how long before bottling

[rwabdu]

I made a pale ale last week (IG: 1.048) how long should it sit in primary once my fermentation stops before it is good to bottle?

I was thinking dry hop it in primary at 7 days and bottle at 10?

 

[lumpher]

dry hop it at 14, then bottle it at 21

 

[rwabdu]

ok. will a secondary make a difference? i was going to skip it

 

[JLem]

ok. will a secondary make a difference? i was going to skip it

You don't have to use a secondary - you can dry hop right in the primary if you want - but leaving the beer in the bucket/carboy for a few weeks before bottling is a good idea. Even though the fermentation may be done at 7 days (or earlier even), the yeast continue to metabolize some of their own byproducts. This is generally referred to as the yeast "cleaning up after themselves". Your beer will be cleaner tasting for it. I like to give my beers 2-3 weeks before bottling. Bigger, more intense beers I leave longer. Smaller, milder beers I'll bottle after 10 days.

 

[rwabdu]

thanks JLem.
I thought that my pale ale was a small beer? (with an OG or 1.048) but ill wait if it makes it better in the end.

 

[Yooper]

thanks JLem.
I thought that my pale ale was a small beer? (with an IG or 1.048) but ill wait if it makes it better in the end.

Yes. It's not a big beer. You'll be happy with bottling no earlier than day 21. Lots of "stuff" will fall out after it's done fermenting. You can bottle earlier, but anything that falls out of suspension is better in the fermenter than in my bottles, if you ask me. That's why bottling later is better, in my opinion.

 

[rwabdu]

ok thats exactly what i needed to know. Thank you. I'll let it sit for 3 full weeks.