After a fair amount of research and asking around about how long beers should be left in the primary, I found some descrepencies. My home brew store says no more than two weeks or autalysis will occur. Several books in the store also agreed. Jim Koch in his home brewing segment said he doesnt leave it for more than seven days. What do you guys do? Ive seen some people here who go way way way longer. What are the benefits of that as well as the pitfalls?
Group Consensus (time in primary)
- Thread starter DtownRiot
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scinerd3000
Well-Known Member
honestly your beer will all finish at different time. AUTOLYSIS WILL NOT OCCURE IN 2 WEEKS...your homebrew people area incorrect. Many people leave there beers in for a month primary with no downsides. If anything you will have a clearer beer. The pitfalls are that you have to wait longer before you have drinkable product. When the krausen drops or at 7-10 days whichever is first i will take a gravity reading and then a few days later i will take another. Continue this process until the two number match which means your yeast has stopped fermenting. At that point your good to go.
If I choose to secondary a beer, I do it at 14 days or so. If not, I don't keg for 3-4 weeks.
I'm not going to reanswer this question again tonight 'casue I'm brewing AND it's answered at least 1,000 times on here already, your lhbs is using outdated and mis information.
BUT the answer/discussion is on here several times...use the search for autolysis or long primary, or
yeast cleaning up after itself" you will find the answer to why most of us leave the beer in primary for 3-4 weeks...
You can even type the word autolysis and posts by Revvy on advanced search and you will see the documentation most of us go by...
Grinder1200 has a thread on it as well...
BUT the answer/discussion is on here several times...use the search for autolysis or long primary, or
yeast cleaning up after itself" you will find the answer to why most of us leave the beer in primary for 3-4 weeks...
You can even type the word autolysis and posts by Revvy on advanced search and you will see the documentation most of us go by...
Grinder1200 has a thread on it as well...
Otis The Drunk
Well-Known Member
I have left beer in primary for as long as two months with out any adverse effects.
nowise
Well-Known Member
I always go 3 weeks on the yeast and then straight to the bottles for another 3 (I taste one every week just for reference). My exception is when dry hopping.
Fingers
Well-Known Member
I usually secondary after two weeks, but I'll go three weeks if I just don't feel like racking.
I've been around here for a while and I know you're not going to find anyone that suggests getting it out of primary sooner than later.
scinerd3000
Well-Known Member
homebrewer_99
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It isn't racked until the gravity drops 75%...
Brew-boy
Well-Known Member
2 weeks in primary and then I check the FG then keg. No need for secondary unless I am using fruit or oak.
brewt00l
Well-Known Member
It really depends on a number of factors but my primary only beers usually hang out for 4 weeks before they move off the yeast...no worries on autolysis.
Yunus
Well-Known Member
I usually move it out of the primary and into my secondary (keg) much quicker than most of you but I don't do it for any reason except, I only have 2 primaries but lots of secondaries so its a bottleneck for me.
Tonedef131
Well-Known Member
This is what I do.
Under no circumstance should you ever remove your beer from the primary sooner than 10 days.
Heck, I don't usually even use a secondary, but if I did (like the Barleywine I'm transferring tonight), I will wait 2-3 weeks in primary.
But, it won't HURT to secondary after the first week IF your gravity is low enough. Many people now skip the secondary simply because most beer has completed it's fermentation by 2-3 weeks and they don't want to risk infecting the beer by over-handling it. If your sanitation is proper, no worries though.
But, it won't HURT to secondary after the first week IF your gravity is low enough. Many people now skip the secondary simply because most beer has completed it's fermentation by 2-3 weeks and they don't want to risk infecting the beer by over-handling it. If your sanitation is proper, no worries though.
+1 on that, although after reading this (and other) threads I think I'll purchase a second primary to make sure I don't have to pull it off in less than 10 days. I'd like to find another 6.5 gallon glass carboy but I notice Midwest's new catalog no longer lists them.
Yunus
Well-Known Member
Germantown, is that Maryland? If so, come up to Frederick and visit The Flying Barrel Wine & Beer making supplies for the Home Brewer, in-stock at the Flying Barrel in beautiful Frederick, Maryland They usually have them in stock.
lamarguy
Well-Known Member
There have been unscientific taste tests conducted with identical batches that were fermented for 5 days in the primary and 4 weeks in the primary (no secondary). Most people preferred the batch fermented for 4 weeks. The theory is - additional time and contact with the yeast cake allows for conversion of undesirable off flavors.
