Newbie racking question: Timing

I have a batch of Amber ale fermenting since Sunday (its now Wednesday evening) - activity has slowed down quite a bit. OG was about 1.044.

Do I expect fermentation to be tapering off this soon?

Is it possible to rack to the secondary too soon?

I am anxious to rack to the secondary, as I'd like to get one more batch started this weekend. I will be traveling for a couple of weeks, and would love to think I could get an ipa cooked this weekend and racked to the secondary next. Is that realistic?

david58 said:

Do I expect fermentation to be tapering off this soon?

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It's definitely possible. Beers can ferment in just a couple of days, especially if they are at warmer temps. But, just because it has stopped bubbling and the gravity has stabilized, it doesn't mean that the beer is "done". More below...

david58 said:

Is it possible to rack to the secondary too soon?

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Absolutely. Yeast produce some byproducts at the beginning of the process and then go back and clean those things up at the end of the process. If you rack too soon, the clean-up can end up being incomplete and you could be left with off flavors in the beer.

david58 said:

I am anxious to rack to the secondary, as I'd like to get one more batch started this weekend. I will be traveling for a couple of weeks, and would love to think I could get an ipa cooked this weekend and racked to the secondary next. Is that realistic?

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I wouldn't try it. You really want to leave a beer in primary for at least two weeks before racking, IMO.

edit: now you can see why lots of us have multiple fermenters...

david58 said:

Do I expect fermentation to be tapering off this soon?

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It's not done fermenting - bubbles in the airlock signify nothing, gravity is everything. Sanitize that turkey baster and take a reading if patience is not one of your virtues (It's def not one of mine )

Is it possible to rack to the secondary too soon?

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Yes. What happens if you rack too soon? If primary fermentation isn't finished, the small amount of yeast that gets racked to secondary might struggle to finish fermention, and give some off flavours due to stress.[/QUOTE]

I am anxious to rack to the secondary, as I'd like to get one more batch started this weekend. I will be traveling for a couple of weeks, and would love to think I could get an ipa cooked this weekend and racked to the secondary next. Is that realistic?

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Yes it is. Time cures all mistakes, so if you do rack your first batch "too early" (if indeed it is too early, check gravity), leaving it in secondary for a lot longer than planned may fix most of the problems caused by the early racking.
You'll prob get a lot of responses that are aimed at improving your first batch, but throughput needs to be accounted for. Would you rather have one perfect batch, or two great batches that took a while longer than planned?

Disclaimer: I have no idea what Im tolkien about.

argh so close

for the record I agree with the first reply. It comes down to risk versus reward. Make your choice and let us know your results.

So, I will just plan to leave my beer in the primary for another 10 days, rack, and then clean up the primary and brew the next batch. That will have given me two weeks for the Amber in the primary.

The ipa will get a full 14 days in the primary, since I'll be gone just about that long. That's probably good since it'll be a much higher gravity beer (aiming for 1.06+, the Amber was just 1.044).

At the end of the two weeks, I should be able to bottle the Amber, clean the secondary, and rack the ipa to it. Then I'll give the ipa a couple of weeks in the secondary and then put it in the bottles.

I am definitely going to have to work on this pipeline thing. At least my two weeks on the road keeps me from drinking up my triple hopped ale (my first brew that seems to have turned out right, in spite of my many errors).

Is it possible to like beer too much? Hmmm, I have heard of those meetings, maybe I shouldn't like it too much or I might have to go.....

+1 to pipelines. I am on a 2-week pace. I'll brew a batch, and while mashing or boiling that one, I'll rack the beer I made two weeks ago into the secondary rack the beer I made 4 weeks ago into the keg, all while drinking the freshly tapped keg of beer I made 6 weeks ago or the nearly empty keg I made 8 weeks ago.

david58 said:

Is it possible to like beer too much? Hmmm, I have heard of those meetings, maybe I shouldn't like it too much or I might have to go.....

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No, it's not possible. And don't worry about attending your local homebrewers' meeting, they aren't as bad as you imagine.

that's what your talking about, right? OK.

DaveMcPhee said:

No, it's not possible. And don't worry about attending your local homebrewers' meeting, they aren't as bad as you imagine.

that's what your talking about, right? OK.

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Homebrew club sounds like a better kind of meeting

Sounds like its time to go get a bucket from your LHBS for a few bucks and problem solved.
The added benefit is that you will have another fermentor(and that can't be too bad):cross: