Average pale ale ferment schedule?

Im pretty new to this and I'm brewing up a Juniper/ginger pale ale, S04 yeast, at about 72-74 degrees, I was just wondering what kind of two stage ferment schedule would be adequate and possibly how long bottled would be a good aging period.

I don't know the specifics of that yeast, but 3+ primary and 3+ bottled seems to be the general guideline. Secondary (bright tank/bulk conditioning) as needed for dry hopping, flavoring adds, etc.

72-74 sounds a bit high, but I haven't looked up your specific yeast.

Overall- patience is key. I desperately want to bottle one of my first brews @ 2 weeks, but am biting the bullet and waiting for 3 weeks. Gravity readings will give a guide as to when it is acceptable, the reat is...art, I guess.

RDWHAHB, or RWDWHACB if you're just getting started (like me)!

Cheers!
DK

Why S04 and not S05? I find S05 to be more forgiving at warmer temps and is quite neutral.

There is no set timetable, just make sure it is done fermenting before bottling. You should be safe leaving it in primary for 3-4 weeks and then bottling.

If you can ferment cooler then I recommend it. The fermenting process creates heat so would actually be closer to 80 which is sub-optimal. Search for swamp cooler as it is an easy way to keep temperature in check.

I bought this brew as a Kit and it came with S04, but I might try the S05 next time. How about bottling temps? Should they be refrigerated as soon as they're bottled?

Yanniwithamohawk said:

How about bottling temps? Should they be refrigerated as soon as they're bottled?

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they should be left around 70 for 3 weeks then you can put them in the fridge for at least 5 days.