So I brewed my very first batch last Sunday and it recommended 7-10 days in primary. Also said must have one bubble a min before transfer. I am at 7 days and am getting bubbles still at 15-20 seconds. What happens if it stays longer in the primary?
In primary longer than suggested?
- Thread starter J-Sull548
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hoppymonkey
Well-Known Member
That is kind of a rough estimate for primary. You really need a hdyrometer to see if it is done. It will be fine for longer and a lot of people( myself included) prefer a longer primary for crisper beer anyway. Has the yeast dropped yet?
Keep it in the primary for another week or 2 and then start measuring FG for consistent readings. I've never bottled before 2 weeks and have had to wait up to 5 weeks before fermentation completed once.
Just ignore the 7-10 day recommendation and go with what's right. Most instructions that I've read tend to throw out arbitrary lengths of time when they shouldn't.
I've read of people that keep it in the primary for a couple months, but I think that's overkill.
Just ignore the 7-10 day recommendation and go with what's right. Most instructions that I've read tend to throw out arbitrary lengths of time when they shouldn't.
I've read of people that keep it in the primary for a couple months, but I think that's overkill.
So should I pop the lid and take a reading then? It looks like some yeast has started to drop. Got a nice head on it too. Smells great
When I do month long primaries I just take a reading at yeast pitch and a month later at bottling day.
If you are planning to rack to secondary, I recommend you wait til day 14, taking a grav reading on days 12 and 14 to inusure that fermentation is complete AND to have left a few extra days of yeast contact to, as mentioned in the first thread I linked, to let the yeast clean up after itself.
It makes for better beer either way than racking.
I recommend folks just get another fermenter and use their secondary to make a batch of apfelwein, or skeeter pee, or type of beverage where headspace isn't that crucial and/or you can make a 4.5 gallon batch in the 5 gallon vessel instead.
It makes for better beer either way than racking.
I recommend folks just get another fermenter and use their secondary to make a batch of apfelwein, or skeeter pee, or type of beverage where headspace isn't that crucial and/or you can make a 4.5 gallon batch in the 5 gallon vessel instead.
scruffymmh
Well-Known Member
Its safe to go to secondary now. Read gravity when racking, and write it down. 2-4 weeks in secondary is fine. Minimize oxygen exposure when racking and, if possible, minimize headspace in secondary vessel.
scruffymmh
Well-Known Member
Revvy said:
I Like to rack to secondary before Full ferment so that the addl CO2 hopefully replaces any O2 in headspace of secondary.
On the other note, you say you still have bubbles, unless you take 2 gravity readings over 3 days you may be racking too soon. If you had 3 days of lag time on your yeast, you've only had four days of active fermentation, so you could end up with a stuck fermentation, or off flavors from racking too soon.
So even at this point I would take a gravity ready today and on day 10 if you insist on secondarying...but if you can wait 10 days, you might as well wait 14 before racking any way.
So even at this point I would take a gravity ready today and on day 10 if you insist on secondarying...but if you can wait 10 days, you might as well wait 14 before racking any way.
Well, many folks end up with stuck fermentations doing that. To me it's not a good idea to remove it from the best amount of yeast to finish the job before it's actually finished fermenting.
If there is co2 in the beer (which there is at the time of racking) then you will be plenty displacing o2 with co2 just by racking anyway. That's going to kick up plenty of co2 to protect the beer in the tiny headspace of secondary any way.
