My first "extended" primary

Hey guys,

I've just been following HBT for a couple months, but I tell you, I've learned a LOT in that short time!

I just racked my AG ESB to the secondary, and stole enough to get a final gravity reading (and a li'l taste :fro. Just for grins, after I read the gravity (1.014 from 1.056 OG) I poured the beer from the tube into a pint glass. It was unbelievably clear! I may be converted to the primary-only crowd yet.

Anyway, kudos to HBT and all the experts here! Maybe someday I'll be one too!

sounds like that beer is ready to bottle

Honestly, the only reason I rack to a 5-gal secondary is that it frees up the 6-gal primary for more beer! I'll never buy more 5-gal carboys, that's for sure. =)

maida7 said:

sounds like that beer is ready to bottle

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I would agree with you. If I hadn't JUST racked it into a secondary I might be bottling tonight. Probably this weekend some time.....

HomerJR said:

I would agree with you. If I hadn't JUST racked it into a secondary I might be bottling tonight. Probably this weekend some time.....

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next time skip the secondary. It's really unnecessary and unless your super careful the transfer will stir in oxygen to the beer ultimately leading to a stale taste down the road. Bottle directly from the primary.

and don't put a foam stopper in the carboy either!

So how long was "Extended"?

Extended was 22 days. Normally I'd go 7-10 days, then maybe 2 weeks in a secondary to clear things up, but oddly it never got spectacularly clear. At least not THIS clear!

Thanks for the info.