Does your primary length depend on what yeast you're using?

Or is it pretty standard, just for consistency?
I don't use secondaries anymore and I've got a stout on 1968 that seems like it's pretty well fermented and cleaned itself up after 8 days. I'm going to leave it for at least another week, but I'm wondering if I don't need to do a full month?

Primary length should really only depend on how long it takes to reach FG. If you pitch the proper amount of healthy yeast, properly oxygenate your wort, and manage your fermenter temps, there's no reason to go more than a day or three beyond when FG is reached. Neglect all those aforementioned items and you'll likely experience lower/slower than expected attenuation and/or undesirable off-flavors that may age out with a longer primary. Do it right and you can usually be finished with primary in a week or two.

Length of time depends on yeast and temp. I usually let it go for 7 to 10 days and then take gravity reading. Then wait a few more days and take another. If gravity has not changed it's done. If different I let it go a few more days until stable.


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after 10 days i cold crash then keg. if i dry hop then i will let it go 14 days. i dont see the need to keep it in the primary for so long like some people do. if you pitch a good amount of yeast, aerate well, and have good control over fermentation temps, it should be done within a week.

My exp with 1968 was that it fermented very fast but attenuation was slightly on the low side. if its done you could cold crash now and keg or bottle in a few days. i dont see the need to give it more time. Have you tried a sample of it yet? that will help you indicate if you should give it more time or not.

j1n said:

after 10 days i cold crash then keg. if i dry hop then i will let it go 14 days. i dont see the need to keep it in the primary for so long like some people do. if you pitch a good amount of yeast, aerate well, and have good control over fermentation temps, it should be done within a week.

My exp with 1968 was that it fermented very fast but attenuation was slightly on the low side. if its done you could cold crash now and keg or bottle in a few days. i dont see the need to give it more time. Have you tried a sample of it yet? that will help you indicate if you should give it more time or not.

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I took a gravity reading at 4 days and it was pretty close to FG but lots of diacetyl so I did a rest. Sampled last night, diacetyl had dropped out and the gravity hadn't changed much.

tekhna said:

Or is it pretty standard, just for consistency?
I don't use secondaries anymore and I've got a stout on 1968 that seems like it's pretty well fermented and cleaned itself up after 8 days. I'm going to leave it for at least another week, but I'm wondering if I don't need to do a full month?

Click to expand...

First, you NEVER need a month in primary! Some people do that, and they like the results, but it's really unnecessary and for me it's unadvisable. I dislike the flavor imparted by the yeast in a super long primary.

I generally leave my beer in the fermenter until it's finished, and fairly clear. With a very flocculant yeast strain, that is about 7-10 days or so. Then I keg it.

tekhna said:

Or is it pretty standard, just for consistency?
I don't use secondaries anymore and I've got a stout on 1968 that seems like it's pretty well fermented and cleaned itself up after 8 days. I'm going to leave it for at least another week, but I'm wondering if I don't need to do a full month?

Click to expand...

For myself, I refer to the manufacturer's documents on how long to ferment and let the beer ferment at least that long (usually on the high side if a range is given). I only have time to bottle, brew or move to dry hopping on the weekends, so once it hits that manufacturer's recommended mark I'll bottle or dry hop it. Now, there's no harm in letting the beer go longer (within reason), in fact sometimes beers left for longer will acquire new flavors. A lot of folks will do gravity readings to ensure the beer has reached a particular FG they like or are aiming for, but that's not necessarily a requirement; personally I don't do readings unless I'm concerned that the fermentation may be too fast or too slow due to sudden temperature rises or drops. As long as you have kept your beer in an acceptable range of temperatures for the strain you should be fine following the manufacturer's sheet as far as time, but some beers and strains do better with extra time, experiment! The worst thing that can possibly happen is your beer is undrinkable and you're out the cost of ingredients and a bit of time.

I never have a set primary length. In fact I agree with yooper that a longer primary can impart odd flavors. Usually because of time constraints (2 young kids + OT at work) I have to let the beer sit at FG for about 5 days. But I have never enjoyed a beer that I had on the primary cake for a month or more.

The best beers I make are usually done in 10 days and get moved on day 13/14 to either bottles or secondary for lagering. However, I have had to wait on certain yeasts, sometimes up to three weeks. Sometimes I can move the beer at day 7/8 if work isn't too crazy and it was a low gravity beer. I really don't think the yeast care about calendars.

Thanks guys, appreciate the help! I'll probably get around to bottling on Monday.