Did I wait too long to transfer to my secondary fermenter?

[Cam Daddy]

Hey ladies/gents,

Just getting back into making home brew. For simplicity's sake I'm using Festa Brew kits.

First batch I did was a Blonde Lager, seemed to go as planned.

Next batch I put on was a Pale Ale. I'm afraid that I waited too long to go from the bucket to the carbuoy (I've also been reading that many folks recommend staying in the bucket with a lock, may try this next time). It was 3-4 days in the primary. I did check on it 3-4 times during that period by slightly lifting the lid.

When I went to move it over, there was no kreusen left. I put it in the carbuoy and added my airlock and it was probably venting every 2-3 minutes (pretty slowly). Today I watched it for 5 minutes and I didn't see any action in the air lock. Lastly, there are small spots all over the top of the batch but they don't look too funky. I was hoping to post a photo but I can't manage to get a good one.

Everything I use it meticulously sanitized.

Any thoughts or help is appreciated!

 

[grampamark]

It sounds like fermentation is complete. Give it a few more days to clear and take a gravity reading (assuming you took an OG reading before pitching the yeast).

 

[Cam Daddy]

It sounds like fermentation is complete. Give it a few more days to clear and take a gravity reading (assuming you took an OG reading before pitching the yeast).

I have one of those things but I've never used it... so I didn't take a gravity reading.

So I'm guessing the spots on the top probably aren't a huge concern then?

 

[RedlegEd]

Any thoughts or help is appreciated!

Hi. First, welcome to the forum! Like @grampamark said, give it a few more days to clear. I am in the "no secondary, leave it in the fermenter" camp (unless you are adding fruit or making a big beer that requires a really long secondary.) That said, I think you'll be fine. When you racked your beer into the carboy, you roused the yeast, so you might be getting a little secondary activity. Without seeing pictures, I'd suspect the "spots" are might just be CO2 rafts. So, in the wonderful words of Charlie Papazian, "Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Homebrew" (RDWHAHB!) Ed


ETA: No, I wouldn't worry about the spots unless it turns into a green/gray carpet!

 

[Cam Daddy]

Thanks for the helpful advice. Since I wasn't in the 5+ day realm and I keep things pretty clean I have a feeling you are right. I'll keep an eye on it and bottle it in a few days.

Out of curiosity, how does a longer/shorter fermentation effect the taste of the beer?

I have one more festa brew kit to go, I believe it's a Pilsner. How would the hydro readings for for that?

Obviously with 3 batches I've got all my summer brew, but in the fall I plan on getting away from the Festa Brew kits and trying my hand at all-grain kits. So expect I'll be asking a million questions then!

Cheers!

 

[RedlegEd]

A lot depends on the yeast and fermentation temperature. Some yeast really chew through the sugar and get done fairly quickly. The trick is to keep the yeast at their optimum temperature, if not a little cooler. The packet should provide the optimum temperature range for that yeast, if not, you can always look it up. You'll find that controlling the temperature of the fermentation will have many benefits. If you let it get to warm/hot, and the yeast go too quickly, your beer will taste of fusel alcohols (really hot, alcohol flavor.) Too cold (not usually a problem in summer,) and the yeast may stall or take forever to finish. If you are using a hydrometer, take your first reading right before you pitch your yeast (Starting Gravity - SG) and record it. Wait a week to ten days to let your yeast do it's thing before taking more readings, then take two more on consecutive days (I've gone as long as 4 or 5 weeks in the primary without any off flavors.) If the Final Gravity (FG) hasn't changed in those last two readings, go ahead and bottle. I've found most common ale yeasts (other than Saison) perform very well in the 66-72°F range with few, if any off flavors. There are lots of methods to keep your fermenter cool. Use the search function on HBT to find some. Most importantly, be patient! Yeast will do their thing on their own timetable. Except for pulling a hydro sample (and be meticulously clean and careful when you do,) leave the lid on the fermenting bucket. If you really must watch, get yourself a PET carboy (e.g. Fermonster.) I'd stay away from glass as it's risks and dangers outweigh their benefits. Sorry for the long winded answer, but I hope this helps. Ed

 

[Bubbles2]

The trick to making good beer is go to the store, buy enough beer to last you 6 weeks. When you get 1/2 way through that beer, time to rack, when you finish the purchased beer, your beer should be ready to fridge, wait 2 days and drink. The more you mess with it the more you have an opportunity to spoil it.

 

[TwistedGray]

...in the fall I plan on getting away from the Festa Brew kits and trying my hand at all-grain kits.

Consider the impromptu stop at the Brew In A Bag instead. It's "all grain" but different process, easy process at that.

 

[eric19312]

The spots on top are probably yeast rafts.

Next time don't rack to secondary and don't check on the beer a bunch of times during the first few days. Every time you open the fermentor you expose your fermenting beer to oxygen and contaminants (wild yeast and bacteria). Beer is pretty resilient stuff and can tolerate a fair amount of such abuse but really no good reason to be going in there that many times that early in the process. You might want to get a 6 or 6.5 gallon PET fermentor so you can watch the process without having to peek so much. Then just wait till the beer drops krausen, clears and then another day or two and bottle it.