Going out of town during ferment. Move to secondary early?

Okay I have a little bit of a dilemma. I have to go out of town unexpectedly and will be gone about the time the fermentation should be petering down. By this coming Sunday (I leave on Monday), my pale ale will have been in the primary for 7 days.

Should I rack to a secondary before I leave or should I just leave it in the primary and not worry about it until I come back. By the time I get back it will have been 15 days since the start of fermentation?

Thanks,

Dukester

Don't touch it! 7 days is too early to move out of primary anyway. Leave it alone, rack to secondary when you get back.

Just leave it! I left my pale ale in primary for a month, and it doesn't hurt a thing, and in fact, will probably benefit your beer. Have a good trip!

Just leave it. It will be fine. Lot's of brewers here don't even use a secondary.

More time in the fermenter can only help.

You could rack it also. You don't have to but I would just to get it out of the way. By the time you get back you'll have a nice clean empty primary waiting for some action. 7 days with little or no activity is definitely not too early to rack, that's pretty much when I rack. I've got an IPA that's been in the primary 6 days and I'm dropping it tonite....It's up to you, either way it'll be fine.

TeleTwanger said:

You could rack it also. You don't have to but I would just to get it out of the way. By the time you get back you'll have a nice clean empty primary waiting for some action. 7 days with little or no activity is definitely not too early to rack, that's pretty much when I rack. I've got an IPA that's been in the primary 6 days and I'm dropping it tonite....It's up to you, either way it'll be fine.

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I'd think that more time is better. Best to not push it. Most of us don't even secondary anymore. A few weeks in primary never hurt anything.

Leave it, leave it, leave it. All my beers stay in the primary for 3 weeks, you will not regret it. Every n00b should go on a vacation 7 days after fermentation has started, life would be so much simpler.

6-7 days is too early. Listen to these guys and wait, you will be thankful when the beer is done. If possible, back to back brew several batches so you can drink while others are aging. From start to end a 3 month old beer will taste far better than a 3 week beer.

Just leave it there. Thanks to HBT, I've learned to be patient and leave all my beers 3 or 4 weeks primary and then keg.

No...leave it in the primary. it will be fine. 7 days is to earlier anyway

Let it sit. It can't do anything but help for that short of a time.

Thanks for all the tips guys.

One more question. While running around in swim shorts and flip flops in Mexico, it will be getting colder here in PDX. Naturally we will turn just about everything off while we are gone, including the heat. I have it in a pantry with a space heater set at 68°F and and a bath towel wrapped around the carboy. Think that will keep the temp stable while I'm gone? I'm thinking it will, but just looking for second opinions.

Dukester said:

Thanks for all the tips guys.

One more question. While running around in swim shorts and flip flops in Mexico, it will be getting colder here in PDX. Naturally we will turn just about everything off while we are gone, including the heat. I have it in a pantry with a space heater set at 68°F and and a bath towel wrapped around the carboy. Think that will keep the temp stable while I'm gone? I'm thinking it will, but just looking for second opinions.

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68f should be good.

I wouldn't leave a space heater on while out of the house unless it is the oil filled fin type. Regular space heaters cause fires, and then yes, your beer will be ruined.