Festa Brew Help

[Betsy30]

The instructions say to transfer to secondary fermentor after 5 days. I’ve read that a lot of people skip this stage and just leave it in their primary until their ready to bottle.
thoughts?
If you do leave it in primary. Roughly how long?

 

[Sammy86]

Unless you're adding adjuncts (fruit, oak, etc.) there is no need to transfer to a secondary.

Let the beer sit in primary for 10-14 days, take a gravity sample and go from there. If you're near FG let it sit 2-3 days more and take another sample. If you're at FG package it, let it carb 2-3 weeks and enjoy!

 

[khannon]

Seconding what Sammy said.. Life's too short for secondaries..

In all seriousness, the concept of secondary fermentation is outdated for most home brews, and should probably be considered an "advanced" concept that starting brewers don't need until they have the basics(sanitation) down.

Even let it sit for 21 days if you can wait, bottle with priming sugar, go another 14-21 days warm(ish), chill and enjoy. The more times you open that fermenter, the more chances of something "bad" getting in

Remember though that with anything but super hoppy beers, the last bottle will probably be the best.

Once you have a few "under your belt", you will get a better feel for it. Take notes, follow the instructions(except for secondary) the first few times. Open a few bottles(and drink them) early to get a feel for how long it takes. Once you feel comfortable with your practices, do the same during fermentation to understand the process.

When you start adding fruit or trees or age to your beers, then you will need to look into Secondary fermentation.