not a newb, but have a few questions.

I have been trolling through the forums lately and I really like the site. I have been brewing on and off since 2000 or so. I have been picking it back up lately and getting excellent results. just discovered beersmith and it rocks. I mostly keg now but I am getting my collection of bottles out so I can make more batches at one time. could use some help on a few things though.

usually I brew with mostly extract and a steeping of some crystal malt. I usually only boil and steep about one gallon of water. I do this so I can cool the wort quicker once its all done with icy/cold spring or well water. beyond getting a lower extraction % on my grains and hops, are there any other negative impacts to doing it this way?


When I begin primary fermentation I dump the entire contents of the brew kettle into the fermenter thinking more hop flavor will come out. Could I leave all the mush in the kettle so I have less particles to worry about in the bottom of the fermenter?

Is it necessary to always let the primary fermentation carry on for days and days? I had a recent batch reach its desired Final gravity within 24 hours using nottingham yeast. Is this process just to allow more stuff to settle to the bottom or would it be fine to suck my beer off into a carboy and cold crash it to get the junk out faster? I hate waiting a week when no bubbles are coming through the airlock. why should I do that if fermentation has completed?


Thanks for any help you can offer.


Bottles ready for washing after a couple years in the attic, took a long tome to drink all of those lol :



Why doesn't my image load ?

Along with lower utilization, a 1 gallon boil will caramelize the heck out of your extract, leaving your beer much darker than it should be.

Some people (including me) filter out the wort while pouring it into the fermenter. I've done both and don't really detect a difference in the final product.

Wait a week minimum. Give the yeast a chance to fully finish their job, which includes cleaning up after themselves after fermentation is done. This will produce a cleaner brew in the end.

Edit: Welcome!

Welcome to HBT!

HOOTER nailed it with his responses. The bigger the boil, the better your beer will taste.

I just dump the entire batch in the primary. I figure I'm going to have trub anyway so what is another 1/2 inch.

Lots of us leave brews in the primary for 4 weeks so the yeast can finish it's job (not just fermenting). We do it for cleaner tasting and crystal clear beer. Also, the beer is already nicely aged coming out of the fermenter.

thanks for the help guys, yeah my beer can be a bit foggy.... I have a hard time waiting for it to fully condition, but I can always tell those last few pints that come out of the keg keep getting better and better. Sounds like I need more patience and a bunch of fermenter's so I can have several conditioning at any one time. I had just assumed that the carbonation helped with this so I always try to get to that phase quickly ... If you leave it in the primary for a few weeks, can you just force carb it and drink the next day, or do you also let it sit some more in the keg? I dont think I have ever left it in the primary for more than a week.

Your image won't load because your account is less than a month old and fewer than 30 posts. You can thank some spammers and ne'erdowells for that little guideline.

Anyways, here's your image!

ahh thx, I should have figured as much. no worries I'll have that corrected soon

You definitely need to be patient. I would not rush it out of primary into the bottle. Give it a week, at minimum in the primary and then bottle if you must. I prefer to give my batches about two weeks in primary, 2 - 4 weeks in secondary and then a month in the bottle (3 weeks at room temp and another week in the fridge). Even after that much time, I still notice the last few beers always taste the best, because they have aged longer. For all your efforts in brewing it pays to let the finished product become it's very best.

Just be sure to always have a new batch in your primary and after a couple of months you will always have a new batch at your bellys disposal.

sunblock said:

thanks for the help guys, yeah my beer can be a bit foggy.... I have a hard time waiting for it to fully condition, but I can always tell those last few pints that come out of the keg keep getting better and better. Sounds like I need more patience and a bunch of fermenter's so I can have several conditioning at any one time. I had just assumed that the carbonation helped with this so I always try to get to that phase quickly ... If you leave it in the primary for a few weeks, can you just force carb it and drink the next day, or do you also let it sit some more in the keg? I dont think I have ever left it in the primary for more than a week.

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The best beer of the batch is always the last one. The way I look at it is the longer you wait, the more really good beer you'll get to enjoy, and life's too short for crappy beer. If this means leaving your beer alone for a few extra weeks then it will be worth it in the long run. Just brew more and the wait won't be so difficult.

cheers