6 Days in Primary -- Think I'm gonna bottle

[bigben]

My first batch has been in the primary for 6 days now. It's an all extract brown ale. Everything I read (and the homebrew store guy) says that it is a 'quick' beer. I haven't seen any activity in the airlock since saturday (It's Monday now )

Also, the airlock doesn't appear to have positive pressure as the water is at an even point on both sides. I have the airlock with the 6 bubbles.

So, I think I'm ready to bottle tonight. I don't want to rely on the hydrometer because when I took the OG, I couldn't get an accurate reading. Damn thing wouldn't stop sticking to the tube.

So, does 6 days seem enough to bottle it? Or should I let it sit for another day or two?

Thanks! :rockin:

 

[cweston]

Don't do it.

Two weeks in primary could not possibly hurt anything. And it can help alot.

Be patient, relax, don't worry...

 

[chillHayze]

I would recommend going to a secondary for at least a few days if you have the means. The beer clears up so much in this time, and it also mixes it around and you will most likely get a little more fermentation activity. If you are not going to the secondary I would still wait a couple of days.

And let us know how the Newcastle clone comes out. That is a good beer but the bottles of it I have been buying lately have been skunked (don't use clear bottles unless you keep it in the dark for it's whole life!). Still good on tap though.

 

[bigben]

Ok, cool...I'll wait it out. The homebrew store dude told me that going over 10 days in the primary could cause off-flavors. Was he just being over cautious since I'm a noobie?

I don't have a secondary right now...so it's either leave it be or bottle it.

I guess I'll let it sit until at least this weekend.

 

[Ivan Lendl]

Ok, cool...I'll wait it out. The homebrew store dude told me that going over 10 days in the primary could cause off-flavors. Was he just being over cautious since I'm a noobie?

I don't have a secondary right now...so it's either leave it be or bottle it.

I guess I'll let it sit until at least this weekend.

Yead id wait...the hbs guy probably wants you to bottle so youll buy more crap from him sooner...10 days is not a very long time, 2 weeks is not that long. 3 weeks is not even that long. Ask him how many batches hes had go bad because he left them in the primary for 11 days or more...i know the answer : ZERO. I bet in the history of homebrewing no one ever had a bad batch due to yeast autolyse after 11 days in the primary...

 

[Desert_Sky]

I feel you man. Being that it is your first batch you want it done NOW. But listen to these guys, the only thing it will hurt leaving it in longer is your patience.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Ok, cool...I'll wait it out. The homebrew store dude told me that going over 10 days in the primary could cause off-flavors. Was he just being over cautious since I'm a noobie?

I don't have a secondary right now...so it's either leave it be or bottle it.

I guess I'll let it sit until at least this weekend.

I've left beer in a primary for 34 days and it won best of show! I wouldn't fret about it too much.

I have another in a primary right now that's been there for almost 3 weeks.

Since yours is a darker beer you have less to worry about as the dark grain flavor will mask any shortcomings.

Always do a secondary. You'll love your beer for it.

Another thing, you noobs are always too much in a hurry. I understand where you're coming from, ut you have just got to relax and allow a natural process go through its motions in its own time. If you try to rush it you could ruin it. If you let it run its course you'll be better for it.

 

[cweston]

It gets easier to be patient if you have a full "beer cellar."

My advice is, once you get through those first couple batches when you worry about everything, and when you feel pretty comfortable with the process, brew about 5 batches one right after another.

Once those start to be ready to drink, you'll have a nice selection of beers and lots of beer on hand to help mitigate that need to rush the process.

 

[bigben]

ok fine...you all just don't want me to drink my beer.... HAHA....just kidding. I will leave it in until at least this weekend. Maybe next Monday I will bottle it (13 days)

So, is there any benefit to leaving it in the primary for longer periods. I don't have a secondary, so that's out. But I was just wondering if the beer will be clearer if it stays in the primary longer? Or if it just ensures that the fermentation is complete. Does any 'conditioning' occurr if you leave it in the primary longer?


Thanks everyone.

 

[Desert_Sky]

It gets easier to be patient if you have a full "beer cellar."

I bet it does. Right now I have 39 left from my first Light Ale batch. And being my first time, you know I have to have one a day so i know when it will be at it's peak. :cross:

 

[cweston]

So, is there any benefit to leaving it in the primary for longer periods. I don't have a secondary, so that's out. But I was just wondering if the beer will be clearer if it stays in the primary longer? Or if it just ensures that the fermentation is complete. Does any 'conditioning' occurr if you leave it in the primary longer?

Yes. There are two things that a secondary accomplishes, both of which will also be accomplished (at least partially) by a longer primary for single-stage fermentation: batch aging and clarification.

When you drink a bottle at any stage, one of the main factors in how it tastes is how long it has aged since fermentation. So even if you don't have a secondary, waiting an extra week before bottling it means that it will have aged a week longer when you start drinking them. As long as you don't leave it in the primary long enough to cause off flavors from the yeast cake, you're getting the positive effects of bulk aging.

And you'll get some clarification, as well. Not as much as you'd get in a secondary, of course.

 

[bigben]

Yes. There are two things that a secondary accomplishes, both of which will also be accomplished (at least partially) by a longer primary for single-stage fermentation: batch aging and clarification.

When you drink a bottle at any stage, one of the main factors in how it tastes is how long it has aged since fermentation. So even if you don't have a secondary, waiting an extra week before bottling it means that it will have aged a week longer when you start drinking them. As long as you don't leave it in the primary long enough to cause off flavors from the yeast cake, you're getting the positive effects of bulk aging.

And you'll get some clarification, as well. Not as much as you'd get in a secondary, of course.

Awesome. I have no problem waiting. My only concern is, how do you know when it has been too long? I guess it changes from beer to beer or yeast to yeast.

 

[Mindflux]

It's interesting, between this forum and the other I frequent nobody has had a case of Autolysis with their beers sitting on yeast cakes for weeks.

You can read about Autolysis here... http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter10-3.html but the gist of it is.. the yeast cells rupture over time, giving off-flavors to your beer. Most people mention the smell of the beer is very close to burned rubber.

 

[Sneakysnitch]

You should be o.k. with it at present. I would urge you to wait to bottle. Two weeks is fine. To make a case for the Nasties (not Autolysis though), a lot of Belgian beers (i.e. Tripples, Saisons) are prone to it if you let it set on the primary trub cake for more than two weeks. Developes a rubber tire, hose, yuckie taste. I would recommend that you do buy a seconday glass fermenter when you are able. The extra $23 will be well worth it.


Sneaky