Secondary Fermentation Question

First time brewer here working on a simple amber ale. First step of the fermentation went great. I had the beer in the bucket for three days and the hydrometer reading dropped by half from the original 1.042 so I switched it over to the carboy as instructed. My ale has now been in the carboy for 10 days and the reading is at a 1.018 which is slightly above the suggested 1.008-1.012 range. I thus transfered the brew back into my newly sanitized bucket hopefully to stir up some yeast to ferment it a bit more. Was this a smart thing to do? Should I just bottle it at 1.018? What did I do wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I would not have transfered back into another bucket. After 14 days you can put the beer in bottles. I suggest leaving them be for at least another two weeks if you can stand it. Well, if its your first time... try a couple 2-3 days after you bottle. They should have carbonated to some degree by then and you'll be able to taste the difference between green beer and properly aged beer. Thats half the fun come to think of it. I've been brewing the same stuff for a while now so I know my beer tastes MUCH better after a month.

Ok so you think it would be ok to bottle it at 1.018? I was planning on letting the the ale condition in the bottles for 2 weeks before drinking just as you mentioned. Also when i transfer the beer from the bucket to the bottles I am assuming I want to leave the yeast settled at the bottom and not stir it up before syphoning correct?

It'll be OK.

Next time, don't be in such a hurry to rack to secondary. Really all of the fermentation takes place in the primary. The purpose of the secondary is mainly to allow the beer to clear by getting it off all the dead yeast cells and trub in the bottom of the primary. But ideally you're at or very near your target final gravity when you rack to secondary.

It never hurts to wait...it *is* possible to leave a beer in primary too long and get some ill effects of the spent yeast cells, but we're talking months, not weeks, for that to be an issue.

I would have given it a bit more time in the primary (7 days at a minimum even if all activity has stopped). Other than that you sound good to go; if the hydro reading don't change over consecutive days, bottle bombs shouldn't be a huge concern.

IDK about that, there is still yeast in the beer even after it looks completely clear in the primary. The yeast will continue to eat the fermentable sugars, which is why you get a small yeast cake after a week or to in a secondary. Fermentation can continue even after that in bottles, which is partially why you get a small yeast cake in the bottles (also caused by priming sugar). Just cause you take the beer off the cake doesn't mean it will magically stop fermenting.

sirsloop said:

IDK about that, there is still yeast in the beer even after it looks completely clear in the primary. The yeast will continue to eat the fermentable sugars, which is why you get a small yeast cake after a week or to in a secondary. Fermentation can continue even after that in bottles, which is partially why you get a small yeast cake in the bottles (also caused by priming sugar). Just cause you take the beer off the cake doesn't mean it will magically stop fermenting.

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The yeast is done fermenting when it has consumed all of the fermentable sugars. Ideally, this happens entirely or almost entirely in the primary.

Even a beer that is fully fermented in the primary will leave a trub/yeast cake at the bottom of the secondary--that's the whole point of the secondary...to give it time to drop those yeast cells and trub in the carboy instead of in the bottle.

Fermentation does take place in bottle-conditioned bottles, because the yeast have been supplied with additional food (sugars).

hi.

Not posted for a bit, but this primary - secondary thing has got me all confused. I've done quite a few extract kits, but have just gone from primary to bottle. they have all turned out well. But I have just done another extract kit, which even though had finished at an FG of 1.006, was quite cloudy, so I have put it into a secondary for a couple of weeks. Am I right in thinking that after a couple of weeks in secondary, it this cloudiness may clear, while leaving trub on the bottom, yet will still carbonate after priming in the bottles? no doubt I'll find out in a few weeks time, but just thought I'd ask!

Thanks

mikeyt said:

hi.

Not posted for a bit, but this primary - secondary thing has got me all confused. I've done quite a few extract kits, but have just gone from primary to bottle. they have all turned out well. But I have just done another extract kit, which even though had finished at an FG of 1.006, was quite cloudy, so I have put it into a secondary for a couple of weeks. Am I right in thinking that after a couple of weeks in secondary, it this cloudiness may clear, while leaving trub on the bottom, yet will still carbonate after priming in the bottles? no doubt I'll find out in a few weeks time, but just thought I'd ask!

Thanks

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Correct. Cloudiness is not determined by gravity, it is determined by the amount of yeast cells, starches, and other stuff suspended in the beer. Your beer may or may not clear completely, but it will definitely be clearer after 2-3 weeks of secondary that it was when it went in. And there'll still be enough yeast cells in suspension to carnbonate the bottles.