I'm a homebrewer now...

[GreyRaven]

dang, so how long was this actually in the fermenter? did you taste those gravity readings? did you do any kind of cold crashing or to clear it up?

It was in the fermenter just about a week. I did not cold crash or do anything to clear it up because those were not mentioned in the instructions I was working from.

I did taste it when bottling, and it was a bit harsh but it seemed like a room temp Chimay that had gone flat (in other words, not rocket fuel but not something I would enjoy sipping all night either). I think cold and carbonated it would be something I like.

I talked with one of the guys at the LHBS who made the kit I used. He commented that while the 36 hour ferment was possible, he'd never had it happen on his batches but if the FG was on target and stable over a couple days, it should in fact be done.

Yes, I will follow a lot of the advice you all have given me the next time. Not sure if there is anything I can do differently this time. I'm planning to give them a few more days at room temp to carbonate, move them downstairs to a cooler room for another week or so and then refrigerate. If there is something I can do to fix things now, please suggest away. I'm already feeling like I did a poor job on my first and want to learn to do better next time.

 

[joshesmusica]

A week is likely too soon. I just remembered after your comment about chimay that it's a Belgian ale. I would've likely left that particular style in the fermenter for three weeks, especially if it was higher gravity.
Let it sit at room temp for at least two weeks, then you can move it down to the basement for a week. Then refrigerate one for at least a day, and then you'll get to check carbonation levels and taste before you throw them all in the fridge. This is a style that should only get better with age, so be very patient with it.

 

[Kharnynb]

What is your definition of usually?
And if that's the case then why do some of the more experienced, and top brewers on this forum advocate differently?
Science doesn't even back this up, as the usual ferment time including the around 2-day cleaning up phase is around 9-10 days.
Mine are usually in the fermenter for two weeks total, maybe a little longer if I forget to dry hop in time.
It's not a set time frame or anything, just a "usually" takes that long. Anything longer is just conditioning.
And as far as taking gravity readings, as long is you do it in a sanitary way, and expose it to oxygen the least possible, it's not going to kill your beer to test more times. I wait until the active part of fermentation is done, test it. Ramp up the temps a bit, let it sit for a few more days, likely dry hop in this time frame if the recipe calls for it. Then make sure it's hit FG, wait a couple days, check again to be absolutely for sure. Cold crash, gelatin, package. Active part of fermentation can be done in 3-5 days depending on yeast. Getting down to FG and cleaning up another 3-5 days. Then cold crash and gelatin another 3 days.
Granted that is if you're pitching healthy yeast at the proper pitch rates and have ferment temp control, and a solid recipe. If I couldn't cold crash I would prolly wait another week, just cause I don't like a ton of yeast in my bottles. If you control those things properly, there should be no reason that it needs to condition so long in the primary for your average sized beer. It will condition in the bottle, or because gas is so expensive here, I use priming sugar in my keg as well. Either way it's still getting another couple weeks to condition after packing.

5 days active +5 days cleaning +3 days cold crash isn't that exactly the same as 2 weeks?? and if so, why are you arguing against me?

 

[joshesmusica]

5 days active +5 days cleaning +3 days cold crash isn't that exactly the same as 2 weeks?? and if so, why are you arguing against me?

Well I suppose it's one day less, so by day 14 (the day you are saying you take your first measurement), mine are in the bottle on my usual beer. I'm not arguing against you, just your point. On my usual beer I have tested gravity at least twice by day 14.

My problem with your post, and why I then lined out my usual method that I learned works well from other great brewers on here, was because you stated your preferred process for fermentation as fact. You're absolutely allowed to brew how you like, I would just suggest that you preface your suggestions as your opinion unless it is something absolutely proven as fact.

 

[Kharnynb]

Leaving an ale beer in the primary fermentor for a total of 2-3 weeks (instead of just the one week most canned kits recommend), will provide time for the conditioning reactions and improve the beer. This extra time will also let more sediment settle out before bottling, resulting in a clearer beer and easier pouring. And, three weeks in the primary fermentor is usually not enough time for off-flavors to occur.

/Straight from how to brew by john palmer, so hardly just my preference or opinion.

