How long does it take??

[BlatzBeer]

Hey all, I'm gonna brew my first batch this week. I also picked up my homebrew kit today. Very excited to get going...I was reading the directions and it says three weeks from start to finish. I've been lurking around here for alittle while and reading a much longer time. Up to 6 weeks or more.

My question is, is three weeks too short of time? Not that i'm an impatient man. (I've been eating the hops right out of the bag today)...

Cheers.

 

[FlyGuy]

If you have a kegging system, two to three weeks is quite do-able. Tack on another couple of weeks if you are bottling, though. Some brews also mature more quickly than others. I recently did an English mild that was very drinkable at 10 days. Bigger, darker beers may need months of aging to bring out their best flavours.

Regardless, the rule of thumb that is often followed is about one week in the primary, 2 weeks in the secondary, and three weeks in the bottle. It is a pretty good, general guide that many follow until you learn the nuances of the different recipes and their associated fermentation schedules.

 

[mrk305]

1 week in primary + 1 week in secondary & 2 weeks in bottles

 

[TheJadedDog]

The shortest time I have done is 2 weeks in primary, 2 weeks in bottles but this was for a fairly light pale ale. Most of the time I primary for 1-2 weeks, secondary for 2-3, and bottle for 3+ (except for big beers which I leave in secondary for up to 6 months) when bottling or keg and carb for a week when kegging.

 

[joshpooh]

Even the lighted of the light ales need at least one week in secondary in my opinion. Which puts you at 4 weeks. 1 primary one secondary 2 bottle. Most of your more basic recipes are ok with that schedule, but maybe if you post the recipe from the kit we can get a better idea. One thing for sure is do not bottle unless the beer is clear. You'll actually see it clearing from top to bottom in the carboy, it is a neat thing to see.


PS How long does it take is the question everyone asks me when they find out I brew so I'm guessing when you start brewing a while you'll be answering this question alot to your friends.

 

[bradsul]

Whenever I get asked I say 6 weeks. Except for hefe's I don't think anything but my session bitters are any good before that point (relatively speaking of course ). As to how I break up that 6 weeks, I always do 3 in the bottle, the first 3 weeks are either 1-2 or 2-1. It depends how fast primary goes. I've been considering skipping secondary altogether (3 weeks primary and into bottles) after reading the latest posts on the subject.

 

[WOP31]

Generally speaking the 1-2-3 rule is good but really when it comes to primary fermentation you should let your hydrometer tell you when it is done. when you come up with a stable (bout 2-3 days in a row) SG reading, it is time to rack to a secondary, or bottle. I have had some beers take up to 3 weeks to reach the FG that I wanted, some less then a week. It really depends on the style and target FG.

Cheers

 

[Bobby_M]

You're going to rush at least the first two batches to the point where you question the hobby in general. Green beer just tastes aweful. The key is to brew often enough (primaries are cheap) that you start forgetting you have batches becoming delicious in the back corners of your closet.

 

[Sigafoos]

Luckily I'm the kind of person who will take his medicine if he knows it's good for him. I've been trying a bottle of my first two batches every 7 days since bottling so I can recognize green beer when I taste it in the future, and damn has it made a difference so far. My raspberry wheat was pretty gross after a week; well carbed but had two distinct (and not particularly good) flavors. Last Saturday, after two weeks, it was much better; everything had blended and mellowed and while it wasn't wonderful it was definitely good.

For what it's worth, that one was 2 in primary and then straight to the bottle, since it's a wheat and clarity doesn't matter.

 

[DeathBrewer]

leave it in your primary(+secondary if you have one) for three weeks. then leave in bottles for three weeks...minimum. even after that, i wouldn't drink them all at once...save a few for 6 weeks in bottles or longer. you'll thank yourself later.

the only exception would be hefeweizens which can finish in about 10 days and bottle for 3 weeks. but they still usually taste their best at about 6 weeks in bottle.

for BIG beers, it may take months. just be patient and you'll come out with much better beer

 

[RickWG]

Long enough.

Start tasting at a week in the bottle, then two, then three and go on from there. One thing about this hobby is that it teaches you patience. As Alton Brown says "your patience will be rewarded."

You can have it good or quick. Pick one.

 

[BlatzBeer]

Thanks guys. I'm probably gonna brew tomorrow. I can't believe i'm saying this, but with so much info i'm a little nervous..I hope it comes out ok.

I collect Les Pauls guitars and go on a forum called the Lespaulforum.com. I've been on that forum for a long time and know alot about these great guitars. I see new people going on that site and asking alot of crazy questions. I'm a little bored doing that, so when i found this forum and decided to try myself..I thought here we go with the new guy and the silly questions...I can't wait to try my own beer....

