My 1st batch is underway...

So my BF got me my very own long-awaited beginner's homebrew kit for Christmas, and my (ours? I did most of the work =P) first IPA has been fermenting for about 13 days. I've been following a recipe he scooped up at my local brewshop.

It sat for 11 days in the primary fermenter, and we just siphoned it over to the secondary fermenter/bottling bucket on Saturday. The spec. gravity is 1000ths below the final gravity, but as advised, I'm letting it sit for another 2-3 weeks.

My question for you helpful experts (I've been reading nonstop since Saturday and you've all been a huge help) is when it comes time to bottle, should I mix the priming sugar directly into the secondary fermenter by gently stirring? Or would it be beneficial to siphon the brew back into the sanitized primary, then "splash the boiled priming sugar solution into the bottling bucket" and then re-siphon the beer on top of it?

I apologize if my wording is confusing, and will clarify if necessary. Thanks for all your help!
-Britt

I would just stir it in gently.

Put the priming sugar into the bottling bucket first, then siphon the beer into the same bucket.

Try to get a swirl going in the bottling bucket so that the priming sugar gets mixed without introducing oxygen.

AgentHubcap said:

Put the priming sugar into the bottling bucket first, then siphon the beer into the same bucket.

Try to get a swirl going in the bottling bucket so that the priming sugar gets mixed without introducing oxygen.

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^ This, so as not to risk uneven mixing. If you've been reading up you've probably seen the whole "to secondary or not" debate. For you next brew you might consider skipping that step, so your bucket is free for bottling.

Cheers and congrats on the first brew!

Yeah I read a bunch about skipping the secondary, and it makes perfect sense, but the guy at the local homebrew store told me to switch it over after 9-11 days to "aerate the batch and get rid of the trub."

This is a bit of a source of confusion for me... Is there a fine line regarding how/when oxygen is introduced to the brew? I know oxidation will destroy the brew, but I've also read a smidge about oxygen stones and aeration pumps and how it can make the beer taste more mature and delicious. Help! Haha.

Thanks for the support!

This is a very important difference. Aeration of the wort before fermentation is good for yeast growth. You DO NOT want to introduce oxygen after fermentation, which can cause stale off flavors. If your LHBS guy told you aerate after primary fermentation I would not trust what he tells you in the future.
As far as the secondary, try it both ways and decide for yourself. Many of us get crystal clear beers with no secondary (an no ill effects from leaving the beer on the yeast cake for extended times).

Hmm, that's unfortunate. He and his colleagues seem knowledgable, maybe I mixed something up. I was asking a ton of questions rapid fire...

As for whether or not I'll use a secondary fermenter in the future, we'll see how this batch turns out. If I want to try it without a secondary, I'll have to purchase another fermenter so I can have multiple batches going at a time. This anticipation is really killing me!

Thanks for clearing that up.

AgentHubcap said:

Put the priming sugar into the bottling bucket first, then siphon the beer into the same bucket.

Try to get a swirl going in the bottling bucket so that the priming sugar gets mixed without introducing oxygen.

Click to expand...

This guy has it. So does the other guy about aeration.

Pretty much once you get the autosiphon started (after you have the sugar water made for priming), the outgoing flow from the fermenter into the bucket will cause it's own swirl.

You DO NOT need to swirl with a spoon or anything. Oxygen is a beers enemy after fermentation has happened.

No need to put any weird flavors in there from oxidizing your already fermented wort aka beer.

Bonus answer -----> You really DONT need to do secondary fermenting. hehe...

I'm a converted believer that you can leave your beer alone in its original fermenter until bottling....



omg this Czech Pils is amazing (I'm taking another sip as I hit Submit Reply)

I like the no secondary/more primaries idea! Let us know how it turns out.

3PegBrew said:

This guy has it. So does the other guy about aeration.

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And don't forget 3Peg some of us are girls

NICE! Excuse my unopen mind.

I can explain why I forget women are on here and actually enjoy homebrewing....

I work in the medical field where 98% of my coworkers are women. Maybe 3% of my current coworkers drink beer. 1% or less of the 3% like microbrews.

If you like the IPA you should brew a Russian Imperial Stout. Nice blend of Malt and Hops. Plus if you brew it in the spring, let it sit until Winter (bottle it first)!!! After all, it is better in the winter....

3PegBrew said:

: I work in the medical field where 98% of my coworkers are women. Maybe 3% of my current coworkers drink beer. 1% or less of the 3% like microbrews.

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Ha! I'm in the medical field too and all the girls I work with keep sucking down my beer! Unfortunately one of them babysits my dog so she has a key - free kegerator access.

sorry OP, getting off topic

chickypad said:

Ha! I'm in the medical field too and all the girls I work with keep sucking down my beer! Unfortunately one of them babysits my dog so she has a key - free kegerator access.

sorry OP, getting off topic

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Even though they don't drink beer, I'm always asked what I'm brewing. I'm usually asked if I'm going to have a few homebrews after a stressful day. Duh!


Whoopsies

RipeforYelp22 said:

Yeah I read a bunch about skipping the secondary, and it makes perfect sense, but the guy at the local homebrew store told me to switch it over after 9-11 days to "aerate the batch and get rid of the trub."

