First time brewing question

[bhamilton31206]

So I finally decided to try home brewing, and made some oktoberfest last night everything is looking great just had a few questions...

how long do I leave it in the primary before transfering over to secondary glass carboy? And how long should I leave it in the carboy for?

 

[Hammy71]

You should leave the beer in the primary until you are sure the beer is done fermenting. You need to take some hydrometer readings, and if they are the same for a couple of days you are good. I like many though, rarely use a secondary and leave the beer in it's primary for 3-4 weeks. If your carboy is 6 gallons, you can use it for another primary and have two beers going!

 

[ThePearsonFam]

I don't secondary any more either (except for special brews, i.e. fruit beers). Just leave it in the fermenter as Hammy suggests. Do you plan to keg or bottle it?

 

[trevor_b]

If you have a 5gal "secondary", could you use that as a 2nd primary and just use a blowoff tube instead of an airlock?

 

[Hammy71]

If you have a 5gal "secondary", could you use that as a 2nd primary and just use a blowoff tube instead of an airlock?

I use a blow off on all my brews. It's really cheap insurance against a huge mess. But, I wouldn't do a 5 gallon batch in a 5 gallon carboy. Not nearly enough room. Of course, you could always make a 4.5 gallon batch.....

 

[trevor_b]

I use a blow off on all my brews. It's really cheap insurance against a huge mess. But, I wouldn't do a 5 gallon batch in a 5 gallon carboy. Not nearly enough room. Of course, you could always make a 4.5 gallon batch.....

That's what I figured.

Do you get tubing at home depot or the like? How do you know the outside/inside diameter you need for it to fit in the carboy/fermenter?

 

[voodooman]

7 days primary, 7 days secondary is a good general rule for most beers. Hydrometer readings will verify it if you feel it's necessary. FWIW, I always use a secondary, but I've got a dozen or so carboys. Cleans a beer up nicely for me.

 

[JohnnyO]

Folks, he said he's brewing an Oktoberfest. That would entail lager yeast.

If that's correct, OP, you'll want to let it ferment at 50F for 2 weeks and then begin lagering it in your secondary vessel at 36-40F for atleast 5-6 weeks.

If you're using an ale yeast, you can follow the advice above, but it technically won't be an Oktoberfest.

 

[voodooman]

Actually, I stand corrected. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/foam-235019/