Another Coopers Kit Question

[zappadragon]

Ok so my kit is on the truck for delivery and well you know I am getting impatient and ready to start making beer. So my question is since Coopers kits only have one bucket, I guess just the primary, so how long should I let my wort ferment?

This was my original plan:
2 weeks in the primary
3-4 weeks in the bottles
then move to fridge
then move to my belly

What are your thoughts on this or what is your method if you have the Coopers kits?

 

[unionrdr]

I leave them for at least one more week after FG is reached for the yeasties to clean up their by-products,& settle out/clear more. Then dry hop for a week,or bottle. Let them condition at room temp for minimum of 3 weeks. Then pop some in the fridge for 4-6 days,or till chill haze settles out. The "chill haze" looks like a fog in the bottle. It settles downward,sorta like fog on a field.

 

[grasshopper1917]

I do lots of Coopers kits and that method should work just fine. The longer you can keep them in the bottle the better - but if this is your first kit you will be very anxious!

Cheers

 

[Silentclint]

Will it ruin the beer to leave it in the fermentor longer than the recommended 7 days? I have heard that once the krausen foam clears off the top then you should bottle? I fermented my first batch for 5 days and then bottled for 2 weeks but it tastes a bit funny. Drinkable though. Will the beer taste better if you ferment for 2 weeks and leave in the bottle for 4 weeks? Any thoughts/ suggestions? I have the same Cooper beer equipment.

 

[onipar]

Well, you'll find most will suggest *at least* three weeks in the primary, if not four. I'd venture to guess the first beer tasted off because you only left it in primary for 5 days, which is pretty short.

I won't go into the details about why, but if you do a search about primary length, you'll find a wealth of information.

 

[Silentclint]

Thanks for the advice. I have read from a few places on the web that if you leave the beer longer then like 7 days you can infect the batch. I guess I was too anxious when I started my first batch.

 

[onipar]

Thanks for the advice. I have read from a few places on the web that if you leave the beer longer then like 7 days you can infect the batch. I guess I was too anxious when I started my first batch.

Really? I actually have never heard of that. Assuming your sanitation is good, you shouldn't have to worry about a fermenting beer getting infected.

Usually what people are worried about with long primaries is the possibility of autolysis, which is basically the yeast dying and producing awful off flavors. That's why a secondary was so popular for a long time (to get the beer off the yeast trub). But now people have found that it is extremely rare for autolysis to occur within 3-5 weeks. And some even find they can leave it for months without a problem.

 

[Silentclint]

Thanks for the help. I am going to get a fridge and temp control thermometer so that I can control the temp and let them ferment for at least 3 weeks.

Cheers!

 

[unionrdr]

Autolysis is little more than an old wives tale with today's knowledge & quality of product/information. But if you don't have a hydrometer,get one. If you do (from the DIY kit?),learn how & when to use it. Not to mention,the instruction's time line is a little too quick.
On average,I've found the cooper's cans take between 2-3 weeks to each FG. Then another 5-7 days,maybe more,to clear to a slight haze before bottling. Works for me.