How long to ferment high OG brew?

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earwig

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I brewed an Imperial Irish Red Ale with an O.G. of 1.074. As long as fermentation is completed after 3 weeks will it be OK to bottle? I keep finding posts from people who recommend aging a higher OG beer like this secondary... but then I find posts from people who say they never secondary, even with stronger brews... Anyway, thanks as always.
 
I brewed an Imperial Irish Red Ale with an O.G. of 1.074. As long as fermentation is completed after 3 weeks will it be OK to bottle? I keep finding posts from people who recommend aging a higher OG beer like this secondary... but then I find posts from people who say they never secondary, even with stronger brews... Anyway, thanks as always.

As long as fermentation is complete it's ok to bottle. You can bulk age in the secondary or bottle age. It's really personal preference.
 
That beer will need some time to condition. Do you have a vessel for secondary? Personally, I'm inclined to let beers I know need aging to sit in a secondary, so I'm not tempted to keep sneaking bottles to see if it's done.

If not, I've heard that six weeks is about the maximum to sit in a primary.
 
I do not have a secondary right now... well, I do, but it is a 6 gallon better bottle and that is what I am using for the primary on this one :D I guess I'll leave it in the primary for 4 weeks total and then bottle condition for a few weeks.

Thanks for the replies. If anyone else has an opinion... keep them coming.
 
Haha. I didn't use a secondary for a long time. Anyway, IMO, you may as well just leave it there for the 4 weeks then condition it for another 3. It will be worth the wait!
 
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