Was hoping to rack into secondary today :(

I've had a healthy fermentation for about 3 days now and the airlock is down to about two bubbles per min. I decided to take a hydro reading and it shows 1.012 from 1.048, about 4.73% ABV. I wasn't sure if it was done fermenting because the kit instructions do not say what the FG should be. This is a Midwest Autumn Amber Ale recipe kit.

Midwest is awesome because they have a instant chat feature on their website. I chatted with a representative and he told me to wait an additional 4 or 5 days. The FG should be between 1.009-1.012 before racking into secondary. I guess I have to be patient, with my first brew it is very hard. I want the highest ABV as possible so the wait is probably worth it.

I took a sample taste and I thought....oh my, delicious! The aroma and taste is very good right now. I hope all stays the same, except the FG of course

Don't rush to move to secondary. Once fermentation is over, the yeast are still working for several days cleaning up off flavors. You do not want to remove it from the cake too early.

If it is still bubbling, (you said 2 per minute), then it is not done fermenting yet.

Many people here do not use secondaries. Just leave it for 3 or 4 weeks in Primary and then straight to bottle.

Let it sit for 3 weeks so the yeast can clean up after them self. then bottle no need for secondary for an average ABV beer. once you bottle stick those in a nice 70 degree or so area and let them sit for 3 weeks then pop one in the fridge for at least 24 hours (longer is better) before drinking. your beer will thank you for it.

edit: I type to slow lol

My first brew was the Midwest Autumn Amber and it turned out really good. Mine got down to 1.010. Be patient. It's worth it

Unless you're dryhopping or something, I wouldn't bother with a secondary. Unless you're brewing an extremely high gravity beer which will need a month of fermenting at least (like say a Barley Wine) Just leave it in the primary for 2-3 weeks. That should handle all your issues. Most of the fermenting is done in the first few days but the hard work of finishing the job takes some time. The green apple taste that often is found in a new beer is associated with the yeast not being done it's work yet. Give it 3 weeks if you are patient, at least 2 if you aren't (I'm impatient I've done just under 2 weeks but I took hyrometer readings and wasn't racking to secondary just looking for the yeast to stop working)

My kit came with a carboy, bottling bucket, and primary fermenter. I would like to make use of all my new equipment. I'll probably rack this time into secondary and let it sit for two weeks. After that I will determine whether to use a secondary or not. I trust all of you guys for sure, I just want to make use of the equipment. Perhaps I can use the carboy as a primary but it is only 5 gal.

save the carboy to secondary that big belgian you want to brew. If you just have to secondary this one, then give it 2 weeks first, then 2 in secondary 3 weeks in bottle. Your beer will thank you for it

I started out with that same basic kit. I don't use the 5 gallon for secondary anymore. I'll use it if I do certain slightly smaller batches. I've also used it to create a giant starter for 10 gallons of lager. I've found, like most here, that the secondary is not necessary and can be a source of contamination.

But, if you're anything like me, I'd be willing to bet that you'll want to experiment with using secondary and not using secondary yourself. Just have patience during each stage. Maybe leave it alone for a few days longer than you want to...

I know secondary is considered old school for most beers, but why do homebrew stores still promote the secondary concept?

Because its another piece of equipment you have to buy from them. Meaning more $ for them.

heyblinkin said:

Because its another piece of equipment you have to buy from them. Meaning more $ for them.

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Figures....

heyblinkin said:

Because its another piece of equipment you have to buy from them. Meaning more $ for them.

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No truer words were spoken.

Secondary is something that is needed if you're brewing higher ABV beers (seriously wouldn't want to leave a beer in plastic for too long) or if you want to dry hop something for a long time. Other things you can do in a secondary that are awesome is include wood for an oak or spruce flavor, and so on so forth. Secondaries have their use, and I know people who only ferment in carboys.

hoppyhoppyhippo said:

No truer words were spoken.

Secondary is something that is needed if you're brewing higher ABV beers (seriously wouldn't want to leave a beer in plastic for too long) or if you want to dry hop something for a long time. Other things you can do in a secondary that are awesome is include wood for an oak or spruce flavor, and so on so forth. Secondaries have their use, and I know people who only ferment in carboys.

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I think eventually I will use my 5 gal glass carboy for primary fermentation. The stopper it came with looks like it was made to use a blow off tube as an option rather than an airlock.

BansheeRider said:

I think eventually I will use my 5 gal glass carboy for primary fermentation. The stopper it came with looks like it was made to use a blow off tube as an option rather than an airlock.

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Use it for a 4-4.5 gallon batch of something.

hoppyhoppyhippo said:

No truer words were spoken.

