7-10 days fermenting? (and a question on priming)

[oldhat]

Hey folks, me again. The one who had trouble with the OG rading on her hydrometer. As I said on there, turns out the initial concern was wrong and my brew is still fermenting wonderfully. Though now I have a question.

So the recipe I used was more or less this one, and all grain Arrogant Bastard clone with some changes in the grains (Crystal 70/80 instead of 120), yeasts (Calfornia Ale Yeast instead of English Ale) and hops (Used Cascade at the last ten minutes of boil). Considering the changes, but still wanting to keep in the spirit of the brew, I'm thinking this will be called Audacious Bitch. But anyways...

Now the recipe says ferment for 7-10 days and my question is...can it be extended to 14 days? I'm currently at day 6 of fermentation and I still have airlock activity (one burst of bubbles every 2-3 minutes). My big problem is I'm not sure when it is ready. normally I take hydrometer readings and when I get 2-3 readings that are the same, it's good to go. But currently my hydrometer seems to be broken, so...would two weeks be better than one suggested?

My other question is on the bottling aspect. Now...do all these recipes just assume that you'll be priming? I'm assuming so, but thought I'd ask to be sure.

 

[Revvy]

Many of us leave our beers in primary for a month, then bottle. You can read through here and find all the discussions about it. The biggest thing is that yeast can't read, so dates on instructions really have no relation often to actual fermentation times.

 

[TopherM]

Derfinitely keep it in the primary fermenter. You'll find many seasoned pros on here that will ferment 4-6 weeks or more in the primary for that style beer. I always do at least 3-4 weeks myself.

Once the fermentation is complete, the yeast will actually start eating all of the bi-products in the solution while some of the lighter sediment continues to fall to the yeast cake, so leaving it longer in the primary will actually clean your beer of most bi-products and promote clarity.

Good luck! I love me some Audacious *******! :fro:

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Not only would 14 days be ok, it'd be a better idea than only ten days. Generally, I primary beers for 3-4 weeks minimum. Those instructions from kits often short you on fermenting guidelines. There's a ton of info in HBT about longer primary times and their benefits. Check some out, I found them very enlightening when I read up on the subject.

Edit: man you two are quick!!!!

 

[BrewerinBR]

21 days minimum, 28 is better. Yes you will need to use priming sugar when you bottle. 4 to 5 ounces for a 5 gallon batch depending on how much carbonation you want. Add it to 2 cups of water and boil it for 10 minutes, then cover and cool add to bottling bucket.

 

[oldhat]

Awesome! So 3-4 weeks fermenting it is! Thank you, folks!

 

[Revvy]

Awesome! So 3-4 weeks fermenting it is! Thank you, folks!

No, it's not fermenting that long. Fermentation only lasts a few days, it's conditioning at that point.

People ask all the time, "how long should I ferment for" when they mean how long can I leave it. The real answer is "it ferments as long as it needs to." But you should leave it for awhile longer AFTER it's finished.

 

[birvine]

do all these recipes just assume that you'll be priming?

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Sometimes a recipe will suggest how much priming sugar to use; sometimes not. The amount depends on a few factors which include the type of beer and what you use to prime (sugar, extract, honey, etc.).

If you prime, then add the sugar to pre-boiled water and add it to your beer, then bottle once it is carefully mixed in.

If you keg, you can prime, but use less sugar. Otherwise, pressure up your keg using one of the many suggestions on HBT.

B

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

No, it's not fermenting that long. Fermentation only lasts a few days, it's conditioning at that point.

People ask all the time, "how long should I ferment for" when they mean how long can I leave it. The real answer is "it ferments as long as it needs to." But you should leave it for awhile longer AFTER it's finished.

nailed it.

For big beers that have been sitting a long time, you may want to consider a little more yeast at bottling time, although others might disagree. High alcohol is tough on yeast, and there might not be enough healthy yeast left after a long condition to get the carb done. That being said, I've bottled a 1.090 after 6 weeks without more yeast, and it carbed up fine. Took a while but it got there.