How long do people let there beer sit before bottling?

I didn't want to say how long do people let there been ferment before bottling, because fermentation can be over in a few days. Also I'm talking about standard 4.5%-6% gravity beers.

I know some people use the 1-2-3 rule for 1 week in primary, 2 weeks in secondary, and 3 in the bottle before they consume. The recent trend I've seen is not to secondary and leave the beer on the yeast cake for a month. I generally use the later and let it sit for at least 3 weeks.

My SWMBO recently bought me Microbrewed Adventures by Charlie Papazian (great read by the way) and it comes with tons of recipes straight from brewers and Charlie himself. I haven't read all of them yet but the ones I have read suggest fermenting for a week and transferring to secondary for a week before bottling.

Basically I'm wondering if I'm making my brewing process longer than it has to be and denying myself more brewing opportunities?

Usually, I go 4 weeks in primary, then bottle. Making one batch a month seems to work for me, though I sometimes do more (I have a second BetterBottle).

Cheers!

This is the most discussed topic on here, it has been readily covered. I suggest you read THIS thread, it's become the "uber discussion" on this topic thread. Every discussion, question, answer, citation, etch is in that thread....

To Secondary or Not? John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff Weigh In .

Many of us leave our beer in primary for a month minimum then bottle.....We find out beers to be clearer and better tasting.

I suggest you read that thread, and experiment for yourself, and make up your own mind.

There's thousands of threads on here already, where folks have ventured their opinions, and argued incessantly, but it ultimately comes down to what works for you......

From everything I've read it is up to the yeast how long it should take. The only way to tell is by the hydrometer readings, when it settles out (hopefully near your expected FG) and is stable for a few days, then it is ready to bottle. If you want you can let it go longer to let the yeast do some further clean up and for more settling to occur.

I use carboys and have 1 6.5 gal and 2 5 gal. Once I get to where I can brew more often I plan on using the larger one as a primary, then moving to the smaller ones to harvest yeast and make room for the next batch.

I do 3 weeks primary, 1 week secondary, 4-6 weeks conditioning depending on the ABV. 2 weeks fridge

6 weeks.

21-28 days. I've yet to brew a beer yet that wasn't finished and off-taste free if I used that time frame and kept the beer temp at 65F.

I've been doing a range and really just doing it by taste. Generally, the higher the abv the longer it needs to get to where I want it. I recently brewed a mild that was 3.6% and it was stable after three days and I bottled after ten. It had cleared brilliantly and tasted great, so I figured it was ready. My 5.8% smoked porter was in for a month.

Basically, it is my opinion that every beer is different and we have a number of tools to help us decide when it is ready. Personally, I use my nose, mouth, eyes and hydrometer to decide when it is ready. Then I wait a few days just in case!

4 weeks primary 4 weeks bottle conditioning 48 HRS fridge. Take it to the bank.

We've only done this 4 times, but we bottle after close to 2 weeks....a couple days earlier if the Gravity read isn't changing. Haven't tried second fermentation as of yet. Bottle for 1.5-2 weeks. Tasted the beer after 1.5 weeks and it was good to go and carbonated so we slowly started putting a few in the refrigerator. The rest are still in bottles in the garage so they may get the full 4 week bottle depending on how fast we drink it.

If it is tasting good is there any reason to wait longer?

I go 3-4 weeks in primary before bottling.

I used to do 3 weeks primary but i think i'm gonna switch back to 1 week primary, 1 week secondary. My latest pale ale spent close to 30 days in primary and something went incredible wrong. Both the smell and taste leave a lot to be desired and the FG went down to 1.006.

Whilst i'm perfectly aware that all signs point to infection, the root of the infection most likely comes from me opening up the fermenter in order to see what was going on over and over during those days. Next time i won't play the patience game anymore and just bottle as fast as i can

One important thing that I've never read or heard about it in this Forum is that "YOU SHOULD KNOW YOUR YEAST WELL" .

I mean , how the strain which you use would behave is a critical factor .

I already brewed three Extract batches and I always let it sit for 3-4 Weeks in the Primary and then bottled .

