Is there a "best" amount of time to primary ferment?

[Yossarian]

Hi.

I ask this question because I'm brewing with an extract, and the recipe included says to "never ever leave it in the primary for longer than 5 days".

And when I google, some people say they rack to secondary after 2 days. Some say 3. Some say 2 weeks. Some say a month. Etc.

So what I'm wondering is, is there actually an ideal amount of time to do the primary fermentation? Do different recipes actually have time minimum / maximum requirements? Or is it all just personal preference and it's silly to have absolute instructions like "never do this" or "you must do this"?

THanks!

 

[GrogNerd]

rack to secondary (personal preference as to whether secondary is even necessary) OR package (bottle or keg) ONLY when FG has been reached, & then, any time after.

FG has been reached when successive gravity readings one or 2 days apart remain constant.

beer is made on the yeast's time schedule, not ours

there are very few "never do this" 's and even fewer "you must do this" 's in this hobby

& welcome to it!

 

[rockydog101]

I like

Primary: 2 weeks
Secondary: 2 weeks
Bottle: 2 weeks
DRINK

 

[Psylocide]

Depends on the style. There are literally hundreds of threads on this subject.

I brew mostly APAs around 1.070 and lower, so I do:

1 week initial ferment
1 week dry hop (in primary)
1 week carbing in the keg

Drink.

 

[SamsDogBrewing]

Hi.

I ask this question because I'm brewing with an extract, and the recipe included says to "never ever leave it in the primary for longer than 5 days".

And when I google, some people say they rack to secondary after 2 days. Some say 3. Some say 2 weeks. Some say a month. Etc.

So what I'm wondering is, is there actually an ideal amount of time to do the primary fermentation? Do different recipes actually have time minimum / maximum requirements? Or is it all just personal preference and it's silly to have absolute instructions like "never do this" or "you must do this"?

THanks!

Who made the kit? And are they in the five-gallon carboy business, too?

I've been reading these forums for years, and if there's a general "rule" I've gleaned, your beer should spend at least one week in the primary fermenter.

The "This vs. That" thread in the beginners forum has a nice examination of long primary vs. secondary fermentation. Give that a look and decide what's best for you and your creation.

As long as I'm expressing the "general rules" that I've picked up from the helpful folks here, I'd guess even your staunchest "no-secondary" supporters wouldn't leave their beer in primary longer than six to eight weeks.

Edit: I generally do primary only for four weeks and have no complaints.

 

[m00ps]

The only thing you should never do is listen to the stupid instructions that come in those kits.

Standard primary fermentation time is 2-3 weeks for most (not high OG) beers

Most people here will recommend you do not secondary these days. We no longer have to worry about the yeast dying and causing off flavors like decades ago. Plus if you are a beginner, transferring the beer to a secondary is just another chance for oxidation or infections to occur. Skip it

 

[eelpout]

I'm with m00ps. (That sounds funny)

 

[DNKDUKE]

I'm with m00ps. (That sounds funny)

...funnier still if they (gender neutral) were m00psy

 

[Yossarian]

The kit is called "Best Case", it's an extract kit put together by a chain of brew stores in Nova Scotia. I guess they're in the carboy business too, as all-around suppliers.

The beers I started last night are both wheat beers with fruit puree in them (one cherry, one raspberry).

I usually primary for a week or two, then secondary for a week or two, then keg.

Maybe I'll primary for 2 or 3, then straight to keg this time for the sake of science. The fermenters are sitting on top of my keezer, wrapped in towels to keep out the light. The temperature is < 25C for the time being, but in a few weeks it will likely get warmer than that, and the recipe says not to let it get over 25C.

Also, I've never bothered measuring the specific gravity before, but reading through the various forums I'm getting the vibe that this is actually very important, so I'll start doing this from now on.

 

[BigFloyd]

m00ps is right. Whoever wrote those kit instructions is giving awful advice.

"Best" amount of time depends on the gravity, yeast strain, temperature and other variables. I don't bother doing a gravity check on ales until 10 days or more. Another check 4 days or so later to confirm that it's done. I'll start checking a lager at one week just to see if it's 75% done and ready for a d-rest.

Unless you're adding the fruit in the secondary, there's not much to be gained by it.

 

[vincentAlpha]

I've brewed dozens of batches now and have only used a secondary a handful of times and only for 1 gallons cause I was cold crashing in a fridge and the yeast got... enthusiastic in primary. Otherwise I primary for as long as my schedule and the beer style allows. I just kegged an IPA after a 7ish day primary (brewed at night, kegged the afternoon) but usually use 2-3 weeks.

 

[SamsDogBrewing]

Mmmm... raspberry wheat beer. Yes, please.

I always heard it was best to use a secondary fermentation with fruit since the flavors might get scrubbed out. But if it's already in there... que sera sera.

 

[Yossarian]

m00ps is right. Whoever wrote those kit instructions is giving awful advice.

"Best" amount of time depends on the gravity, yeast strain, temperature and other variables. I don't bother doing a gravity check on ales until 10 days or more. Another check 4 days or so later to confirm that it's done. I'll start checking a lager at one week just to see if it's 75% done and ready for a d-rest.

Unless you're adding the fruit in the secondary, there's not much to be gained by it.

Dammit. The recipe didn't actually mention when to add the fruit, so I just assumed primary. So I'll lose the flavor? If I were to get more puree, and do a secondary with the second round of fruit then, would that work?

 

[m00ps]

Some people do secondaries if they are adding a large amount of fruit. I've just tossed sanitized fruit into the primary. I had one with 3 large cucumbers and some sprigs of mint and it turned out fine

 

[DurtyChemist]

Primary 2-3 weeks. Add dry hops/fruit/oak/etc. into the primary. If you wanted to harvest yeast you should do it from a yeast starter. Easier, cleaner, and I personally believe you're getting a better representative sample of all the yeast cells instead of most/least flocculant.