My first brews

[Neonsilver]

I received all of my equipment yesterday and decided to start brewing immediately. I brewed a batch of Brandon O's Graff and what my LHBS calls Rooftop oatmeal stout. The batch of Graff was really simple and is bubbling away in the carboy right now. The batch of oatmeal stout was complicated for a second brew but I think I did well with it. Now, I do have a couple questions about the LHBS's instructions.

It says 7-10 days in primary and then rack to secondary to dryhop for 2 months. Would it be possible for me to leave it in the primary and dry hop there for 2 1/2 months total? Would it be better for me to leave it in primary for 2 weeks before moving to secondary if that's what I have to do? Is 2 1/2 months long enough for this beer or should I let it age a little longer? I know time is what takes care of beer so if more is needed than I am ok with that, I just want to get it done right.

 

[brrman]

dryhopping an oatmeal stout for 2 months? that's odd...

Did a hydrometer come with your equipment? If so then use that as your indicator as to whether you move to secondary or not.

 

[Neonsilver]

dryhopping an oatmeal stout for 2 months? that's odd...

Did a hydrometer come with your equipment? If so then use that as your indicator as to whether you move to secondary or not.

I thought it was odd as well but it's only .5 oz. of Chinook so it probably won't add a ton of anything. It's one of the LHBS's own brews so they added a little extra something I guess. I do have a hydrometer and will be checking everything at close to the two week mark so that works.

Also, it seems like I didn't get all of the water out of the grains after steeping so it's not as dark as it should be. Are the only things I'm going to lose from that is color and aroma?

 

[Bonneville]

Dry hopping anything that long is a bit odd imo... but strange for an oatmeal stout for sure.

You could just skip the dry hopping step, leave it in the primary for 2-4 weeks, then bottle.

Otherwise, you can rack it once the FG settles down (probably within 2 weeks) and keep it in the secondary for as long as you want.

Don't worry about racking within 7-10 days... waiting for 2 weeks will not cause issues. As brrman points out, follow the hydrometer and wait for the gravity to stabilize.

I personally don't like to leave my beers in the primary for a real long time (e.g. 2 months), but others do without any problems.