Cheers

 

[ohiobrewtus]

You're going to rush at least the first two batches to the point where you question the hobby in general. Green beer just tastes aweful. The key is to brew often enough (primaries are cheap) that you start forgetting you have batches becoming delicious in the back corners of your closet.

I couldn't agree more. Fortunately for me, I have become one of these people.

 

[DeathBrewer]

i've only rushed two brews, both hefeweizens for parties...and i kegged them. one turned out absolutely fantastic in about 17 days. the other, at 15 days, didn't turn out quite as well (but we finished it anyway )

 

[Sigafoos]

I can't believe i'm saying this, but with so much info i'm a little nervous..

I was the same way... even better is when you realize how many places contradict each other But doing it for yourself once or twice really clears things up, and you understand the arguments for different methods a lot more.

 

[krispy d]

Generally speaking the 1-2-3 rule is good but really when it comes to primary fermentation you should let your hydrometer tell you when it is done. when you come up with a stable (bout 2-3 days in a row) SG reading, it is time to rack to a secondary, or bottle. I have had some beers take up to 3 weeks to reach the FG that I wanted, some less then a week. It really depends on the style and target FG.

Cheers

ding ding ding! I can't believe it took 7 posts for someone to mention that there is a science to fermentation... I can't stress enough how important your hydrometer is. learn it. love it. use it. your hydrometer knows more about your beer than you do!

 

[BlatzBeer]

I have had some beers take up to 3 weeks to reach the FG that I wanted, some less then a week. It really depends on the style and target FG.

Cheers

You wanted? That's what i'm trying to understand. What is ideal? Is there an ideal FG?

 

[DeathBrewer]

70-80% apparent attenuation (look up what's ideal for your yeast)

i made a calculator you can use: Brewing Calculator

just plug in the OG and FG and it will give you the attenuation.

 

[Bobby_M]

Hydrometers are great tools, but I never use it to determine when to do something. I use it for recordkeeping mostly. Once I see no more active fermenting, I leave it alone for another week if I'm going to rack to secondary (2 weeks if I'm going right to keg). Stealing samples just about everyday is a good way to reduce your net batch size and contiminate your brew in the worst case.

 

[WOP31]

You wanted? That's what i'm trying to understand. What is ideal? Is there an ideal FG?

There is no magical number for final gravities, really it all has to do with beer style and amount of unfermentables (which should directly correlate to beer style) Left in the beer. Example:

Stouts = higher FG: due to desired, heavier (thicker) body & Usually higher mash temps resulting in more UNfermentables.

Pale (IPA) = lower FG: less body typically and lower mash temps equating to more fermentables.

So it is best to read up on Beer Styles and learn what the beer you are brewing is supposed to end out at and either allow for more or less time depending on what is needed

Or just brew and not worry about it like most beers that we all brew around here and just wait a long (2-4 weeks) time in the primary, then rack/bottle and enjoy. Truth be told I rarely take gravity readings until I transfer to a secondary (but that falls more on the fact that I am lazy & have a 1.5 year old). Unless I have a very specific schedule i want to follow.

Cheers

 

[BlatzBeer]

There is no magical number for final gravities, really it all has to do with beer style and amount of unfermentables (which should directly correlate to beer style) Left in the beer. Example:

Stouts = higher FG: due to desired, heavier (thicker) body & Usually higher mash temps resulting in more UNfermentables.

Pale (IPA) = lower FG: less body typically and lower mash temps equating to more fermentables.

So it is best to read up on Beer Styles and learn what the beer you are brewing is supposed to end out at and either allow for more or less time depending on what is needed

Or just brew and not worry about it like most beers that we all brew around here and just wait a long (2-4 weeks) time in the primary, then rack/bottle and enjoy. Truth be told I rarely take gravity readings until I transfer to a secondary (but that falls more on the fact that I am lazy & have a 1.5 year old). Unless I have a very specific schedule i want to follow.

Cheers

Thanks man. That's what i was looking for...It's a start anyway.

My son's gonna be 2 next month. I know what you mean.

 

[Bosh]

Depends on the beer, the more mild tasting the faster you can get it out the door.
My American Amber Wheat is a mild lighter ale for the in-laws who mostly just drink light lager. It was in primary for two weeks and in bottles for three days and it was already tasty and drinkable. Not quite as carbed as I'd like it and a bit too sweet from the priming DME not having been eaten by the yeast yet but the wife likes sweeter drinks so she loved it and it was quite drinkable. For for the extra stout I'm making it'll be a whole other story, won't touch that one for at least six weeks after pitching.