Poll how long do you primary

CornyKegs 728
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How Do you Ferment

  • approximately 4-7 days, I rack into secondary as soon as fermentation slows

  • approximately 10 days, I wait till fermentation is essentially finished before racking to secondary

  • less than or equal to 2 weeks

  • greater than 2 weeks, I rack to dry hop, fruit, oak, or long term bulk age

  • greater than 2 weeks I only rack to oak or long term bulk age

Results are only viewable after voting.
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sjlammer

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Just to clarify, please post how long you primary for

Edit: Please vote for what you do most often. Of course different situations can arise, but i can't capture that in a poll.

This poll was inspired by this post:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/how-long-should-i-age-215513/#post2522276

I just wanted to see whether or not the long primary club was the majority or minority.

THIS THREAD WAS NOT INTENDED TO BE A DEBATE ON WHETHER LONG PRIMARIES WORK.

there are plenty of threads on this topic.
 
I try to go no fewer than 3 weeks. That's at a minimum.

If it's a lighter belgian or hefeweizen, I've got no qualms with a 2 + week primary.
 
I aim for 2-4 weeks. However, I do so knowing that something always comes up and I don't end up transferring to the keg until 4-8 weeks total primary time.
 
2 weeks followed by a week of cold, under 40F. Then it gets 3 weeks keg conditioning under gas.
 
-greater than 2 weeks, I rack to dry hop, fruit, oak, or long term bulk age
-greater than 2 weeks I only rack to oak or long term bulk age
Click to expand...

So I have to choose? I are confused as to why these are separate...I can't vote as I am "None of the above"...

I primary for 3-4 weeks. I will take a hydro sample and taste it at 3 weeks in primary. Then if need be I rack to X for secondary. X being hops, fruit, oak or whatever. Needless to say I do very little secondaries...all ale, no lagers...yet...
 
3-4 weeks

I add oak to primary and fruit to secondary. I age brews in the bottle to free up fermenters.
 
arch1tect said:
I wish there was an option for "When I think it's ready"
Click to expand...

how do you determine when its ready? I would say that one of the choices suits your criteria for determining readyness.... unless you just guess

for me its ready if its been in primary for at least three weeks, and the gravity has stopped dropping.
 
For 'initial' batches (i.e. batches with a low-ish OG and that I intend to wash/reuse the cake) I go 13 days. On the 14th day I brew a bigger batch and pitch the slurry I harvested the day before. The bigger batch usually gets 3-4 weeks. It's the same for lagers and ales.
 
not less than 3 weeks primary, but have left some for 8+ weeks (these were the best)...rack to secondary for dry hopping or clarifying further.
 
So most of you guys keep your beer sitting on the trub and yeast for 2+ weeks? I've always thought you want to get the fermented beer off that and into a secondary as soon as possible to avoid off flavors.

Once in the secondary...I feel good enough to let it rest away until I'm good and ready to keg and carb.

Interesting.

I'd like to know why you guys do this? Or, why no one thinks 2+ weeks in the primary is all that much of an issue.
 
woodstone said:
So most of you guys keep your beer sitting on the trub and yeast for 2+ weeks? I've always thought you want to get the fermented beer off that and into a secondary as soon as possible to avoid off flavors.
Click to expand...

That was the "old school" thought. Now, the thinking has changed. The beer won't get autolysis from sitting in the primary (in reasonable temperatures) for a month or two or more. The yeast available now is of much better quality than back when Papa Charlie taught us the Joy of Homebrewing. Unless you're storing the primary at 80+ degrees, the yeast will not autolyze in three weeks.

There are still many brewers who use a secondary, and who rack off of the yeast cake in 4-7 days. But most of the brewers I know now just leave it in the primary about three weeks then package.

I'm talking about ales here, as I still do things "old school" for lagers. Lagers are a whole different set of techniques.
 
i always ferment for at least 7 days. alot of times it ends up being 10-15 days by then time i find time to bottle it. i have on occasion gone 3-4 weeks in the fermenter by the time i find the time to bottle, though i try not to go that long. :mug:
 
Minimum 3 weeks in the primary, then secondary for clarification(SWMBO doesn't like cloudy beers unless its a hefe).
 
at least 1 month in primary. unless it is a hefe then i rack shortly after all activity stops in bubbler plus i drink hefe's faster then anything else.
 
Yooper said:
That was the "old school" thought. Now, the thinking has changed. The beer won't get autolysis from sitting in the primary (in reasonable temperatures) for a month or two or more. The yeast available now is of much better quality than back when Papa Charlie taught us the Joy of Homebrewing. Unless you're storing the primary at 80+ degrees, the yeast will not autolyze in three weeks.

There are still many brewers who use a secondary, and who rack off of the yeast cake in 4-7 days. But most of the brewers I know now just leave it in the primary about three weeks then package.

I'm talking about ales here, as I still do things "old school" for lagers. Lagers are a whole different set of techniques.
Click to expand...

I'm gone for a little bit and everything changes?! I feel old and archaic for thinking that more than a week is unnecessary in the primary...
 
Three weeks and then into the bottle which sit at room temp for at least 2 weeks. I only secondary when I dry hop (haven't oaked one yet)
 
At least 3 weeks. I sometimes I rack to dry hop, sometimes I don't. Plus, oak does not belong in beer.
 
no less than 1 month in primary, i only secondary to add things..
 
It really depends on the style of beer. 3 weeks is a safe rule of thumb, but I've gone from grain to glass in 10-11 days. I've also let some sit for months on end.

Bull
 

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