My first brew is fermenting! Got a quick question!

Hello All,

I am brewing my first batch of beer. I did an Irish Red Ale. It is in the primary with the air lock bubbling away! I am going to use a secondary (yea I know theres no need). How long should I leave it in the primary,secondary, and is there a need to let them condition in the bottles at room temp. before going into the fridge? This is what I'm thinking. Two weeks in primary, two weeks in secondary and two weeks in the fridge. Does this sound right?

Thanks,
Jason

Before you move to secondary make sure your beer is finished fermenting by taking a couple hydrometer samples over a couple of days and making sure they are the same. 2 weeks should be plenty of time for most brews to ferment down to final gravity. You should let them sit in a warm place for around 3 weeks after you bottle. Of course since it's your first brew your gonna cheat and try one after a week...it's perfectly normal. Just realize it will get better over the bottle conditioning time. When I bottle I only put a couple in the fridge at a time. Maybe keep a rotation of six, for each one you take out...add one.

Well you'll hear this a lot...don't transfer your beer until you check your gravity and make sure it's at a steady number. There is no timeframe with beer. You don't want to transfer to your secondary when the beer is still fermenting, that defeats the purpose of a secondary. You definitely need to make sure it's done fermenting by the time it goes into bottles, to prevent bottle bombs. Let the bottles conditioning at room temp for two weeks and then test it after chilling in the fridge over night. If it is the right amount of carbonation for you, you can put a few, or all of them in the fridge. If not, give it another week and try another beer.

So how long should I wait before I start doing gravity tests to see if its done fermenting?

How long should I leave it in the primary,secondary, and is there a need to let them condition in the bottles at room temp. before going into the fridge? This is what I'm thinking. Two weeks in primary, two weeks in secondary and two weeks in the fridge.

Click to expand...

How about 4 weeks in the primary, half an hour in secondary and then bottle. Leave the bottles in a warm location to carb for maybe a week and then start refrigerating them.

RM-MN said:

Leave the bottles in a warm location to carb for maybe a week and then start refrigerating them.

Click to expand...

You really should leave your beers to carb/condition at least three weeks at ~70*F....

Sometimes it takes longer...

Why take all of that precious time in the primary/secondary only to rush through the carbing/conditioning phase?

New homebrewers motto = "The last beer of the batch was my best; I wonder why?"