It is day 5, and my brew has reached its end specs. I was thinking I would only do one fermenter since it is my first time and it limits my ability to screw up. I have heard many people leave their brew in fermentation for a couple weeks, but is that only when doing a secondary? I am waiting on a spigot I ordered to make a bottling bucket to arrive in a couple days, so hopefully I would be able to wait that long at least. Or should I go to a secondary container if I am going to let it sit?
Primary only fermentation
- Thread starter Medved
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Jetpack_Maniac
Member
Yeah, that's fine and the new normal. The idea of racking early has faded once it was found out the short contact time doesn't amount to much anything and the O2 exposure from an additional rack just hurts.
Agreed. You're way more likely to screw up your beer by transferring to a secondary than you are to get any perceivable benefit. Most brewers skip the secondary now and leave the beer in primary for a few days after fermentation is complete, to allow the yeast to clean up after themselves before going to sleep.
Broken Crow
Ale's what cures 'ya
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2020
- Messages
- 2,069
- Reaction score
- 2,614
If that picture you posted on Saturday is anything to go by, I'd leave it at the very absolute least for another week or 3... it's very cloudy, or is it supposed to be like that? Skip the secondary, but time is your new best friend. Well after you've reached your FG, a lot of clean-up still goes on, not the least of which is the clearing while everything settles to the bottom. You can drink it early, but it'll likely taste way better if you wait longer.
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2021
- Messages
- 2,719
- Reaction score
- 2,343
Many of us don't use secondary FV's. The little if any benefit doesn't outweigh the risk of O2 getting in the beer and making it taste like cardboard.
The beers I've left on a thick layer of trub for up to 6 weeks were all pretty good beers. Clear and clean tasting too!
The beers I've left on a thick layer of trub for up to 6 weeks were all pretty good beers. Clear and clean tasting too!
I would not pull a beer off the yeast cake after just 5 days.
The beer may have reached some terminal gravity but it surely isn't "done"...
Cheers!
The beer may have reached some terminal gravity but it surely isn't "done"...
Cheers!
redrocker652002
Well-Known Member
I am no pro, and not very patient. LOL. But, I have not racked to a secondary. My fermenting bucket has a spigot built in, so when I am ready to either bottle or keg, I simply clean and sanitize a length of hose and either a bottling wand or a QD. Open the spigot and let it go. For bottling, I use the open door of the dishwasher to keep the floor from getting sticky as I never am able to keep all the beer in the bottles. LOL. Either way, I have left beer in my bucket for a few weeks as life happens and I have not noticed anything really bad about them. My 805 tribute was in the bucket for about 3 weeks and seems ok.
Welcome to HBT .
I leave beer in my fermenter for 3 weeks minimum. Like day_trippr said , it might be done gravity wise , but it's not done done . Using whirfloc , and leaving in the fv allows for the yeast to clean up . It really aids with limiting sediment in your bottles.
I leave beer in my fermenter for 3 weeks minimum. Like day_trippr said , it might be done gravity wise , but it's not done done . Using whirfloc , and leaving in the fv allows for the yeast to clean up . It really aids with limiting sediment in your bottles.
SeraW
she/her
You've probably got your answer by now but just to put one more anecdata on there: my last 1.100 OG Barleywine was in primary 6 weeks, no secondary (just bottle conditioning). For the ships and giggles of it, I tasted it after 1 week and again at bottling time.
The old wisdom of secondaries was done out of fear that extended yeast cake/trub contact would lead to off flavors from yeast death (autolysis). There was absolutely none to be noted. 6 weeks definitely helped the "hot"ness and greenness clear up though. It peaked around 6 months in the bottle imo.
Not everybody makes big beers like that all the time, even I only do so rarely, but I bring it up as one of those cases that you still sometimes see people suggest secondary fermentors for. Personally I still argue against it even in those cases.
The old wisdom of secondaries was done out of fear that extended yeast cake/trub contact would lead to off flavors from yeast death (autolysis). There was absolutely none to be noted. 6 weeks definitely helped the "hot"ness and greenness clear up though. It peaked around 6 months in the bottle imo.
Not everybody makes big beers like that all the time, even I only do so rarely, but I bring it up as one of those cases that you still sometimes see people suggest secondary fermentors for. Personally I still argue against it even in those cases.
I'll do a secondary when I want to bulk age for an extended period or add certain things. I've heard some people argue that big dark beers actually benefit from a bit of oxidation, but I purge the secondary vessel and do a closed transfer.
Old habits die slowly. Secondaries started in the 80’s(can you tell I’m old?). It was though that sitting on the yeast for very long will cause autolysis, which will quickly ruin the beer. Well, eventually it might, but not in 3 weeks or even 6 weeks for most beers, at least not anything perceptible.
As others have said, leaving your beer on longer(three weeks) will allow the yeast to clean up and eliminate a “green” taste. There is a push these days to do grain to glass in as little time as possible, but for the beginning homebrewer(actually most homebrewers) this is ill advised.
One last note since you may be new at this - fermentation temperature is the most important thing one should manage, behind sanitation and oxidation. Always make certain you ferment the beer below the yeast’s maximum temperature range.
As others have said, leaving your beer on longer(three weeks) will allow the yeast to clean up and eliminate a “green” taste. There is a push these days to do grain to glass in as little time as possible, but for the beginning homebrewer(actually most homebrewers) this is ill advised.
One last note since you may be new at this - fermentation temperature is the most important thing one should manage, behind sanitation and oxidation. Always make certain you ferment the beer below the yeast’s maximum temperature range.
Thanks for the replies, I got busy wife life and haven't been back to check up on the thread. I ended up bottling at 8 or 9 days I think. It is a weizen, so supposed to be somewhat cloudy. It turned out really well, but maybe a little more sediment in the bottles than I would like, but nothing terrible. Will have to try leaving it longer next time and compare.