 

[joshesmusica]

I would imagine those recommendations are for someone who's kegging and force carbing.
The same conditioning will happen in the bottle while it's carbing up.
Clearer beer will happen with gelatin and cold crashing.
Never mentioned anything about off flavors, as I'm not concerned too much about that up to a couple of months.

It isn't just your preference or opinion, but that doesn't make it any less of a personal preference or opinion. It isn't necessarily fact, therefore it is necessarily an opinion.

I have a different opinion, but my opinion is based off of first and foremost already very solid brewing practices as I laid out in my post.

If a person is trying out a new recipe; doesn't focus too much on yeast vitality, viability, and count; doesn't have ferment temps under control; doesn't have very good sanitation procedures; or can't cold crash, I wouldn't recommend my (and many others') preferred method. In fact I would say if even just one of the above isn't done, then don't go with it. But if one can focus on those things and get them down, the timeline I stated before can work and still produce great beer on a usually normal sized beer.

I'm not discrediting your preferred method. I agree it's another way of brewing beer. But that doesn't make it fact.

 

[Kharnynb]

I would say my personal brewing is actually closer to 3 weeks in the fermenter.

For someone starting, who doesn't have a lot of gear/experience, a hard target of 2 weeks or more makes sense.
If you have a good fermentation chamber, a lot of experience etc etc., you can cut down those times, but i wouldn't recommend it for anyone in the first 10 odd batches at least.

The advice quoted, is for starters, from the "first brew" portion of the book.

Personally I am not enough in a hurry to get the beer ready that I have to limit the primary time.
What i've read is that there really is little reason to take the beer out of the fermenter before 3 weeks, apart from speed to the glass.

 

[joshesmusica]

If the beer is ready, there really is little reason to leave it in the fermenter much longer than the time it takes, apart from a busy schedule that forces you to put it off.

 

[Kharnynb]

I guess as a norwegian, you really are just trying to avoid the shop beer prices....

 

[joshesmusica]

I guess as a norwegian, you really are just trying to avoid the shop beer prices....

That's not even something to joke about. A six pack of some ****ty ass carlsberg costs anywhere from $21-28, depending on the exchange rate (right now the kroner has gone down, so it's $21)!

One bottle costs something like 28 kr. It costs me about 11-12 kr per bottle on my pricey IPAs, 8-9 kr on my normal sized, normal hopped beers!

But really the reason I tried to get that timeline down and still have really good beer was because I drink a lot of it, so does my wife, and I like sharing with my friends, so I gotta keep that pipeline continuous. I tried it a couple of times to see if it was true, and it worked. I used to be in the same camp as you before I could cold crash. I already had the rest of the stuff down. Now the only time I make a beer I'm not too particularly find of is when I mess with one of those aforementioned details (usually the recipe part.)

 

[Qhrumphf]

The beer is done when it's done. Any "hard target" is bad advice.

Generally, in a proper fermentation the beer is ready in 7-10 days. But it may take longer, longer than 3 weeks even. And if you're a new brewer and your fermentation management isn't up to snuff then it can take longer than that.

I've had beer completely ready after only 5 days.

There's often no harm to leaving beer longer (within reason), but no harm does not mean there's necessarily a benefit.

 

[GreyRaven]

So after eight days in the bottle (I'm sure that it could be left longer here, too ) I decided to chill one down and give it a try. I was fearful of bottle bombs, and equally worried that they wouldn't be carbonated at all.
There was a resounding pop when I flipped the wire top, so my worries about not carbing at all seemed wasted. Lots of sediment because I didn't let it sit long enough to clear before bottling, but I understood that would happen. Nice creamy head from a careful pour. About this time my wife wandered in to see what the popping noise had been and said "hmmm that smells good" as I was rinsing out the bottle. She tried it and said it tasted good but was a little light for her. I tasted and thought it was pretty damned tasty, but definitely would be better if I hadn't rushed things.
So lessons learned, I have some decent brew from my first ever batch to drink up. And then I'll be ready to try another kit or perhaps even a recipe from here. Maybe another kit first to build a wee bit more confidence first.

Thanks everyone for the guidance.