Got the home brew bug after my stout I brewed 2 weeks ago started to come together. I figured why not get the pipeline rolling? Had no initial issues to speak of with this brew. I did not put my grains in cold water and bring to temp but instead got the water up to 160 and then added my grains and watched the temp to make sure it did not get close to 170 for about 20 min. I then added a little water instead of filling the pot almost all the way. it make a huge difference in the boiling process where as I was not almost boiling over the whole time. I also used a cooler filled with ice, water, and a little salt to get my my temp down as fast as possible. this worked way better then the freak out session I had last time. I got the temp down to under 100 and since I did not fill the pot full of water for the boil, I added chilled water I had in the fridge which helped out immensely. I got the temp down to 80 and pitched my yeast after some vigorous stirring. I was a little concerned with my yeast reaction because unlike my stout I brewed 2 weeks ago, I had little reaction. I checked on during the night and before I left for work this morning. I came home to a bubbling primary so I guess it is off to the races and a whole bunch of waiting. the question I have is can I just leave it in the primary for 4 weeks, then add it to the secondary for the dry hops for 2 weeks? I would rather not move it or break the seal for as long as I can. thanks for everything pertaining to this board....
2nd brew, three hearted ale from northern brewer
- Thread starter ttk420
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aggiejay06
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That's how I'm going to handle my dry hops for the RyePA I just brewed last night, just going to differ timewise a little. 3 weeks primary, 1 week secondary for dry hopping. Otherwise I'm not touching it.
ArcaneXor
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I wouldn't wait that long. Especially since you are going to secondary, I would transfer the beer about 4-5 days after reaching your final gravity (those extra days allowing the yeast to clean up after themselves). IPAs are best enjoyed young, and by waiting six weeks before bottling, a lot of the kettle hops will have already faded by the time the beer is ready to drink.
Very interesting. The instructions called for 2 weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary, then adding dry hops and waiting 2 more weeks. I like the shorter route but don't want to cut corners. Maybe 2 weeks primary, 1 week secondary, add hops then 1 week before kegging?
BeerWard
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I just made this kit, and went with 3 week primary, add the dry hop to the primary for a week (skipped secondary), cold crashed, and then bottled. Had one at 2 weeks after bottling and it was great. I'm hoping the carbonation will be even better at 3 weeks of bottle conditioning. I'm sure it will
Seven
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Two Hearted is a staple in my household. You can certainly follow the instructions and leave it for two weeks in the primary, then transfer to a secondary for two weeks. Another option would be to simply leave it in the primary for three weeks then dry hop it in the primary for another week then keg it. This works just as well and reduces the risk of oxidation/contamination when transferring to secondaries.
I prefer to skip the secondary and ferment + dry-hop in the primary and it turns out perfectly.
I also found that giving it more time to ferment and condition helps improve the flavor because it allows the hops to mellow a bit and it doesn't have that sharp Centennial hops bite that it tends to have when it's very young. If you are patient, after 1-month total you should be in Two Hearted heaven. After 2-months the beer should be clear just like the original Bell's beer.
I prefer to skip the secondary and ferment + dry-hop in the primary and it turns out perfectly.
I also found that giving it more time to ferment and condition helps improve the flavor because it allows the hops to mellow a bit and it doesn't have that sharp Centennial hops bite that it tends to have when it's very young. If you are patient, after 1-month total you should be in Two Hearted heaven. After 2-months the beer should be clear just like the original Bell's beer.
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I was super busy at work so I didn't have time to respond. thanks for all the advice. sounds like I will leave it in the primary for 3 weeks, dry hop it for a week then carb it in the keg for a week and I should be in heaven.
