First batch, need advice.

[dinks]

Been lurking here for about a week or so and myself, my neighbor and two of my friends all went down to the local home brew shop and got our kits this weekend. Gonna have a little friendly competition.

Anyways, I did a light wheat (kit) on saturday and I am wondering if my game plan is sound. I am planning on letting it sit in the primary for 2 weeks, then bottle for 1 week. Is that a good idea or should I put it in a secondary after 2 weeks?


Brew Log:
09/29/07 - Did a 3 gallon boil then topped off with 2 gallons of sterile water. Strained, re-hydrated yeast for 5-10 min and pitched.

09/30/07 - About 16 hours after pitching yeast I have bubbles in the air lock, about one bubble every 15 seconds.

10/01/07 - By early morning I have a bubble every second, could almost set my watch to it.

10/02/07 - Late afternoon, a bubble every other second.

10/04/07 - About a bubble every 2 min, gave the bucket a gentle shake.

10/05/07 - About a bubble every 2 to 5 min.

 

[kingjam]

I do the 1 2 3...1 week in primary 2 weeks in secondary 3 weeks in bottle

 

[Philip1993]

Just 2 weeks in the fermenter w/o a hydrometer leaves potential for bottle bombs. If the hydro is stable, you can bottle in as little as a week, but your beer will lack some of the flavor imparted by bulk aging. Also, after just 1 week in the bottle your beer will be green and not taste very good.

123 is a good rule. Personally, I use 124 or 224 and cold condition.

 

[GrundleCruncher]

For some beers you don't need a secondary, all it really provides is more time for the yeast to settle out and in some beer styles the yeast absorbs some things in the process. If you have a secondary it couldn't hurt, it would only make the beer clearer.
The drawback of leaving it in the primary for too long is that the beer sits on top of the trub(nasty mess) and will get some nasty mess after a while.
Two weeks in the primary won't hurt, but you do need at least three weeks in the bottles.

Next time you and your friends should work together.

 

[DeathBrewer]

you don't need a secondary for a wheat beer, they're supposed to be cloudy. it'll probably be fine after two weeks in the primary, but you may wish to go three to let it condition longer. i'd buy a hydrometer to ensure you have reached your target gravity before you bottle.

you want them to be in the bottle AT LEAST two weeks, and i wouldn't really break into them until they've been sitting 3-6 weeks...they'll taste much better

 

[TexLaw]

I know the trend is to leave beer in the primary for longer and maybe eliminate the secondary, but I really recommend a secondary, especially for a beginner. Bad things, such as autolysis and proteins getting back into the beer, happen much more readily at the warmer temperatures most beginners ferment and store their beer. Also, it tends to help the yeast finish doing it's thing.

Once you get the hang of things, know how to make and maintain healthy yeast, filter out your kettle trub, and have the facilities to ferment and store at cool temperatures, then you can leave it in the primary almost until the Rapture.

Racking also is an interesting trial by fire.


TL

 

[dinks]

Update: activity in the airlock is pretty much nil. Had a few good days of steady activity and then it slowed to about a bubble every 5 seconds to now maybe a bubble every few minutes. Its been that way for 24 hours and I even gave the bucket a little twist to move things around. No change. I think I will wait till tomorrow (7 days since brew) and transfer to a clean secondary. Should I add anything to the secondary or ???

Also I just picked up a corny keg So I guess I have some reading to do.

 

[Crazytwoknobs]

That amount of bubbling is normal after 7 days.... for me at least... It'll stop after a while, but that doesn't mean it's done.

Having read a few threads on these forums about doing secondary, I'm not going to bother anymore. I'd do 3 weeks in primary and then bottle and wait another three weeks.

 

[SenorWanderer]

I wouldn't advocate leaving a beer in primary for three weeks for the exact reasons that TexLaw gave a couple posts up. I consider primary the place to get 95% of the fermentation done and then rack off that nasty goo as quickly as possible. if you have a secondary available i say use it. it's a pretty simple step that will make your beer better. the reason people often mention an amount of days or weeks for primary is because not everyone uses a hydrometer and their recommendation is an average. if you leave your average beer in primary for a week it will be mostly finished, on average. at that point most of the trub and yeast have settled to the bottom and there are no benefits to leaving the beer sitting on the trub any longer. there are, however, about 1000 variables that decide how long it takes your beer to ferment out: how much yeast did you pitch? what type of yeast did you pitch? how long was the lag time between pitching the yeast and fermentation beginning? what temperature did you ferment at? how much dissolved oxygen was available in the wort? what was the starting gravity of the wort? i could go on. I'm going to presume you don't have a hydrometer because you're quoting bubble timing instead of gravity readings. what you're describing sounds like a beer that is finished in primary. go ahead with your plan to rack into secondary tomorrow. there is nothing you need to add to secondary for a wheat beer. don't forget that there are still billions of yeast cells available to finish off any fermentation that needs to get done in secondary. one tip i have for racking: if you can, get your primary setup for racking today. if it's not already up high enough for the siphon move it up there now so all the trub that you disturb has a day to settle back down. you can also prop up the FRONT end of the carboy or bucket about an inch. this way you'll be able to put your racking cane into the back corner when you start racking and move as much clean beer as possible without disturbing the trub.

good luck, let us know how it goes.

 

[malkore]

lots of variables when deciding whether or not you should secondary clear the beer.

with a wheat, I wouldn't bother. they aren't supposed to be crystal clear. on a pale ale...yeah, secondary it.

get yourself a hydrometer. a carpenter can't build a solid house without a tape measure...a brewer can't consistently brew good beers without a hydrometer.

 

[Orfy]

If you want to guess then do so.
If you want to know then get an hydrometer.

 

[dinks]

Never used my hydrometer so I need some help. I took a sample and it went right to the line labeled "10" just below the 1000 mark. Is that good or bad?

 

[SenorWanderer]

Never used my hydrometer so I need some help. I took a sample and it went right to the line labeled "10" just below the 1000 mark. Is that good or bad?

you took a sample of WHAT, WHEN? if the reading is for the beer that's been fermenting for a week than it's good. if you were to measure distilled water it should read very close to 1.000. a reading of 1.010 is right in the range of what you'd expect for a beer that is done fermenting. i would expect a reading like that given your description of the bubble activity. get used to using your hydrometer and use it often. use it all the time. measure your wort before you ferment and measure it during fermentation too, if you can maintain sanitary conditions! measure the gravity every time you transfer. write down and keep track of all your measurements.

to learn more about how to use your hydrometer you should read this.

 

[Philip1993]

Never used my hydrometer so I need some help. I took a sample and it went right to the line labeled "10" just below the 1000 mark. Is that good or bad?

Most (check instructions/style) beers will start 1.040-1.050 and finish 1.014-1.008. That means;

If you have been "fermenting" for a week, and it's still 1.044(ish), you never started fermentation.

If you have been fermenting for a week, and it's 1.010, you're probably finished.

After fermentation seems complete, check 2-3 days in a row. If all three readings are 1.010ish (again, check instructions/style) and not changing, you're done. If it's still dropping, you're not done.

 

[dinks]

Thanks for the responses. I racked to my secondary and took a reading in the process, I'll assume its 1.010 like you guys said. The beer looks great and has little champaign like bubbles in it. I'm planning on kegging it a week from now but I will take another reading on wednesday to be sure.

 

[Orfy]

Well done.
An Hydrometer takes the guess work away.