BUT , they all ended up with a damn , undrinkable Beer .

Someone told me that the yeast strain which I use is the Cause , as the Beer should not sit longer than one Week on the cake of this strain .

Recently , I've brewed a new Extract batch using the same strain and let it in the Primary for only one Week and then racked it to the Secondary .

I smelled and tasted the Beer by the time of racking and there were no odd flavor or sour Off-taste which I had by my previous batches .

It's now sitting in the Secondary and I hope it will turn out good after two more Weeks , so that I can bottle it .

Hector

hector said:

One important thing that I've never read or heard about it in this Forum is that "YOU SHOULD KNOW YOUR YEAST WELL" .
I mean , how the strain which you use would behave is a critical factor .

Click to expand...

that's an excellent observation. This was my third time using safale us05 and twice i've encountered the problem of letting it sit too long in it. Then again, most likely the error is in my process

cval said:

that's an excellent observation. This was my third time using safale us05 and twice i've encountered the problem of letting it sit too long in it. Then again, most likely the error is in my process

Click to expand...

What is too long. 3 weeks here with no issues. Do you guys with these issues control your temperature?
High temps = bad results
Fluctuating temps = bad results
3 week = no proof.
Please provide more details to support your claims and so we can all learn.

Depends on the beer. My general rules, wheat beers are 2-3 weeks primary, IPAs/hoppy beers 3-4 weeks (with the last week dry hopped in primary), 4-5 weeks for everything else. I only secondary if adding fruit or aging for a few months.

I agree with Revvy...

That being said... I tend to do 3-4 weeks for my brews that are under ~7%. 4-6 weeks for those that are 7-8.5%, then 8 weeks for up to 12%. I haven't brewed any beers over 12% yet, so I'm not sure how long those will go. Depending on what else I want to do with the bigger beers, they might get some time aging on oak, or other woods (for X months). The brews that go up to 6 weeks typically get kegged and then put into the brew fridge when a spot is available. I use 3 gallon kegs, getting 6 gallons from each batch, so only half of a batch is on tap at any time. That means the second half is aging in keg, at room/cellar temp for X weeks/months before I get to drinking it.

For me it depends on the beer. It's anywhere from 12 days to 4 weeks. I only primary. My 5 gallon secondaries have turned into water jugs...

I'm turning my 5 gallon carboys into money (selling them)... Already sold off the last two 3 gallon glass carboys. Have one glass carboy left and then will be seriously thinking about selling off the last of the PET carboys I have. Since I ferment in sanke kegs, the plastic fermenters have no use (or home) with me. :fro:

I use my secondaries for wine, thinking of doing mead in them. As long as it is fermented and has alcohol it's all good with me.

cval said:

I used to do 3 weeks primary but i think i'm gonna switch back to 1 week primary, 1 week secondary. My latest pale ale spent close to 30 days in primary and something went incredible wrong. Both the smell and taste leave a lot to be desired and the FG went down to 1.006.

Whilst i'm perfectly aware that all signs point to infection, the root of the infection most likely comes from me opening up the fermenter in order to see what was going on over and over during those days. Next time i won't play the patience game anymore and just bottle as fast as i can

Click to expand...

May I ask why you felt the need to open the fermenter up multiple times? Stick it in and don't open it for three weeks. Your issue is avoided.

Golddiggie said:

I'm turning my 5 gallon carboys into money (selling them)... Already sold off the last two 3 gallon glass carboys. Have one glass carboy left and then will be seriously thinking about selling off the last of the PET carboys I have. Since I ferment in sanke kegs, the plastic fermenters have no use (or home) with me. :fro:

Click to expand...

I've been throwing around the idea of fermenting in sanke kegs lately..

Stauffbier said:

I've been throwing around the idea of fermenting in sanke kegs lately..

Click to expand...

Shoot me a PM if you're interested in finding out how I do it. I'm using kits that I've designed to do it. Works incredibly well, and allows me to transfer via CO2 push without issue.

cval said:

I used to do 3 weeks primary but i think i'm gonna switch back to 1 week primary, 1 week secondary. My latest pale ale spent close to 30 days in primary and something went incredible wrong. Both the smell and taste leave a lot to be desired and the FG went down to 1.006.

