Bottle Conditioning and active yeast?

[Joshua542]

So, i get the basics. What I'm confused about it this. 14 days on teh primary fermentation, plan on give it another 4-7 days in the secondary. I'm assuming all fermentation has stopped by now but I can't be sure because I haven't done a 3rd gravity reading yet. I will when I bottle after the secondary.

So..... my question is, can you wait to long before bottling and all the yeast dies off and there is no yeast to eat the priming sugar? Whats happens if I bottle and its not completely done fermenting? What happens if I let it sit in the secondary for a month? Will the primary sugar do anything? FYI this is a belgian ale, abv 6.3 based on initial and secondary gravity readings.

Basically I dont understand how fermentaion stops, yeats dies and falls to the bottom, and bottling conditiong still works.

 

[dynamic]

I'm brand new to homebrewing, a few months. And it's extract kits I'm doing just now.

Is the secondary fermentation not done in the bottle/keg? My understanding was this is what carbonates the beer.
Are you maybe referring to a 2 stage fermentation? Where you ferment for a few days then transfer into another fermenting bucket sealed so that it gets rid of dead yeast cells.

Apologies if I'm giving wrong info

 

[Ridire]

The yeast don't die when fermentation is complete, they just go dormant. When priming sugar is added, they wake up enough to produce the necessary C02.

EDIT: and if you bottle before fermentation is complete, BOOM! Search the site for "bottle bombs".

Can you let it sit in the fermenter long enough that there are no more viable yeast? I assume you can, but a month isn't going to get you there.

 

[rorymcg]

So, i get the basics. What I'm confused about it this. 14 days on teh primary fermentation, plan on give it another 4-7 days in the secondary. I'm assuming all fermentation has stopped by now but I can't be sure because I haven't done a 3rd gravity reading yet. I will when I bottle after the secondary.

So..... my question is, can you wait to long before bottling and all the yeast dies off and there is no yeast to eat the priming sugar? Whats happens if I bottle and its not completely done fermenting? What happens if I let it sit in the secondary for a month? Will the primary sugar do anything? FYI this is a belgian ale, abv 6.3 based on initial and secondary gravity readings.

Basically I dont understand how fermentaion stops, yeats dies and falls to the bottom, and bottling conditiong still works.

You'll be fine with 2 weeks in the primary and 1 week in the secondary. If you bottle before the fermentation is complete then you can potentially over-carbonate your beer and your bottle can explode from the pressure. Take two gravity readings and if they both read the same number, then fermentation is complete. For example, you take a reading and your gravity is 1.01 and in a few days it is still at 1.01, then the yeast has consumed all fermentable sugars. When you are bottling, the priming sugar is basically giving the yeast just enough sugar to eat and produce carbon dioxide which will carbonate your beer. And just because your fermentation is complete (gravity remaining the same) doesn't mean the yeast is not still active. The yeast create by-products during fermentation and after all the sugars have been consumed, the yeast will theneat their by-products, which can give you a cleaner beer.

 

[BigFloyd]

Unless you have a special reason for which you'd need to use a secondary, skip it. Just go three weeks in the primary then straight to the bottling bucket. Get a hydro reading to make sure you've arrived at FG.

Even if you cold crash like I do (5-7 days at 35*F), there's still enough yeast in suspension to carbonate. I harvest the yeast from the bottom of the bucket and use it for later batches. It wakes up just fine once I warm it up and toss it in some yummy starter wort on the stir plate.

 

[bbohanon]

Unless you have a special reason for which you'd need to use a secondary, skip it. Just go three weeks in the primary then straight to the bottling bucket. Get a hydro reading to make sure you've arrived at FG.

Even if you cold crash like I do (5-7 days at 35*F), there's still enough yeast in suspension to carbonate. I harvest the yeast from the bottom of the bucket and use it for later batches. It wakes up just fine once I warm it up and toss it in some yummy starter wort on the stir plate.

This. Leave it alone for 3 weeks in primary, then bottle er up.
Secondaries are really not needed.

 

[Joshua542]

Secondaries provide clarity, less sedement in your bottles, and get the beer off the dead yeast which can procude off flavors? Correct?

 

[BigFloyd]

Secondaries provide clarity, less sedement in your bottles, and get the beer off the dead yeast which can procude off flavors? Correct?

What dead yeast? When they're done eating or get too cold, they go dormant. For the few weeks that we're talking about here, there's no legit concern about creating off flavors simply by letting it sit on the cake.

If your desire is for clarity and less sediment (both of which are worthwhile goals) do these things:

1) add Whirlfloc to the boil at 10 min

2) after chilling quickly, cover the kettle and let things settle 15-20 min. Try to leave as much kettle gunk behind as you can.

3) cold crash 5-7 days if you can. Prime/bottle cold.

4) when moving a finished batch, try to keep it from sloshing around and stirring up the trub.

The result?............nice clear beer that never saw a secondary

 

[Ridire]

What dead yeast? When they're done eating or get too cold, they go dormant. For the few weeks that we're talking about here, there's no legit concern about creating off flavors simply by letting it sit on the cake.

If your desire is for clarity and less sediment (both of which are worthwhile goals) do these things:

1) add Whirlfloc to the boil at 10 min

2) after chilling quickly, cover the kettle and let things settle 15-20 min. Try to leave as much kettle gunk behind as you can.

3) cold crash 5-7 days if you can. Prime/bottle cold.

4) when moving a finished batch, try to keep it from sloshing around and stirring up the trub.

The result?............nice clear beer that never saw a secondary

I use Whirlfloc. Without using a secondary, you can read a newspaper through my blonde ale.

 

[hopsfan76]

On the topic of secondaries... I did the same recipe twice, once using a secondary, once without. I don't know that I saw any difference either. It was just a straight forward IPA. I can see a possible need for secondaries with certain recipes but after about 10 batches under my belt, I would rather just skip it and go straight to bottleS.

In fact, just because I know I am a bit clumsy, I think skipping the secondary gives me a better yield at the end because I sometimes spill a drop or two. Or five. Drinking and brewing has that effect

 

[hopsfan76]

And because I no longer use my Carboy for secondaries, it has now become an additional primary. So I can get even more brews going at once. Usually I use it for cider, but I did double up some mr beer ingredients in it to make a 4.5 gal batch.