my primary right now.

Can beers that are 1.050 or less get away with just a couple weeks in the primary and then bottling? I've generally been letting my beers sit for three weeks or more but they've also all been a bit bigger beers.

Let your hydrometer tell you how long. Three weeks should generally be enough. However, you do not want to bottle your beer until you have reached terminal gravity.
 
Let your hydrometer tell you how long. Three weeks should generally be enough. However, you do not want to bottle your beer until you have reached terminal gravity.

So if I've hit terminal gravity after two weeks, you figure its ok to go ahead and bottle?
 
Heavyfoot said:
So if I've hit terminal gravity after two weeks, you figure its ok to go ahead and bottle?

After 3 days of no gravity movement it is good to bottle.
 
So if I've hit terminal gravity after two weeks, you figure its ok to go ahead and bottle?

Yes.

There are many here who will continue to leave their beer in the primary well after reaching terminal gravity and they have varied and valid reasons for that. However, if you have checked your gravity and it has been stable for several days near or at the point at which you expect fermentation to complete....you're good to go.
 
This is just me, but for non high-gravity ales that I'm bottling, I would leave it in primary for about 2 weeks before bottling - another week or two will only improve the beer and will not harm it. I would then leave the bottles for at least 3 weeks at about 70 degrees before refrigerating and drinking. Now that I mostly keg, I leave most ales in primary for 3-4 weeks before cold conditioning/carbing period that is usually 2-3 weeks. 6 weeks is pretty normal, 3 weeks in primary, 3 weeks in the fridge carbing and conditioning.
 
So if I've hit terminal gravity after two weeks, you figure its ok to go ahead and bottle?

Yes. But,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I only package clear beer. If it's at FG and clear, you can bottle it in one week. But if it's not clear, even after two weeks, I wouldn't bottle it until it is. Any sediment that hasn't fallen out by the time you bottle WILL eventually settle. I'd rather that happen in the fermenter instead of my bottles!

I usually keep most beers in the fermener two weeks or so.
 
Yes. But,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I only package clear beer. If it's at FG and clear, you can bottle it in one week. But if it's not clear, even after two weeks, I wouldn't bottle it until it is. Any sediment that hasn't fallen out by the time you bottle WILL eventually settle. I'd rather that happen in the fermenter instead of my bottles!

I usually keep most beers in the fermener two weeks or so.

Yooper is 100% spot on....after primary fermentation, Yeast continue to work cleaning up other things in the beer that you dont really want...here is an online refernce to what I am talking about: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter8-2.html
 
Yes. But,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I only package clear beer. If it's at FG and clear, you can bottle it in one week. But if it's not clear, even after two weeks, I wouldn't bottle it until it is. Any sediment that hasn't fallen out by the time you bottle WILL eventually settle. I'd rather that happen in the fermenter instead of my bottles!

I usually keep most beers in the fermener two weeks or so.

and to add, giving it a little time on the yeast cake also cleans up any possible off flavors produced by the yeasts...stuff like diacetyle, acetylaldehyde...to name a few important/common ones.
 
Always let your hydrometer tell you. Sometimes more complex beers need time to sit to "come together" but in general your hydrometer will tell you when it's done.
 
Leave for at least 2 weeks. 3-4 if you can tie up your fermentor for that long.(i have a hard time leaving it for longer than 2, as I want to start my next batch XD)
 
Don't know if I can get an answer at this late date but I guess I'll try.... As I find myself in a similar situation as the user who started this thread...

My question is - If I leave my beer in the primary for 3 weeks is there any benefit to doing like a week of cold conditioning in a secondary before bottling? Or are you just as well to leave it in the primary for that extra week then.

I know there's some debate about secondary vs no secondary and I think there's points to this argument I don't yet understand so I just want to figure out what's the best thing to do for the beer.

Thanks in advance for any info.
 
travlinScott said:
Don't know if I can get an answer at this late date but I guess I'll try.... As I find myself in a similar situation as the user who started this thread...

My question is - If I leave my beer in the primary for 3 weeks is there any benefit to doing like a week of cold conditioning in a secondary before bottling? Or are you just as well to leave it in the primary for that extra week then.

I know there's some debate about secondary vs no secondary and I think there's points to this argument I don't yet understand so I just want to figure out what's the best thing to do for the beer.

Thanks in advance for any info.

If you don't need the primary space there is no need to transfer and you can cold crash whenever fermentation is done. If you can't cold crash then leave it sit another week to give things time to really settle out and then bottle
 

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