how long to let beer sit.

[narl79]

I've been hearing a lot of controversy on whether not to leave my beer in a 6 gallon fermenter for the whole time or Racquet to a secondary 5 gallon fermenter. My schedule right now is 1 week in a 6 gallon 1 week in a 5 gallon and 2 weeks in a bottle. What do you guys think

 

[twistr25]

If you are not doing anything extra with the beer, i.e. dryhopping or adding fruits, leave it in the primary for a minimum of two weeks and no secondary. Typically its a minimum of 3 weeks bottle time to condition and carb properly as well.

 

[chanson16]

What type of beer are you brewing? In most cases it is not necessary to rack to a secondary fermenter. I used to use a secondary all the time, mainly to help clarify. Now I leave in the primary for the entire fermentation period and it comes out fine.

 

[unionrdr]

I've been hearing a lot of controversy on whether not to leave my beer in a 6 gallon fermenter for the whole time or Racquet to a secondary 5 gallon fermenter. My schedule right now is 1 week in a 6 gallon 1 week in a 5 gallon and 2 weeks in a bottle. What do you guys think

Leave it in primary till it reaches FG. Then give it another 3-7 days to clean up fermentation by products & settle out clear or slightly misty. Then rack to bottling bucket,prime & bottle. Leave'em coverd at 70F or a bit more for 3-4 weeks to carb & condition. Then 1-2 weeks fridge time to settle any chill haze,& get co2 into solution well.

 

[TahoeRy]

Can of worms has been opened. Lots of different opinions on this forum. I usually do 1-2 weeks in primary based on fermentation, then a minimum of two weeks in secondary for every beer. I know a lot of guys don't think a secondary is worth it, personally I do. I also do a minimum of 3 weeks in the bottle using DME for a great bottle condition.

 

[buzbey]

If your not adding anything or aging it for a while I would leave it in your primary. If you do want to transfer it I would let it sit in primary for a little longer, 10 days to two weeks.I let it age for 4 weeks minimum before bottle.

 

[edb]

My current brew was in the primary for 6 weeks I hardly ever use a secondary however this was still a bit cloudy. Its in a secondary (bottling bucket) at sitting under my porch at 40-50 degrees to help clear it more. It will be kegged after 5 days in the secondary.

 

[TahoeRy]

I know all the current studies show that you should keep your beer in primary longer as there is no negative effect's. I left one of my standard APA's in primary for 3 weeks before when I would usually only give it 7-8 days and I noticed a big difference in flavor. It was way more "yeastie" so to speak and different from when I just let it ferment and clean out in primary then transfer and age in secondary. I know LOTS of guys will disagree with me but this was based on a beer that I brew often and tried to do the primary only technique instead of my normal routine. I will not do that again. Some guys like that taste and most don't even know what it would taste like doing it with a primary then secondary as they only use a primary. I think it really breaks down to personal preference, beer style and how much you want to work. I might try it again but based on what I tasted last time doing this, I prefer to do a secondary as of now. To each their own and as long as its good beer, who cares.

 

[Yooper]

I know all the current studies show that you should keep your beer in primary longer as there is no negative effect's. I left one of my standard APA's in primary for 3 weeks before when I would usually only give it 7-8 days and I noticed a big difference in flavor. It was way more "yeastie" so to speak and different from when I just let it ferment and clean out in primary then transfer and age in secondary. I know LOTS of guys will disagree with me but this was based on a beer that I brew often and tried to do the primary only technique instead of my normal routine. I will not do that again. Some guys like that taste and most don't even know what it would taste like doing it with a primary then secondary as they only use a primary. I think it really breaks down to personal preference, beer style and how much you want to work. I might try it again but based on what I tasted last time doing this, I prefer to do a secondary as of now. To each their own and as long as its good beer, who cares.

I agree with you. I still don't use a "secondary", and instead leave the beer in the fermenter until done and clear (usually 10-14 days) and then package it. I'm not a fan of the 3 week + primary, either.

I listened to a podcast on Basic Brewing Radio about this, and they had some experiments on a traditional primary/secondary, and a long primary. All of the taste testers noticed a difference in the flavor, but they were evenly split on which they preferred! Some preferred the shorter primary, but just as many preferred the longer primary.

It really comes down to personal preference, as a well-made beer (proper pitching temperature, proper yeast pitching rate, proper fermentation temperature) doesn't need more than about 7-10 days in the fermenter. The rest of the time is for clearing or for flavor.

 

[woknblues]

I happily gave up on secondaries if just moving and not dry hopping/additions, but mostly by accident/laziness rather than what is currently the thinking. I just noticed no difference in a beer that has been on the cake for 6 weeks, or two on the cake, a month in a secondary. The only difference is that I have to work less hard to make great beer. Also, every 6 weeks is more in line with my pipline/yeast harvesting schedule.