MMJfan
Well-Known Member
I'm still a newbie, only 6-7 batches of extract brewing under my belt. I purchased the Pliney extract kit from MoreBeer. Airlock activity had stopped, never had much(I use a 6.5 gallon bucket), and wanted to see how things were going after 12 days in primary. I opened it up and I could still see the yeast working their magic. At that point I was unsure to test or just out the lid back on and ignore it for a few more days. Well I decided to test it and it was at 1.020 which gave me an abv of 8%. With the beer at its target FG, this is where I was torn as to what to do. Do I let it sit in primary longer or transfer it now so I don't expose it to oxygen again a few days later. I decided to transfer it and within minutes of sealing it up, the airlock was going. What would other people have done here?
Also tried the sample from the hydrometer, wow! Best beer I have made to date. Uncarbonated, unfinished, and not dry hopped and it tasted amazing.
Personally, I just keep mine in the fermenting bucket the whole time. There are mixed views on this, but I have found that, for the most part, with most of the beers I brew, transferring to secondary seems to be an unnecessary step. I just take a hydrometer reading after about 7 days and then take another reading the next day. If it's the same reading, it's ready for dry hopping.