Dunkleweizen in the bucket

[edie]

first brewers best kit. first partial boil, not sure if i'm using that term correctly. everything seemed to go well. no airlock activity yet but from what i've read that can go either way.

won't be able to move to the secondary on the 7th day. can do it on the
6th but from what i've read it sounds like i can just keep it in the primary for a couple of extra days and then move to the secondary for another week.

any thoughts?

 

[DeBrewer]

Congrats on the brew! I tend to lean on the longer side of waiting but that is my preference. If you can rack at 6 or have to wait a long period of time then go for it but I try to be as patient as possible. Hopefully you'll get some activity in the airlock soon!

 

[mk78]

You'll get a lot of folks recommending at least a couple weeks in primary before you move to secondary, just to give the yeast ample time to finish their job and start cleaning up after themselves. Lots of people (myself included) have left them in primary for a month or more without any negative effects.

In fact, the conventional wisdom these days is that secondaries aren't necessary, but that's a topic for another discussion. Congrats on the first brew!

 

[drycreek]

I always rack to secondary just because it gives a little bit cleaner beer. Well at least from what I've read, since I've never actually done a side-by-side comparison. But my beers are always pretty clean, so I'll stick with what works.

I've racked a couple beers at the 6 day mark and they turned out fine. I probably wouldn't go any sooner than that, but you can just kinda judge it by how active the airlock is. I typically rack in the 7-14 day range, then leave it in the secondary for another 7-14 days.

 

[CypressTop]

Leave it. I have a Dunkel, brewed 10 days ago, krausen just now starting to fall. Gonna leave mine another 2-3 weeks, then straight to bottle. No need to rack to a clarifying carboy ( secondary ) as this beer is not supposed to be clear. This is my first AG, and I am overly pleased with it's progress.

 

[edie]

airlock bubbling away! won't be a problem with giving 2 weeks in primary and then bottle?

 

[CypressTop]

Don't depend on airlock. From all research I have done on Dunkel, give it 21 days primary, then check for 3 stable days of hydro readings, then bottle. Even though my krausen is beginning to fall, I know fermentation is still going. Have a brew, relax, and you will be rewarded with the outcome. This is only my fourth batch, and I have already learned to not rush the process and to admire the true science taking place. Isn't it amazing how something you mix and boil together, that really doesn't smell or taste like the finished product, just changes with time.

 

[borden]

Don't depend on airlock. From all research I have done on Dunkel, give it 21 days primary, then check for 3 stable days of hydro readings, then bottle. Even though my krausen is beginning to fall, I know fermentation is still going. Have a brew, relax, and you will be rewarded with the outcome. This is only my fourth batch, and I have already learned to not rush the process and to admire the true science taking place. Isn't it amazing how something you mix and boil together, that really doesn't smell or taste like the finished product, just changes with time.

I'm doing a Dunkel right now--brewed it on Saturday night--and I still don't see airlock activity, but using a flashlight, can tell there's a krausen ring on the inside of the pail. Which goes to show: the airlock doesn't always provide answers! This is the same pail that didn't bubble on my first brew (I'm now on batch 4), so I suspect the CO2 is escaping elsewhere. But hey, no fuzzies on that first batch, so drink up, I say!

Anyway, just thought I'd +1 that "Don't depend on the airlock" comment.