Secondary fermantation

[bobrap]

Don't know if this is the correct place to post a quick question. If a recipe (NB Caribou Slobber) has 2 weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary and I don't want to use secondary, how long should I leave it in primary before transferring to a keg? Thanks.

 

[RPh_Guy]

2 weeks should be more than enough time.

Many brewers today are actually "spunding", which means transferring the beer to the keg right before it finishes fermenting. This process helps to reduce oxidation.

 

[rburrelli]

Don't know if this is the correct place to post a quick question. If a recipe (NB Caribou Slobber) has 2 weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary and I don't want to use secondary, how long should I leave it in primary before transferring to a keg? Thanks.

You should leave it until it reaches final gravity when measured over multiple days. Then bottling can proceed.

 

[bobrap]

Ok, thanks guys. So 4 weeks isn't necessary.

 

[kh54s10]

4 weeks isn't necessary (in most cases) and it won't hurt (in most cases). Transferring to secondary is a holdover from commercial brewing that is getting less support. It is a bigger risk of infection or oxidation than the reward of a slightly clearer beer. So skip the secondary and keg when you are ready. The short end of the time-frame depends on your methods.

 

[RM-MN]

I sometimes bottle an APA at 10 days which includes dry hopping. I have also let an amber sit in the fermenter for 9 weeks. Both of them were good. Leaving the beer longer lets more of the yeast and trub settle out so you get less in the bottles and counts toward the time for the beer to mature.

 

[bobrap]

Thanks again, guys. Really helps.