Aging in fermenter vs. bottles

[deBrouwer]

Is there something about adding priming sugar that makes aging in bottles different than racking to secondary? The existence of CO2, maybe?

Otherwise, I don't see why I couldn't just rack to bottles and free up my fermenter(s).

 

[jjw5015]

It's more about headspace. You can certainly bottle straight from primary. Plenty of debate on that here.

 

[NTexBrewer]

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter8-5.html

Here is a good write up.

 

[masskrug]

Priming sugar provides the food needed for the yeast to carbonate your beer. You can bottle directly from primary. Secondary is more for adding flavorings.

 

[Potamus]

The only difference between aging in a carboy vs. bottles is that when the beer is in bottles it tends to disappear...

 

[deBrouwer]

I might have thrown a bit of extra stuff into my question by referring to primary and secondary. My questions is really about whether it is different to leave the beer in a fermenter for a few weeks or bottles for a few weeks.

The argument made at NTexBrewer's link seems to make sense. I wonder if Palmer changed any of his recommendations in newer editions of How to Brew. I know he is no longer much of a proponent of using a secondary. The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is the part where he says having more yeast in the secondary fermenter vs. bottles is relevant, since proportionally the yeast-to-beer ratio should be the same (though it would be higher in a primary fermenter, but that's not his claim). Headspace does seem like it could be a factor, and the different chemical make-up post-priming could also affect yeast activity post-bottling (something I alluded to in my OP in less specifics than Palmer).

Seems like there are some differing opinions on this. I only have one fermenter currently, so secondary is not really an option. I've been fermenting for a week and a day now, and I'm kind of eager to brew a new batch. This is my second batch right now, and I'm out of my first batch (aside from a couple special-occasion bottles). I want to be able to have a constant supply to drink, without investing in another fermenter right away. So I was wondering if I could just rack to bottles in a week or so, rather than keeping them in the fermenter for 3-4 weeks and then bottling.

I have a bunch of Grolsch flip-top bottles, so I was also considering racking to them and adding priming sugar later. This is probably overly complicated unless I use priming tabs, and would introduce some unnecessary danger of infection, but it's a thought.

 

[Potamus]

There's no harm letting it age in bottles vs. in the carboy, but you do want to give the beer extra time on the yeast after fermentation so it can clean up and condition. A week is pretty short. You could probably get away with it for a lot of average to low gravity beers, but higher gravity beers simply need more time. I know keeping a pipeline is important, but if you're drinking a fair amount of homebrew one fermenter is probably not going to cut it. Ale Pails are cheap (about $12 at my LHBS) and let you get a pipeline flowing with minimal investment.

 

[PRE66_6TART]

If the gravity has stopped moving just wait a few days and then prime and bottle. The yeast should only need a few days to clean up off flavors and after that whatever is happening in the fermenter should also happen in the bottle. I guess if it's not done clearing yet you could maybe get more sediment in the bottles, and some people just seem to prefer leaving it in contact with the yeast for longer, but in your case I would say freeing up your fermenter and getting your pipeline going trumps those trivial and subjective concerns.

 

[deBrouwer]

Thanks for the input, guys. I'm thinking I will aim to keep it in primary for 2.5 weeks, with no less than 2 weeks, then rack to bottles. I don't have a good way to thief any beer to take gravity readings from the fermenter, so I'm open to suggestions for that. I might be able to rig some tubing up to a turkey baster or something. The 5 gallons in a 6.5 gallon carboy leaves a lot of head space to get past. Last batch, I siphoned for readings and made a bit of a mess (not to mention ruined a bit of perfectly good beer, but mostly just made a mess).

Ale pail, thief, etc... Always more stuff to buy!

 

[shortyz]

The only difference between aging in a carboy vs. bottles is that when the beer is in bottles it tends to disappear...

this post hit the nail on the head. lol that is by far the best statement ive ever seen!