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I've got 3 brews in primaries now, all extract kits from Northern Brewer brewed last weekend: extra pale ale, cream ale, & irish stout.
I plan to move the pale ale and cream ale to secondaries at 2 weeks, or once gravity stabilizes, to free up my primaries. The kits state what OG should be, but not FG. The cream ale was high, at 1.045 (kit says 1.040) and the pale ale was pretty much on the money at 1.044 (1.045 expected). Both of these kits say ready in 4 weeks, so I figure 2 weeks primary, 1-2 weeks secondary, 3-4 days force carbing.
On the irish stout, OG was high as well at 1.047 (expected 1.042). This kit says ready in 6 weeks, so I was thinking 3 weeks primary, 2-3 weeks secondary, 3-4 days force carbing.
Do my times sound right for these beers?
The kits state recommended times, but I followed those times on my first brew and transferred to a secondary when they said to (at 10 days), and then found out that was probably too early. This was a wheat beer, not from northern brewer, and the beer was a little tart the first week, a little smoother the second, and then it was gone. I don't really want more tart beer though.
How do I know what the FG should be on all of these?
Does it matter on the irish stout & cream ale that OG was higher than it should have been and does this effect ferment time or what FG should be?
I know some of you are going to say just leave in the primaries for 3-4 weeks, and in the future I may not bother with secondaries, except on the longer beers like the stout. My main reason for wanting to secondary was that I read that it helped clarify the beer. Right now I'd just like to free up my primaries though for more batches.
I plan to move the pale ale and cream ale to secondaries at 2 weeks, or once gravity stabilizes, to free up my primaries. The kits state what OG should be, but not FG. The cream ale was high, at 1.045 (kit says 1.040) and the pale ale was pretty much on the money at 1.044 (1.045 expected). Both of these kits say ready in 4 weeks, so I figure 2 weeks primary, 1-2 weeks secondary, 3-4 days force carbing.
On the irish stout, OG was high as well at 1.047 (expected 1.042). This kit says ready in 6 weeks, so I was thinking 3 weeks primary, 2-3 weeks secondary, 3-4 days force carbing.
Do my times sound right for these beers?
The kits state recommended times, but I followed those times on my first brew and transferred to a secondary when they said to (at 10 days), and then found out that was probably too early. This was a wheat beer, not from northern brewer, and the beer was a little tart the first week, a little smoother the second, and then it was gone. I don't really want more tart beer though.
How do I know what the FG should be on all of these?
Does it matter on the irish stout & cream ale that OG was higher than it should have been and does this effect ferment time or what FG should be?
I know some of you are going to say just leave in the primaries for 3-4 weeks, and in the future I may not bother with secondaries, except on the longer beers like the stout. My main reason for wanting to secondary was that I read that it helped clarify the beer. Right now I'd just like to free up my primaries though for more batches.