Whilst i'm perfectly aware that all signs point to infection, the root of the infection most likely comes from me opening up the fermenter in order to see what was going on over and over during those days. Next time i won't play the patience game anymore and just bottle as fast as i can

Click to expand...

That's like ripping your scalp off so that you won't need to get a haircut again. Next time, just leave it the hell along until 3-4 weeks have passed. OR take far less readings. Just opening it to see what's going on seems like a noob action to me.

I cannot see into my fermenters while things are active. Not just because they're stainless steel, or that they have small openings at the top allowing you to just see a small amount of the very top. Also, I ferment at a friends place because my current LL is a total yakass.

Something else you can do... Use temperature readings to figure out what's going on inside the fermenter. Forget about the airlock. Sure, it's nice when it's moving like a machine gun, but it's not the only (or even best) indicator that fermentation is going on. An increase above the ambient temperature will tell you that the yeast are active, eating sugars and producing alcohol for you to enjoy. Once the temperature has gone back down to ambient, and has stayed there for a reasonable amount of time, you can be pretty sure that fermentation has finished. Knowing the yeast strain(s) you're using will also help you to determine how long after fermentation has finished it will need to become great/ready for next vessel.

A lot of things are learned over time, but you can also read up on the boards to prevent falling into the same traps that others have blundered into before. Such as opening up the fermenter/vessel too often and having a batch get infected. :cross:

Golddiggie said:

Shoot me a PM if you're interested in finding out how I do it. I'm using kits that I've designed to do it. Works incredibly well, and allows me to transfer via CO2 push without issue.

Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll keep you in mind for the future. What do you use as a fermentation chamber? I would think it has to be big to get a couple sankes in it (I'm assuming you use 15.5 gal sankes)...

Golddiggie said:

That's like ripping your scalp off so that you won't need to get a haircut again. Next time, just leave it the hell along until 3-4 weeks have passed. OR take far less readings. Just opening it to see what's going on seems like a noob action to me.

Click to expand...

Sums it up? Why are some people so impatient and spastic? If you want to, brew more batches and leave the previous ones alone until your ready to bottle.
Or get into better sanitizing habits.

kapbrew13 said:

What is too long. 3 weeks here with no issues. Do you guys with these issues control your temperature?

Please provide more details to support your claims and so we can all learn.

Click to expand...

I'm sure now that it depends on the yeast strain and type of the Beer , when you're deciding whether to transfer it to the Secondary .

I brewed my previous batches in different conditions and always got the same Result - "Undrinkable Beer" - , although I control the temperature very well . For example , the Room temperature is 85 F and I keep the fermentation temperature constantly at 66 F with no fluctuation .

My last batch was kept for 4 Weeks in the Primary and then for 6 Weeks in the bottle . But , it was a "Sourness Bomb" at the end and it was not infected , because I checked my brewing day in details with other members in this Forum and they all accepted that there is no infection issue .

Hector

It depends on your gravity. Higher gravity beers will take longer to carb up. A lot of my wheat beers take about a week or two to carbonate and i've had some higher gravity beers take well over a month to fully carb.

I know its not a commen, and i barely consider myself a true brewer, but I have found a good formula for Mr. Beer recipes.


I brew and ferment in the LBK for 3 weeks. then i bottle and warm condition for 2 weeks, and then I refrigerate for a minimum 1 week, though 2 is best.


I currently have all of my beer in my kegerator and they have been in there for at least 3 weeks. Crystal clear beer, good head retention, no real off-taste, and they bubble nicely once poured!

hector said:

I brewed my previous batches in different conditions and always got the same Result - "Undrinkable Beer" - ,

. But , it was a "Sourness Bomb" at the end and it was not infected , because I checked my brewing day in details with other members in this Forum and they all accepted that there is no infection issue .

Hector

Click to expand...

So different yeast, different beers and all undrinkable with sourness?

Not an infection but you must have something else going on to create the sourness. I believe too long on yeast would produce meaty flavors? What's that word, autolysis or something .

