How long is your typical primary fermentation for ales?

[wepeeler]

I know every beer is different, but I wanted to see what most ale people are doing. I usually stick to a strict 14 day primary fermentation, unless it's a bigger beer (higher gravity) or a lighter beer (lighter ales, blonde ales, kolsch etc). Bigger or lighter beers get a 21 day primary fermentation. I know that after the FG has been reached the yeast clean up potential off flavors. I know highly hopped beers (neipas come to mind) can take a bit to mellow out. I recently bought 2 Tilt hydrometers, and I put them to use on my last 2 batches. 1 neipa and 1 kolsch. Both are showing FG for 3 days. Neipa has been in fermenter for 12 days and the Kolsch has been in fermenter for 8 days. I plan on kegging the neipa on day 14 per usual, and I'm thinking of leaving the Kolsch for my usual 21 day primary. Couldn't I just condition the Kolsch in the keg? Or do you think the yeast will continue to work their magic for another 2 weeks in primary? Interested to hear your thoughts.

 

[firerat]

Typically, 14 days with the same exceptions you mentioned.

I've gone as little as 5 to free up a fermenter though.

And I see zero reason you couldn't condition in the keg, but am curious what other say too.

 

[day_trippr]

From pitch to keg:
10 days for unfruited wheat beers/hefes/kolsches
12 days for most pales/ipas/dipas/neipas
two weeks for my imperial stout
16 days for fruited wheats

Cheers!

 

[_BullDog_]

14 days, includes a couple days to cold crash. Or whenever I get around to kegging. I’ve cold crashed for up to 2 weeks before when I get busy.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

14 days (brew on the weekend, bottle two weeks later). If I had Tilt hydrometers (and time to bottle evenings during the work week), I'd probably investigate shortening the time frame.

 

[Yooper]

About 10 days for most ales, but if I dryhop I'll go more like 13 days. I kegged a beer yesterday, a dryhopped IPA that I made on 5/19. So that was was day 14. It's been finished since about day 5, but I waited a bit until it started to clear, and then dryhopped for 4 days before packaging.

 

[wepeeler]

14 days (brew on the weekend, bottle two weeks later). If I had Tilt hydrometers (and time to bottle evenings during the work week), I'd probably investigate shortening the time frame.

That's kind of where my head is going. Even if I can cut out a week or so, that's progress imo. As long as it doesn't affect the final outcome of the beer!

 

[AzOr]

Depends how lazy I’m feeling. Closer to 7 days most of the time but I have no shame in admitting that I’ve left in fermenter for up to 21 days.

 

[ChiknNutz]

Not to throw a curve at you all, but do any of you do spunding and if so, when do you start spunding? Do you take several samples or wait so many days and then spund?

 

[pdxal]

I leave my beers in fermenter until I feel like bottling or kegging. Stable FG. Varies from 14 days up to 8 weeks
I never secondary.

 

[hout17]

I like to leave my browns and stouts 4 weeks in primary other beers (wheats, red ale, IPA etc) typically 2-3 weeks.

 

[bracconiere]

damn, i always wonder what i'm doing here.....i keg after about 4 days when i hit 1.000, sometimes i drink it flat, just prefer it to be at least chilled....

 

[hout17]

damn, i always wonder what i'm doing here.....i keg after about 4 days when i hit 1.000, sometimes i drink it flat, just prefer it to be at least chilled....

Hey Man, whatever works for you as long as you are enjoying your beer no worries!

 

[bracconiere]

Hey Man, whatever works for you as long as you are enjoying your beer no worries!

thanks man! it's just sometimes hanging around you guys, i get kinda intimidated.....

 

[Phred]

I usually leave it in primary a week and transfer to secondary for 2 weeks or more. If I see active fermentation after a week in primary i will let it go another week, but usually active fermentation ends 3 or 4 days after the yeast takes off. Once i get it into secondary, I may leave it longer if I don't have time to keg or empty kegs to put it in.

I was told by one of the guys i learned to brew from that it is not good to leave it in primary longer that 2 weeks, do to the junk on the bottom giving your beer an off taste. I don't know how true this is, but it also gives me a clean carboy to dry hop in if i dry hop.

 

[bwible]

I usually leave it in primary a week and transfer to secondary for 2 weeks or more. If I see active fermentation after a week in primary i will let it go another week, but usually active fermentation ends 3 or 4 days after the yeast takes off. Once i get it into secondary, I may leave it longer if I don't have time to keg or empty kegs to put it in.

I was told by one of the guys i learned to brew from that it is not good to leave it in primary longer that 2 weeks, do to the junk on the bottom giving your beer an off taste. I don't know how true this is, but it also gives me a clean carboy to dry hop in if i dry hop.

This is about where I am also. My batches are 3 gallons. About a week in primary, another week or 2 in a secondary, which I view as more or a settling or clearing tank.

What your friend was telling you is that you want to get the beer off the yeast from the primary when its time because of whats called autolysis. This is the process where yeast will begin to eat or digest itself after it runs out of nutrients in the beer to digest. Dead and dying yeast produces off flavors and can become undrinkable.