Secondary is something that is needed if you're brewing higher ABV beers (seriously wouldn't want to leave a beer in plastic for too long) or if you want to dry hop something for a long time. Other things you can do in a secondary that are awesome is include wood for an oak or spruce flavor, and so on so forth. Secondaries have their use, and I know people who only ferment in carboys.

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Not really and you contradicted yourself, there is a need for carboys as secondary but it might not be something you use for every beer you brew.

As you mentioned, oaking, fruit, bulk conditioning and some prefer dry hop as well.

In certain situations it is ideal for clarifying the beer as well and also for the simple need of freeing up a primary although I just get more buckets!

I used mine as primary for my second beer. 2 days later I read about eruptions and raced downstairs to check on it. I was lucky and it never blew though I had to clean the airlock once. I later learned about blowoff tubes

grem135 said:

I used mine as primary for my second beer. 2 days later I read about eruptions and raced downstairs to check on it. I was lucky and it never blew though I had to clean the airlock once. I later learned about blowoff tubes

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How much beer did you make?

Hey guys my airlock is not bubbling anymore. Before I opened it to take a hydro reading it would bubble twice per min. Temp is 66-68 right now. Why did the airlock stop after I opened the bucket?

BansheeRider said:

How much beer did you make?

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it was a 5 gallon batch but..... I think i was about a half gallon short. it was my second batch and I had not found HBT until it was in the carboy

BansheeRider said:

I know secondary is considered old school for most beers, but why do homebrew stores still promote the secondary concept?

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to get rid of their supply of carboys

BansheeRider said:

Hey guys my airlock is not bubbling anymore. Before I opened it to take a hydro reading it would bubble twice per min. Temp is 66-68 right now. Why did the airlock stop after I opened the bucket?

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you released the pressure that had built up, so far, when you opened the lid.

don't worry about it... just relax... it's ok.

just leave the lid on, and the airlock in, for a few days

BansheeRider said:

I just want to make use of the equipment. Perhaps I can use the carboy as a primary but it is only 5 gal.

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They make good dust collectors . I rarely use mine anymore. Only time I use them now is if I want to age something for a bit and I don't have any empty kegs. Secondary's not a bad thing though, just more work. It does clear the beer better IMO than leaving in primary.

dadshomebrewing said:

you released the pressure that had built up, so far, when you opened the lid.

don't worry about it... just relax... it's ok.

just leave the lid on, and the airlock in, for a few days

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Ok thanks! I just wanted to make sure, however I had a feeling that would be the case.

BBL_Brewer said:

They make good dust collectors . I rarely use mine anymore. Only time I use them now is if I want to age something for a bit and I don't have any empty kegs. Secondary's not a bad thing though, just more work. It does clear the beer better IMO than leaving in primary.

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I also read that leaving your beer on dead yeast isn't that good, and thats wjy most people transfer to secondary.

BansheeRider said:

I also read that leaving your beer on dead yeast isn't that good, and thats wjy most people transfer to secondary.

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Yeah, that's old school thought though. It doesn't have an impact on flavor. If you left it like that for a very long time it might develop some off flavors, but certainly not in 3-4 weeks which is the normal time line we're taling about here. I cut my teeth on Palmer's How to Brew and thought the same thing for a while. Just not the case.

Edit

I've got five buckets full of ale that are coming up on 5 weeks in primary at the moment and I'm not the least bit concerned about it. I need to get off my lazy butt and keg em up though.

BBL_Brewer said:

Yeah, that's old school thought though. It doesn't have an impact on flavor. If you left it like that for a very long time it might develop some off flavors, but certainly not in 3-4 weeks which is the normal time line we're taling about here. I cut my teeth on Palmer's How to Brew and thought the same thing for a while. Just not the case.

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Do you bottle straight from the primary? How do you prime your bottles?

BansheeRider said:

Do you bottle straight from the primary? How do you prime your bottles?

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Use a bottling bucket. Pour your sanitized priming solution in the bucket and then rack the beer on top. This will mix in the sugar. Then bottle from the spigot. Did your kit come with a botting bucket and bottle filler?

No you can but then U would have to prime each individual bottle. Get a bottling bucket with a spigot at the bottom and attach a bottling wand. Boil water and pour ur priming sugar in the boiling water. Let it cool an then pour it carefully into the empty bottling bucket. Next siphon ur beer on top of the priming sugar and it will mix itself into the beer. Then just bottle using the bottling wand. As for priming sugar to beer ratio a baseline is somewhere near 1 oz per gallon but u can go online and find priming calculators pretty easy.

BBL_Brewer said:

Use a bottling bucket. Pour your sanitized priming solution in the bucket and then rack the beer on top. This will mix in the sugar. Then bottle from the spigot. Did your kit come with a botting bucket and bottle filler?

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Yeah my kit came with everything I need. I can't wait to batch prime because that means I'm closer to consuming my beer :rockin: