how long in the primary?

[mheitt]

Started brewing a winter warmer with a wyeast smack pac on 11/1. It was slow to get started because the room was too cold. but got going at a pretty steady pace once I brought in a space warmer a few days later. Its been 18 days now and its still slowly bubbling away.

I know what I should do is to break out the hydrometer and test a few days in a row, but I'm afraid of opening the lid too many (unnecessary) times.

How long should I expect things to keep going before I can transfer to a secondary? Is there any harm leaving it in the primary with the lid nice and tight for another couple weeks if the airlock keeps bubbling? Am I being too uptight about not wanting to open the lid to check the gravity? Help.

 

[Brewin06111]

If you scroll to the bottom of this thread you will see least 6 where the same question was answered.

 

[Nurmey]

Welcome to HBT!

Yes, you are being too uptight about the lid. There is a blanket of CO2 protecting your beer from air. When you take a reading, you knock more CO2 out of suspension and it re-blankets your beer again. Take the reading and end your agony.

BTW, I leave my beers in primary for 4 to 6 weeks so the yeast can clean up the flavor and the clarity.