How long should I ferment? (OG 1.061)

Hi all, I've been reading the endless wisdom on these forums for a while now, but never posted...till now.

I generally make hefes but decided I'd play around and go for an ale with a little kick to it. The OG of my 5gallon batch was 1.061. Not familiar with brewing anything more than 5% alcohol, how long would you pros out there recommend I ferment this bad boy? I'm using White Labs California yeast.

Should I let it sit in the secondary for a few weeks? Does it need more time since the alcohol content is higher?

Thank you all in advance,

Franzi(skaner)

After about 2 weeks in primary, start taking gravity readings. Once you get the same gravity readings for 3-4 consecutive days, you are ready to transfer to secondary or bottle... Thats how I do it...

Usually, I go by the 10 day rule.

10 days in primary, 10 days in secondary, keg/bottle.

This is of course if you are sure you had a vigorous primary fermentation.

Other factors can come into play, like a slow ferment (if you used honey, for example), or if you used a high flocculating yeast (you may have to swirl the fermenter after a couple of days to get the yeast back into suspension).

Everyone has their own method, but I'd say the hydrometer is the best (maybe only) true way to check your fermentation. I personally haven't made a beer that high in alcohol content yet, and I do fine with the 1-2-3 method that many use on HBT. That is 1 week in primary, 2 in secondary, and 3 in bottles conditioning. However, note that the secondary vessel is better known as a clearing vessel rather than a fermenter per se. The primary fermentation takes place in vessel one with all of the yeast and trub and such. Once you rack it off of the vast majority of the yeast into the secondary, you want to be sure that fermentation is finished or nearly there. That's true with most beers I believe.

John Palmer (author of how to brew see www.howtobrew.com) is now recommending that we don't use secondary and instead use a longer primary fermentation and then go right to the bottle or keg. He says that the secondary does nothing to help clear the beer and the only reason to get it off the yeast cake is when you have high alcohol or strong beers that need to age for a long time in a carboy, in that case he recommends getting it off the yeast cake after a month or so.

In my case I am now going to 4 weeks for ale's in primary and 6 weeks for lagers and I am going right to keg. Anything I can do to reduce the exposure to oxygen.

Linc

Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate it a lot.

I thought however that yeast could introduce off flavors in the brew if left in the primary for too long a time. Then again, how is too long defined?

I think I'll shoot for the 1-2-3 approach this time around, but will start taking hydrometer readings a few days before the end of secondary fermentation.

I'd take the SG readings at the end of primary because it should be at FG before you rack it to the clearing tank. I'd leave it at least 10 days in primary, then take sucessive SG readings until I was sure it was done. Then rack it and leave it as long as you want.

I don't think anyone can define too long for primary- until it has been too long and you have off flavors, but I don't think many (if any) of us have actually experienced it.

+1 for hydrometer readings before finishing the primary. if you take it off the yeast cake too early you risk having an incomplete fermentation. that could leave you with sweet beer. fermentation should take place in the primary. the secondary is a clearing and conditioning tank only.

My main concern is taking the lid off the primary bucket every day for readings. That won't put me at risk of oxidation/contamination?

Franzi said:

My main concern is taking the lid off the primary bucket every day for readings. That won't put me at risk of oxidation/contamination?

Click to expand...

Take readings 2 days in a row. If they are the same - rack to the secondary. If not put the lid on and leave it another week. Then repeat the 2 day readings and move to the secondary.

2 main rules:

When in doubt let it set anonther week
The hydrometer is your friend.

The record here that we know of is six weeks in primary on the yeast cake with no off flavors. And that was in plastic.

I used to do 1-2-3. Now I just leave everything on the yeast in primary for three weeks before I muck with it at all. After the vigorous ferment is over the yeast go back and clean up- but only if you leave the beer on the yeast.

For a session beer under 1.060 I'll do 3 weeks inpriamry, and then bottle. For a keeper over 1.060 (like the 888 RIS) I will do three weeks in primary and then rack to secondary for a good long time. Like two months.

Keep brewing. The more beer you have in your pipeline the easier it is to be patient.