Fermentation in Primary

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Hey guys just got done with my 1st ever real batch of beer. Done a few batches with mr. Beer, I now have the primary and secondary buckets and used a brewers best kit for an english brown ale. my question is how long do you leave in the primary before racking the beer into the secondary?

Also when I pitched the yeast it was still about 80F, will that ruin it?
 
80 degrees is warm, but it won't hurt the yeast.

I am an adocate of secondaries, but do note that you do not HAVE to secondary. You can rack right to your bottling bucket from primary once the beer is done.

If I were you, I'd wait at least 2-3 weeks. However, your fermentaton will likely be done well before this. To be sure, take a hydrometer reading, wait two days, take another. If the numbers match, it is safe to bottle.

Many advocate leaving the beer a bit beyond the "it's finished" point to allow it to mellow and let the yeast reduce off flavors (thus my 2-3 week advice above), but this is a personal decision.

Do try to control your temperatures if you can; keep that beer in the mid sixties if possible. Note that ambient temp will be 5-10 degrees cooler than actively fermenting beer (i.e. the "bubbly" stage).
 
Ouf, pitching at 80 degrees is a little high but I wouldn't call it disastrous... Have you noticed the beer start to ferment yet?

Racking into the secondary is supposedly not a "must", a lot of people actually advise against it but if you really want to rack into the secondary to "clear" up your beer, you should probably wait until fermentation has come to a standstill (the same hydrometer reading over 2 days should be a good indicator). After this point there is only minimal fermentation going on. I'd suggest leaving it in the primary for at least 2 weeks and then racking for a few days before you bottle but I suppose it's all personal preference...
 
after the primary fermentation is done. roughly 4-7 days. the best way to know is by getting the same Final Gravity reading over a period of three days. Then rack to secondary (if you want). Secondary serves its purpose best as a clarifier* or for adding of fruits or dry hopping and so on. if having a clear beer is what your after its a good idea. But keep in mind that moving the beer to another vessel increases your chance of infection. i would leave a brown in primary a few weeks then bottle. Have fun with your new and inevitable addiction.
 
Hey guys thanks for all the feedback!

So I guess when you are ready to rack the beer to the secondary there is really no more fermentation process? The secondary is really just to filter and get a more clearer beer? You let this stay in the secondary a couple days, then bottle and let set for a couple more weeks before refrigeration? Is there a certain amount of time for secondary and for bottling?
 
Hey guys thanks for all the feedback!

So I guess when you are ready to rack the beer to the secondary there is really no more fermentation process? The secondary is really just to filter and get a more clearer beer? You let this stay in the secondary a couple days, then bottle and let set for a couple more weeks before refrigeration? Is there a certain amount of time for secondary and for bottling?
 
I usually let it ride a week or so depends on the beer. Its also an ageing time.
 
I don't use a "secondary" for any of my ales (which is all I'm brewing). I will rack to AGE on something like oak for x weeks. But that's not until fermentatikn has finished and the brew is ready for next steps.

I would advise against using a secondary except for those times when it really does make sense. To do it as something for everything, IMO, is not wise.

Also, the boogie-men that people aee afraid of (that effect big breweries) simlly don't exist on the homebrew scale. I also get super clear brews without racking to secondary. I do use highly flocculating yeast (or better) so it settles into a nice cake in the fermenter.

For time frame, ignore the amount listed on instructions. Let the yeast have the amount of time needed to do what it can. Also, just because it's done fermenting does NOT mean its ready for bottle/keg. With fermenting as warm/hot as you are/did you'll probably need to give it more time to remove off flavors or get it to mellow.the manufacturers of yeast list a temperature range fkr a reason. If you're not able to chill the wort that far before pitching setup either a swamp cooler or make a fermentation chamber to reduce its temp and stabilize it. You'll get far better brew, far faster with good/better temperature control.
 
I have done secondary and no secondary (which is what the cool kids all do these days).

I will personally never skip secondary again after picking up a ton of trub into my bottling buket - even though I was very careful. This ended up costing me five entire bottles worth of Belgian blonde ale.

I always secondary for at least a week, longer, if the style calls for aging.

Your mileage may vary.
 
Using a clearing vessel ("secondary") is fine if you want to- but don't use a bucket for this. If you are racking, you'll want to use a carboy instead of a bucket for aging and/or the clearing vessel. Once fermentation has ended, and the beer is no longer producing c02 to protect it, the wide headspace of a bucket can allow oxygen to harm the beer. Even if the beer isn't oxidized by this, it can allow a greater risk of mold and/or infection. If you feel you must rack to a clearing vessel (called a bright tank in breweries), then I'd suggest a carboy only.
 
homebrewdad said:
I have done secondary and no secondary (which is what the cool kids all do these days).

I will personally never skip secondary again after picking up a ton of trub into my bottling buket - even though I was very careful. This ended up costing me five entire bottles worth of Belgian blonde ale.

I always secondary for at least a week, longer, if the style calls for aging.

Your mileage may vary.
Click to expand...

I'm curious - if you're getting trub in your bottling bucket from not going to secondary, how are you not getting the same trub in your secondary?
 
Golddiggie said:
I don't use a "secondary" for any of my ales (which is all I'm brewing). I will rack to AGE on something like oak for x weeks. But that's not until fermentatikn has finished and the brew is ready for next steps.

I would advise against using a secondary except for those times when it really does make sense. To do it as something for everything, IMO, is not wise.

Also, the boogie-men that people aee afraid of (that effect big breweries) simlly don't exist on the homebrew scale. I also get super clear brews without racking to secondary. I do use highly flocculating yeast (or better) so it settles into a nice cake in the fermenter.

For time frame, ignore the amount listed on instructions. Let the yeast have the amount of time needed to do what it can. Also, just because it's done fermenting does NOT mean its ready for bottle/keg. With fermenting as warm/hot as you are/did you'll probably need to give it more time to remove off flavors or get it to mellow.the manufacturers of yeast list a temperature range fkr a reason. If you're not able to chill the wort that far before pitching setup either a swamp cooler or make a fermentation chamber to reduce its temp and stabilize it. You'll get far better brew, far faster with good/better temperature control.
Click to expand...

I agree with Golddiggie. Once I started letting my primaries and secondaries sit longer, my beers started getting better. When I did away with the secondary altogether my beers got even better. Don't be afraid to let it go for several weeks before bottling - 3 weeks at the very least; 4-5 weeks is even better, especially with hoppier beers. Temp control is key.
 
I have gone both routes with good results. I've got my first lager in the primary and would have to modify the fridge I'm using. I want to just stay in the primary. Thoughts?
 

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