Like most others who have posted I only secondary for fruit beers and recently I have stsrted experimenting with oak chips.
As for my fermentation cycle, I use home brewing to reinforce patience. I only brew ales and they sit for 2 weeks undisturbed. After the 2 weeks is up I start checking gravity. Once FG has been reached I bottle and wait 2 or 3 weeks before trying one. Except for stouts because I let them age in the bottle for 6 to 8 weeks to mellow out.
I primarily use dry yeast but I vary with each batch because I like to see what a different yeast style will contribute to a batch. The only constant thing I do with yeast is I ferment to the middle of the temperature range for the full 2 weeks and let the temp rise the last 3 to 7 days as I check final gravity.
As for my fermentation cycle, I use home brewing to reinforce patience. I only brew ales and they sit for 2 weeks undisturbed. After the 2 weeks is up I start checking gravity. Once FG has been reached I bottle and wait 2 or 3 weeks before trying one. Except for stouts because I let them age in the bottle for 6 to 8 weeks to mellow out.
I primarily use dry yeast but I vary with each batch because I like to see what a different yeast style will contribute to a batch. The only constant thing I do with yeast is I ferment to the middle of the temperature range for the full 2 weeks and let the temp rise the last 3 to 7 days as I check final gravity.