I keep most of my beers in the fermenter for 10-14 days before packaging.

4 weeks ( or until I remember where I put my fermenter) 2 weeks( very minimum ) for bottling. Most The time I forget about it lol

kapbrew13 said:

So different yeast, different beers and all undrinkable with sourness?
Not an infection but you must have something else going on to create the sourness.

Click to expand...

I brewed all of my previous batches with the same yeast strain .

What they had in common except the yeast was sitting on the yeast cake in the Primary for 3-4 Weeks and at the end a Beer full of

twangy and sour After-taste .

Hector

hector said:

I brewed all of my previous batches with the same yeast strain .

What they had in common except the yeast was sitting on the yeast cake in the Primary for 3-4 Weeks and at the end a Beer full of twangy and sour After-taste .

Hector

Click to expand...

I would try a different yeast. Twangy and sour. You brewing gluten free?

kapbrew13 said:

I would try a different yeast. Twangy and sour. You brewing gluten free?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately , that's the only yeast strain available to me now .

My Recipe is very simple . I use light DME , Crystal malt , bittering Hops and water .

Hector

I usually keep my brew in for four weeks in the primary and only shift to the secondary if I know I can't bottle for a few weeks. I was impatient at first, but now am good to go as I am drinking not waiting for beer. I do have to say that you can buy extra buckets for around $15 including lid and airlock. Once you start brewing multiple batches the 4 weeks sneak up real quick! I usually bottle condition for 3 weeks then 1 week in the fridge. Its about 8 week process for me. Wow! My first brew was half that. Over time you will get more patient.

homebrewdad said:

May I ask why you felt the need to open the fermenter up multiple times? Stick it in and don't open it for three weeks. Your issue is avoided.

Click to expand...

The aroma of perle + cascade was freaking awesome, i wanted to have some. It was a pretty dumb rookie mistake. Not that i'm a noob though the error in my ways definitely seems to tell another story.

It was just my second time using cascade and fell in love with the aroma, i'll know better next time

Normally, I do 3 weeks in primary, 2 weeks in secondary and 4 or 5 weeks in bottles. Then if it is a lager I will will lager a week for every 10 points of OG.

Yooper said:

I keep most of my beers in the fermenter for 10-14 days before packaging.

Click to expand...

hate to resurrect this necro-thread, but I'd hate more to start a new one for the same old subject. After searching and reading for half hour or so, I see respected homebrewers all over the map with how long they wait before bottling. I personally have gone 1 week in primary, 4-7 days in secondary with dryhops when appropriate, and then bottle. I understand the whole concept of maintaining fermentation for longer and letting the yeast do their thing, but I'm not sure I understand why they can't be doing that in the bottle, thus freeing up my fermenter. Unlike y'all slackers, I brew 3-4 weekends a month in the winter, so with two fermenters, I either need to bottle or rack to secondary after 12-14 days to make room.

so the question, is something special happening when the yeast is cleaning up after itself that can't/won't happen in the bottle? It's pretty clear to me it needs at least 3 weeks in the bottle to really be ready anyway (although I usually open a 12 oz bottle at 10 days and again at 14-17 days just to follow the progress).

Note that this is all for normal gravity beers in the 4-6% range, and using pretty vigorous yeasts that ferment and drop quickly for me, such as weihenstephan and irish ale. London ESB seems to ferment just as fast, but it takes much longer for the yeast to fall if I don't rack to secondary.

There's a function at the end of fermentation where the beer needs to be on the yeast, but that timeframe is a day or two, not weeks. If you're using quick fermenters and moderate gravities at appropriate initial pitching rates and healthy controlled fermentation, not unreasonable for that to be done in 7 days (or less, I've seen 4 or 5 days with some English session beers). However I could see some take a bit longer, especially with an initial underpitch. I've seen a first gen yeast with no starter add a good week and a half to the same beer a properly sized healthy repitch. I usually get the best, fastest fermentations (grain to glass in 10 days or less) from gens 3 and 4.

Also my experience with almost all yeasts, but particularly 1968 London ESB, they tend to drop very clear very quickly.