first brew questions

[potosky36]

i just got a home brew kit from home sweet homebrew, its a home brew shop in Philadelphia. Last night i started fermenting my first brew: Kap'n Trips Kolsch.
It is currently in the primary fermenter, a 7 gallon bucket. I received a glass carboy with the kit but after reading several threads on this site i think i am only going to use the primary fermenter for this brew.
I have 2 questions:
1. how long should i let the beer ferment?
2. after bottling it how long should i wait before refrigerating and drinking?

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

1. If only primarying your beer, then 3-4 weeks, a week or two longer for high gravity beers.
2. minimum 3-4 weeks, just like fermenting the same rule applies for higher gravity beers, the longer the better. In some cases up to a year for brews such as Barleywines, and RIS.

 

[teddy4xp]

i lived in philly for a few years...went to that shop all the time! there is another one in the down town area (barrys homebrew outlet) that has a much better selection of yeast and hops but the prices are a little more expensive....

1. The biggest thing i learned from when i started brewing is to let the beer sit! Dont touch it for atleast 2 weeks....even better to let it go closer to three.
2. The beer will be carbonated after about 2 week. After two weeks, pop one in the fridge, let it sit for awhile then pop it open and try it!

 

[potosky36]

thanks for the help guys, also should i avoid racking into the carboy? will using a secondary fermenter help or is it pretty much unnecessary?

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

thanks for the help guys, also should i avoid racking into the carboy? will using a secondary fermenter help or is it pretty much unnecessary?

It will help to clarify your beer, and is definitely necessary if you will be adding fruit, but it does increase your chances of contamination, albeit very slightly, but it is a risk factor.

 

[o4_srt]

One clarification: although after 2 weeks the beer will be slightly carbonated, full carbonation takes at least 3 weeks.

That being said, I usually cannot wait 3 weeks, and usually sample at 1,2, and 3 week intervals. The changes are pretty extreme.

I sampled my nut brown at 1 week last weekend. It was flat, as expected, and had a very biscuitty aftertaste, attributed to the biscuit and special b malt I used.

I'm currently sampling at 2 weeks. It's lightly carbonated, and the predominantly biscuit flavor seems to have given way to a more balanced, lightly roasted profile, with a light roast nose.

 

[potosky36]

Ok, i think I am going to wait 2 weeks, take a hydrometer reading, and depending on the results i will either give it another week or bottle it. I will wait hopefully 3 weeks after it is bottled to refrigerate, although I'm sure i wont be able to resist trying at least one bottle before 3 weeks goes by.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

Ok, i think I am going to wait 2 weeks, take a hydrometer reading, and depending on the results i will either give it another week or bottle it. I will wait hopefully 3 weeks after it is bottled to refrigerate, although I'm sure i wont be able to resist trying at least one bottle before 3 weeks goes by.

My advice would be primary for 21 days, then bottle, after 10-14 days in the bottle, refrigerate two, and sample only one of them after 24 hours, between 15-20 days, refrigerate another two for atleast 24 hours, and sample only one, then after 21-25 days refrigerate another two, and sample on;y one after 24 hours, after which, refrigerate the rest of your bottles beer, reserveing a couple bottles to continue aging/conditioning before refrigeration.

Now you will have 3 bottles of beer to sample at once, one between 10-14 days , one fron 15-20 days, and one from 21-25 days, pour them all at once, notice the carbonation and head as well as head retention of your brew, then sample and make some notes on flavor, aroma, and appearance.

Decide which one you like the best (most likely it will be the 21-25 day beer).

If you have the patience you can reserve the three beers in the fridge for a month or two longer until the beers you set aside to condition longer than the 21-25 days are refrigerated for a week, then you can sample all four and make a true comparison on time versus flavor, arom, appearance, and head retention.

FWIW, my first five batches of beer were extract brews, and I bottled them all, once I went All Grain, i started kegging, and kegging is much faster and easier than dealing with bottles.

Don't misinterpret my words though, I thin kbottled beer has its place, and I love the nostalgia of bottles, especially for travel, or sharing with friends, but if you are a blue-blooded homebrewer, look into kegging, there are quite a few options. On the plus side you can bottle from the keg if necessary, and Bobby_M has a great tutorial for how to do it without an expensive counter pressure bottle filler.

Welcometo the obsession, have fun RDWHAHB, and brew-on and brew-strong!

Cheers!

 

[potosky36]

thanks for the advice, I plan on moving up to all grain after a few batches of extract. Kegging is definitely in my future, just gotta get the basics down first.