My rule of thumb is no more than 4 weeks in the primary, 3 days cold conditioning (40F), and then into the keg. I only use a secondary for one beer - lambic.
My rule of thumb is no more than 4 weeks in the primary, 3 days cold conditioning (40F), and then into the keg. I only use a secondary for one beer - lambic.
It's unfortunate that people don't keep up with current trends and practices (specifically LHBS's). Some store owners get set in thier ways and then continue the practice by passing on out of date knowledge to a new generation of brewers. Many of the books are out of date as well, but at least most of the authors who wrote these books acknowledge the fact and are willing to point out more relevant info on their websites.
Good thing HBT and other websites are out there for internet users at least.
Good thing HBT and other websites are out there for internet users at least.
Although I agree to leaving beers in longer rather than shorter, that statement is just bad information. There are beers that finish quickly and can be racked to bottle or keg in less time than 10 days. The world won't end just because you remove a beer from primary in less than 10 days.
Sorry, no, that's in Wisconsin. I'll update my profile.
The world won't end but we're making an assumption that you want to maximize the chance of the beer being exceptional rather than passable. Maybe you don't care that you've got a little diacytel problem due to pulling the beer off the yeast too soon. Maybe all you brew is Hefes and yeah, 10 days is plenty.
Just for the hell of it, ask anyone who regularly competes with their beers how long their gold medal winners sat in primary. There are exceptions but I think most people that make great beer quickly (some brewpubs) are able to do so because they pitch 4 times the cell counts that homebrewers do.
ohiobrewtus
Well-Known Member
Everyone has their own way of doing things. Some secondary, some don't. Both are correct.
I typically leave my beers in primary for anywhere from 7 days to 3+ months. It all depends on what else is going on in my life and when I can get to them.
2 weeks on a yeast cake certainly does not = autolysis.
I typically leave my beers in primary for anywhere from 7 days to 3+ months. It all depends on what else is going on in my life and when I can get to them.
2 weeks on a yeast cake certainly does not = autolysis.
dontman
Well-Known Member
Did anyone else chuckle when they saw the title of this thread?
Although I think we actually do have consensus that the OP's LHBS' info on autolysis was way outdated and off the mark.
Other than that I think it might be difficult for us to get true consensus on what day of the week it is. Monday, by the way. Sorry Aussies, it is monday.
Although I think we actually do have consensus that the OP's LHBS' info on autolysis was way outdated and off the mark.
Other than that I think it might be difficult for us to get true consensus on what day of the week it is.
Monday, by the way. Sorry Aussies, it is monday.
With allowance for exceptions, a good rule of thumb is that most beers will benefit from extended primary (anywhere from 2-4weeks). In very few cases will a 3-4week primary hurt anything unless you've pitched an already highly stressed bunch of yeast. Can we call this thread answered yet?
Now you're the one making assumptions. First, I didn't say I subscribed to taking beer out of the primary in less than 10 days, I just said that some beers can be done that way. I never said nor did I assume that every person who brews their own beer is always striving to make an exceptional beer, but rather a beer that suits them.
And, I do care how my beer comes off the yeast and I do brew a fair amount of wheats and I have taken beer out of the primary in less than 10 days. Guess what, it's all gone and tasted great.
So, the answer is still that you can take some beers out of the primary in less than 10 days and still come up with a beer that tastes great.
RRRaper
New Member
New brewer here.
I am brewing my first batch (wheat) in a conical and the starting hydrometer reading was 1.042. On the hydrometer, the instructions says not to bottle until it reads below 1.006. This would give me a potential of a little over 4%.
If this is the case, wouldn't the yeast have already done it's job? So if I drained the trub off at this time and waited another week, wouldn't the only advantage be so the beer could clarify a little more before bottling?
I am brewing my first batch (wheat) in a conical and the starting hydrometer reading was 1.042. On the hydrometer, the instructions says not to bottle until it reads below 1.006. This would give me a potential of a little over 4%.
If this is the case, wouldn't the yeast have already done it's job? So if I drained the trub off at this time and waited another week, wouldn't the only advantage be so the beer could clarify a little more before bottling?
Full fermentation is "job 1" of the yeast. Job 2 is to do a little cleaning up after itself in order to reduce the likelihood of diacetyl (off flavors).
