Boiling Hops

So I have a question about the process of boiling hops. I did my first batch a couple weeks ago and it is fermenting right now. It was my first batch ever so I just used a beer brewing extract kit. In the kit it told me to brew the bittering hops for 40 minutes and then brew the flavoring hops and spice pack for 15 minutes. Anyways, when I was doing it the instruction made it seem like I should boil the bittering hops for forty minutes (take them out) and then boil the flavoring hops for 15 minutes and (take them out). I followed all of the other instructions carefully and know that I did everything else right. After doing a lot more reading and searching around I feel like I did it wrong. Aren't you suppose to keep the bittering hops in the additional 15 minutes with the flavoring hops? What will this do to the end product of my beer if I did not boil it the correct amount of time? Thank you for the help and hope to get some advice from somebody.

Also I have one more question. I have probably heard a million different explanations to whether or not you should put your beer in a secondary fermentation. Some people tell me it is not necessary and others say it really makes a difference. Who has some advice on this topic? Also if you were to secondary ferment should I put my wort into a plastic bucket for primary fermentation and then to a glass carboy for secondary. Or should I do it the other way around, and why? Thank you again and I really hope someone can give me some advice.

Garrett

You didn't get all the bittering qualities that you could have by removing the hops. You should just leave them in. Your beer will still be beer, just not quite as bitter.

You will probably want to use a 'secondary' just to move your beer and open your Primary bucket for the next batch. You don't need to use one but if you do, you can brew another batch sooner.

1st addition = 60 minutes total

What I think they meant is to put the first addition in, wait forty minutes, then add the rest. If you took out the first addition, your beer will be a bit less bitter but no big deal, it will be fine.

Don't bother with a secondary, just leave your batch in the primary for at least 3 weeks. Do a search on here about it to get the reasoning.

You should only transfer to a secondary fermenter if you're going to actually ferment something else (sugar, fruit, honey, syrups) or if you're going to be bulk aging for more than 6-8 weeks.

Thanks for all the comments guys. What I seem to be getting is that the only reason to secondary ferment is either if it is an extremely high gravity beer, I need to ferment something else, or the advantage of brewing two different beers at once. Also as for the hops, I figured that I was supposed to leave them in with the rest of the hops that I add. But I guess you learn from mistakes you make. Thanks again.

gdenmark said:

Thanks for all the comments guys. What I seem to be getting is that the only reason to secondary ferment is either if it is an extremely high gravity beer, I need to ferment something else, or the advantage of brewing two different beers at once. Also as for the hops, I figured that I was supposed to leave them in with the rest of the hops that I add. But I guess you learn from mistakes you make. Thanks again.

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You got it.

If you want to be crazy, you can dry hop the beer in the secondary if you want more hop characteristics. But unless you plan on doing that or brewing another batch you can just leave the beer where it is.

you can use your secondary to condition, but as far as fermentation...most of it will will be over by then

Bass0721 said:

you can use your secondary to condition, but as far as fermentation...most of it will will be over by then

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What is conditioning?

Yeast eats sugars and produces alcohol and CO2 as the product, that is if sugar is the only thing. For making beer we have much more in the bucket than just sugar water and the yeast reacts to these by producing other byproducts, things like esters and phenols that affect how the beer tastes. When you bottle your beer, there is still yeast in there and they continue to work on the esters and phenols, eating them if you will because the sugar is all gone. This continued working in called conditioning and the flavor of the beer changes as it happens. Try a beer that has only been bottled for 3 days. Usually pretty awful. Try again in 2 weeks and you notice a change. Try a month later and it's a different tasting beer. That's the effect of conditioning.

Building off of what RM-MN said most people just leave their beer on the yeast cake/primary for three weeks instead of racking to a secondary. This generally helps with removing all of those off flavors and saves people from having to rack to the secondary.
This can also be done while bottle conditioning. The longer you wait for your beer to carbonate and condition in bottles the better the beer will come out.
Here is a good resource from the man himself, John Palmer: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter8-5.html

you guys gave great descriptions of conditioning !!!!

I have a 15 gal conical so when I condition my stuff, mostly it's to fine it and crash the temp down to get that lovely appreance. little bit of gelatin goes along way....