This is a bit of a source of confusion for me... Is there a fine line regarding how/when oxygen is introduced to the brew? I know oxidation will destroy the brew, but I've also read a smidge about oxygen stones and aeration pumps and how it can make the beer taste more mature and delicious. Help! Haha.

Thanks for the support!

Click to expand...

If you did aerate this one between primary and secondary I would age it further to minimums and bottle it ASAP. I would then drink it quickly.

Aeration after fermentation is not good!

Aeration is good for the yeast to get to reproducing cells and start fermentation. All this would be action to the wort BEFORE adding the yeast.

Ugh, 3Peg, you poor thing. I'm in my last leg of school in the medical field. Yes, 85% of my class is female, but regardless of sex I still see Bud Light bottles in the hands of 99% of them when I'm out at bars and even house parties. :sigh: it's such a shame.

I'm currently obsessed with all things IPA, and am certainly up for any suggestions/recipes! I'm deciding to wait till I taste my first batch to start another, though, incase I royally effed something up. That, and I want to taste these hops and make sure I like em.

I have another Q regarding leaving the beer in the primary. Can the beer soak up any more flavors from the trub as it's fermenting? Or is the sole benefit of leaving it be throughout fermentation to avoid contact with oxygen?

Thank you thank you =)

Kh54s10: If you did aerate this one between primary and secondary I would age it further to minimums and bottle it ASAP. I would then drink it quickly.


There wasn't any stirring involved, I just siphoned it from the primary to the secondary(bottling bucket). If siphoning is considered aerating then I guess I'm kinda screwed, cause in order to bottle this batch I'd hafta siphon it back to the primary, then splash the priming sugar into the secondary and re-siphon the brew on top of it.

Am I screwed? Please say no! It smells so delicious!

If you siphon it back and then back again it will be fine. If you leave it where it is and mix the sugar in gently it will be fine. Bottom line, it will be fine!! Homebrewing is fun and not as easy to screw up as you might think. Improve your process with each batch. No worries!

the main reason to leave it in the primary longer is to allow the yeast a chance to clean up and create a cleaner product.

unless you splashed the beer around while siphoning then no, you probably did not aerate and your beer is fine.

Ahh yes, cleanup. Forgot to mention that. Welp, I feel better now! Thanks. I just wish I could fast-forward 2 weeks.

Hello again! So tonight I talked to my friend who's been brewing for the past 2 or so years. I've had a few of his brews and they've been some of the best I've ever tasted. I asked him whether or not he prefers a secondary fermenter and he said he tried using just a primary once and got too much sediment in his beer so he's been using 2 ever since.

If leaving it in the primary with the yeast is meant for Pacman-ing your beer then why all the sediment? He transferred to the bottling bucket before bottling, and specified that he clamped the siphoning vile or whatever far from the trub on the bottom. What gives? Thanks again everyone!

So, one of the reasons to rack to secondary is to get the beer to "drop brite" and get less sediment. Another, better way to brite the beer is to leave it in the primary for 4 weeks. The yeast and trub will form a nice, hard cake on the bottom of the fermenter and you can rack the beer to the bottling bucket with no problems and very little sediment. I noticed a major improvement in my beer when I stopped using a secondary for all but a very few of my beers.

Also, don't fear the trub in the fermenter, it does not effect the taste of the beer (unless you drink the trub) and it even acts as yeast food. It's part of the miracle of beer.

muthafuggle said:

Another, better way to brite the beer is to leave it in the primary for 4 weeks. The yeast and trub will form a nice, hard cake on the bottom of the fermenter and you can rack the beer to the bottling bucket with no problems and very little sediment. I noticed a major improvement in my beer when I stopped using a secondary for all but a very few of my beers.

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I find this exact thing, but it may not work if you don't give it the same time. So if I used to do a 10d primary and 2 wk secondary, instead I leave the beer in primary for the whole 3 1/2 wks.

Again, this is not something you have to take anyone's word on. Do a couple batches each way and decide for yourself what works better for you.

I do primary for....4weeks up til 9 or 10 weeks. I really get to it when I get to it. If I don't feel like bottling, I will let it sit until a keg is free.

Hola, ciao, aloha all! So it's almost time for bottling! Tomorrow's the big day. Of course, I have another question: Once bottled, should I leave it at fermentation temperature (74ish degrees), or stick it right in the fridge? And how long should I leave it for before drinking?

The recipe says to keep it at fermentation temp for 2 weeks after bottling and before drinking. Is this necessary? Thanks again!

Yes, the yeast need time to do their work and they won't do that at cold temps. Read this for everything you need to know:

Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. - Home Brew Forums

Pay attention to the part about letting them chill for 48 hrs before drinking, the CO2 needs to dissolve into solution.

Thanks so much Chickypad, you've guided me through my first batch and I truly appreciate it! My brew should be ready just in time for the Super Bowl =) I hope they're yummy, but I'll be ok if they suck, as long as the Pats win!

Glad to be of help.
And your beer will taste awesome, because you made it!

So my beer was "ready" last weekend, and I was a bit unenthused about it. Everyone else seemed to like it but it tasted kinda bland and flat to me. Maybe they were just saying it to be nice. The remainder have been sitting in the fridge since then and DAMN they are delicious this evening! I'm proud of myself. Thanks everyone for you help along the way! =D