Now in the case of your wheat clarity is not a real concern as one characteristic of wheat beers is the cloudiness and flavor from yeast in the beer.
When youre satisfied your final gravity has been reached (and held there for 3-4 days), rack your beer.
EdWort
Well-Known Member
+1 Ain't that the truth! My last batch was over a month in primary, though the last few days were at 34 degrees.
What biermuncher said, but for further clarification, the yeast does more than simply create alcohol. They modify the flavor of beer even after the majority of the alcohol has been converted.
I think the instructions that come with many of the kits will def get the job done, but they do nothing to explain the process, and they can be misleading. I'll even step out on a limb here and say that they might also try and get the brewer to brew their batch as fast as possible. This makes the process seem faster than it really ought to be, and maybe the brewer will go buy more extract sooner. Who knows.
You can also see by this thread that there are several methods to many of the steps involved in brewing, and what each brewer decides to do depends on their personal preferences.
Personally, I try to get stuff done when I have a chance, but I will not do most things too soon. I'd rather let it sit another week or two until I can get it done right. Rushing a beer is one of the easiest ways to make it come out at less than it could have been.
Dayvidp
Well-Known Member
I have done on average 7 -10 days primary and secondary for the same on most beers and only noticed once on a Honey Weizen a little scum/krausen after a week in a secondary. High gravity beers will require more time in secondary.
I guess I'm in the minority here, as the consensus on this board seems to be that autolysis does not exist. I'll just say I disagree, and that it is in the literature for a reason.
Ernest CH, Chen A, Jamieson AM, Van Gheluwe G (1980) The
release of fatty acids as a consequence of yeast autolysis. J Am
Soc Brew Chem 38:1317
Masschelein CA (1986) Centenary review: the biochemistry of
maturation. J Inst Brew 92:213219
Ormrod IHL, Lalor EF, Sharpe FR (1991) The release of yeast
proteolytic enzymes into beer. J Inst Brew 97:441443
Vanderhaegen et al;Bioflavoring and beer refermentation (2003) Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 62:140150
Ernest CH, Chen A, Jamieson AM, Van Gheluwe G (1980) The
release of fatty acids as a consequence of yeast autolysis. J Am
Soc Brew Chem 38:1317
Masschelein CA (1986) Centenary review: the biochemistry of
maturation. J Inst Brew 92:213219
Ormrod IHL, Lalor EF, Sharpe FR (1991) The release of yeast
proteolytic enzymes into beer. J Inst Brew 97:441443
Vanderhaegen et al;Bioflavoring and beer refermentation (2003) Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 62:140150
Ok not to threadjack here but is there too long of a time to have it in a secondary if you leave it in a primary for 2-3 weeks.
Say I wanted to do primary for 2-3 weeks then do secondary for 2-3 weeks then bottles for 2-3 weeks. Would that cause any problems?
Say I wanted to do primary for 2-3 weeks then do secondary for 2-3 weeks then bottles for 2-3 weeks. Would that cause any problems?
Beerthoven
Well-Known Member
That will work just fine.
You have grossly misunderstood the HBT consensus on autolysis. It definitely exists in rare cases but I don't think anyone has had it happen in a few weeks under most conditions. You have to ask yourself how rare does something have to be for you to act as if it doesn't exist? Folks have reported no problems leaving beer on the yeast for months.
Shawn Hargreaves
Well-Known Member
Autolysis definitely does exist, I just don't think it's a serious concern when we are talking about one or even two months in a fermenter. I'd put this in the same category as "house could be destroyed by earthquake" or "wife might become furious for some unrelated reason and dump out my brew before it's ready" - sure, it could happen in theory, but it's not likely to in practice and not worth my while to worry about.
For anything that's going to be sitting around more than a couple of months (barleywine, mead) this is a real concern and a secondary is certainly important. All the serious research I've seen about autolysis (outside those early homebrew books which are now mostly discredited) is talking about this kind of year long maturation period.
Unless you are brewing a lambic, of course, in which case autolysis becomes a desirable flavor characteristic (and again you have to wait a year or more to get results from it).
flowerysong
Well-Known Member
The consensus isn't that it doesn't exist--that would be stupid. The consensus is that it is not a concern at typical extended primary times (1-3 months) and definitely is not a factor at two weeks.
In winemaking, for example, the consensus (at large, not just on this site) is that when aging sur lie autolysis doesn't become a factor until contact time exceeds a year.
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