Its another one of those many things some homebrewers want to debate over and believe to be a myth.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/what-does-autolysis-taste-like.292416/
The real answer to this question is you use your hydrometer to know when it is time to transfer and you don’t guess.

http://howtobrew.com/book/appendices/appendix-a/using-hydrometers

 

[RPh_Guy]

I bottle after 3-4 days, generally.

 

[SFC Rudy]

I always go 14 days then transfer to keg and condition 14 days with half the priming sugar needed for bottling. Works like a charm.

 

[lump42]

I could probably keg ales after 7-10 days. In real life, it's usually closer to 3-4 weeks depending on my schedule, my wife's schedule, and my energy levels after the 3-yo goes to sleep.

 

[Brassringbrew.com]

If it a ale I generally leave it alone for 10/11 days and then throw it in a keg and try not to drink it for at least a week.

 

[jrgtr42]

I leave them in primary for 3 weeks.
Long ago I did 2 weeks, and then for reasons, I couldn;t get to bottling for an extra, and it turned out to be the best beer I had made up till then. Since that one, I've left it 3.
I suppose I should experiment with 2 weeks and see what the results are - maybe there was another factor involved.

 

[Phred]

This is about where I am also. My batches are 3 gallons. About a week in primary, another week or 2 in a secondary, which I view as more or a settling or clearing tank.

What your friend was telling you is that you want to get the beer off the yeast from the primary when its time because of whats called autolysis. This is the process where yeast will begin to eat or digest itself after it runs out of nutrients in the beer to digest. Dead and dying yeast produces off flavors and can become undrinkable.

Its another one of those many things some homebrewers want to debate over and believe to be a myth.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/what-does-autolysis-taste-like.292416/
The real answer to this question is you use your hydrometer to know when it is time to transfer and you don’t guess.

http://howtobrew.com/book/appendices/appendix-a/using-hydrometers

Thanks for the information. I use to brew 5 gallons batches with my brew buddies, but they both quit brewing and without a set date to brew, it is easy to put off, so I started brewing 10 gallon batches less often; it's not much more work that brewing 5 gallons. I use different yeasts for each 5 gallons in the carboy, and might dry hop one of them.

I don't have a hydrometer (I broke mine and never replaced it) and never checked the wort during fermentation when I did have one. If the yeast stops churning up the wort it is time to go to secondary. I'm not too worried about the alcohol content' i'm more concerned with how it tastes. This is how I learned to brew and it has worked out well for the dozen or so years I have been brewing.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Typically 3 to 5 days.
Poll needs a 'less than 7 days' option.

Not to throw a curve at you all, but do any of you do spunding and if so, when do you start spunding? Do you take several samples or wait so many days and then spund?

Yep. When there's still a bit of gravity left to ferment (less than 10 points, normally about 4 to 6) I transfer and start spunding (quite often I'll start a low psi - 5 to 10 - spund a bit earlier before transferring). For most beers with a starter, that's 3 days. Out to 5 days for a dry yeast on a bigger beer (longer lag time with dry yeast). RPh_Guy is a bit more precise - he bottle spunds.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

I ferment in my serving keg. I rarely make 'big' beers, so almost all of my beers stay in the fermentation chamber for 10 days. With Safale US-05, I almost always set it to 67 degrees.

I fill my keg pretty close to the top, so I hook up a blowoff tube for the first few days of fermentation. When the bubbles are about once per second (typically 3 days after pitching), I remove the blowoff tube, put on the gas post, then hook up the spunding valve.

After 10 days, I move it into my kegerator and let it chill overnight. The next day, I pull a pint.

 

[Bassman2003]

I am finding times more like Gnome & RPh. 3-5 days in the primary then transfer to spunding. For many years I did the 14 day primary because it is easy and convenient. Moving forward, I have found that around fermentation, still beer is stale beer in many respects. I know that the primary is regarded as an oxygen free safe zone, but it is better to move the beer to a sanitizer purged keg while the yeast is still active. So the final resting place of the beer is as oxygen free as possible due to the yeast consuming the remaining oxygen. The keg can be kept warmer for a few days to finish out and clean up.

Strive to shorten the primary as a short, complete fermentation is a sign of good brewing practice on the hot side as well as good yeast technique.

 

[Taiters]

For most of my beers, that being pale ales and IPAs, I keg on the 11th or 12th day. I burst carb for 24 hours and then they are ready to drink two weeks after brew day.

 

[Immocles]

My primary schedule depends on my work schedule. I work a three week, rotating shifts schedule. So for me, 17-20 days is where I end up. Since I'd been on a ton of lack of work since March, I've gone down to 12 days or so. I haven't noticed a difference in flavor at either time length. Three weeks is far more convenient and less bothersome to my wife though. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

 

[adman]

With a big pitch of my house yeast (WLP090), an ale under 1.060 is usually at terminal gravity in 3 days or a bit less. After that, I raise the temp for at least 24 hours thereafter to ensure that there’s no diacetyl. When I spund to carbonate, my ales go from boil kettle to chilled, carbed, and ready to put in the kegerator in about 8 days. My hoppy ales are probably at their peaks beginning about 2 weeks after pitching the yeast. I keg hop in the serving keg, so it takes a couple of days for the hop material to settle to the bottom--and then I serve with a floating dip tube.