New to brewing! (couple questions)

Hey all!

I'm just getting into brewing beer. I've done a lot of research and have my first batch starting to ferment. I do however have a couple questions that I'm not sure about...

How long does the wort need to ferment for? From various people, I've heard as low as 5 days and I've also heard as long as 4 weeks. Is there an approximate time frame or do you completely rely on the SG reading?

Is the only purpose of a secondary fermenter to improve beer clarity? Is there something else as well?

I'm pretty excited to start learning, and in turn, brewing more!

Thanks for reading!


Matt

Welcome to the board!

as for fermentation - golden middle - I think most beers tend to complete fermentation in about 2 weeks, depends on the style, but I havent seen one thats been done in a week and the hydrometer reading is only thing you rely on when make beer.

well, belief on this forum is that you dont need secondary fermenter unless you want to add some flavor/fruit/etc to your beer. I havent used secondary fermenter, leaving my beers for about 2 weeks in primary, by that time its usually clear and done, then transfer to bottling bucket and bottle it.

oh well, another addict!

From my experience I just leave it in the primary for at least 2 weeks. Then I'll take a gravity reading for about 2-3 days in a row. If there is no change, I'll drop it in the keg and stick it in the fridge for another week while it carbs up. This usually gets the beer pretty clear.

As far as secondary goes, I only use it if I'm doing a beer that is going to have something added to it after primary is done, like adding vanilla to a porter or fruit to a wheat beer etc... Other wise, I just leave in in the primary for 2-3 weeks, then keg. When I bottled, I would leave it in the primary for 2-3 weeks, then pop it in the fridge for a week, then bottle. Always seemed to have clear beer.

Everyone has their own "process" and there are brewers that wouldn't think of putting a beer in a keg/bottle with having it in a secondary vessel for some time. Others keg/bottle after a week or so depending on the beer. Try a couple of different ways and figure out what works best for your beer. And it may vary from beer to beer depending on what you make.

Primary fermentation really depends on how patient you are. Most beers are done fermenting within a week or two, but the extra time improves the beer significantly.

The only way to truly know when your beer is done (not the air-lock) is to take a gravity reading after a week or two. When the gravity is the same reading for 3 days in a row, you're good to bottle it.

I would completely ignore your beer for at least 3 weeks. The extra time on the yeast will help clear up any off flavors that may have been created during fermentation. It's one of the easiest things you can do to improve your beer.

As for secondary, I find it unneccissary with most beers. If you're adding anything to the beer post-boil (fruit, chocolate, coffee, bourbon, etc..) then secondary is usually the place to do it. Otherwise, if you have a big beer (over 1.070 for me depending on the style), then additional aging time will help mellow the beer. Plus, bulk aging is better than aging them seperately in bottles. However...you don't NEED to use secondary. Longer bottle conditioning will have the same effect.

Wow thanks for the great responses! They answered my questions perfectly! I will get a hydrometer! But when measuring every day is it not bad to get air inside the carboy?

Another question that popped into my head just now... How long after the beer is bottled is it drinkable?


Thanks again!

As long as you're not sloshing the beer around it's probably fine.

Once you bottle it, it's usually drinkable after about 2 weeks. You might be too excited to wait (I sure was the first few batches) and will just find that your beer won't be fully carbonated and a little sweet (as the yeast hasn't eaten up all the priming sugar yet). Also, it will be drinkable after 2 weeks but will get alot better with time (if the beer even lasts that long).

I try to let my beers go for 3-4 weeks in the primary and then at least 3 weeks in the bottle with 3 days minimum in the fridge to help clarify the beer. I know that it may seem like a long time but it will be well worth the wait. Try to be patient.

You don't need to measure the gravity every day. Measure it once before you pitch the yeast, then give it some time (if you used a big starter and can see the krausen drop early, you might be good in as little as 3-4 days, but 2-3 weeks is usually a good rule of thumb for most beers). Pull a hydrometer sample and measure it once. Give it a couple days and take one more sample. If it's stable, you can bottle any time. Keep in mind that you never want to put your hydrometer sample back in your sterile wort. So you end up dumping (or drinking) any sample you pull, which can amount to a lot of beer if you end up pulling 4-5 samples!

That said, once you've been brewing for a while, you may end up skipping some of those measurements. There's a thread around here somewhere about things people no longer bother with once they're comfortable with their brewing process. Several times recently I've forgotten to measure my gravity until my beer is already in the bottling bucket. At this point I probably wouldn't take an OG sample if I was brewing an extract batch (except that any extract batches I do at this point would probably be in the process of teaching someone to brew, in which case I would definitely teach them to pull a sample - you don't get to skip steps until you know exactly what you're skipping and why it's valid to skip it!).

Very good tips! Thank you to all!

One more question for now: I know the wort needs to be in a cool dark place to ferment. How cool and how dark? Pitch black?

Fantastical said:

Very good tips! Thank you to all!

One more question for now: I know the wort needs to be in a cool dark place to ferment. How cool and how dark? Pitch black?

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Cool - The beer needs to be about 68 for most ale strains. Ambient temperature will need to be lower because the beer needs to be at that temp.

Dark doesn't matter much. You just want to keep it away from direct sunlight and from UV light (fluorescents kick it off quite a bit.) After fermentation, these light sources can and will skunk your beer.

If your primary isn't clear (glass or clear plastic) then letting light in isn't a problem, though it could influence the temperature of your fermenting beer if sunlight is beating down on it.

Fantastical said:

......Is there an approximate time frame or do you completely rely on the SG reading?

Is the only purpose of a secondary fermenter to improve beer clarity? Is there something else as well?.....

.....I know the wort needs to be in a cool dark place to ferment. How cool and how dark? Pitch black?

Matt

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As far as fermenting your beer, you must rely on the SG reading. Some beers will hit the Final gravity in as little as 7 or 10 days. However, you want to leave your beer conditioning to allow the yeast to clean up their by-products and also for clarity. How long to condition? everyone will give you a different answer, but I usually leave my beer in the primary for 3 weeks sometimes 4 weeks total.

Some will tell you 2 weeks is enough. I have fermented and bottled in 2 weeks, but have found that longer conditioning in the primary has given me cleaner and crisper beers.

Secondary is usually used only for dry hopping, lagering, or aging...

If you are brewing Ales you want your beer to sit around 60 to 72 F (colder gives your cleaner beers, warmer gives you more fruity beers)... Lagers usually ferment at 45 to 55 F, and lagered near freezing temps.

If you are using a carboy and don't have a complete dark place or just concerned, you can always put a box or something over it to cover the light.

Pretty much what Suthrncomfrt1884 said. I primary for 4 weeks in most cases, and try to let them condition in the bottle for another 4 weeks before I start drinking them. Very pleased with the results, although I do have to be patient. *grin*

carnevoodoo said:

Dark doesn't matter much. You just want to keep it away from direct sunlight and from UV light (fluorescents kick it off quite a bit.) After fermentation, these light sources can and will skunk your beer.

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UV light can skunk your beer during fermentation as well. It's specifically due to UV light interacting with the hop oils. If your carboy is clear and you have it out in the open, put something over it to block out the light.

Will do! I have a blanket on it at the moment to keep light out. I will try and find a cardboard box.

Thanks again!