im new!!

[russellnyg745]

Hi guys and gals i just recently picked up my first home brew kit this past thursday and on friday i brewed my first batch of beet its supposed to be a german light pilsner. I have had it fermenting since sat morning i was told by a friend that secondary fermentation would be good for a light beer so it will clear up and have a good color but i have alo seen on here that using a primary fermenter for about 3 weeks will achive the same thing and lower the risk of contamination i was wondering of i should just leave it and wait the three weeks or use a secondary. This is my first batch ever and i want it to come out some what decent and also how long should i wait to bottle and how long should i wait after the brew is bottled?

 

[Schumed]

leave it in the primary welcome to the world of brewing

 

[Pratzie]

if u have the capability, u cna always leave it in primary and justcold crash it before bottling. Bottle it after the entire primary and secondary period is up, and then wait at least two weeks if its gonna be stored at 72 degrees. normally the longer the wait the better the beer as off flavors can work themselves out.

but thats also the ***** of home brewing, having patience, especially with ur first batch.

Either way, welcome to Homebrewing!

 

[janson745]

Hey hey - From one 745 to another, Welcome!! Homebrewing becomes an obsession very quickly, embrace it!! :cross:

I recommend the 3-3-3 method for perfect low- to mid-gravity beer. It starts with leaving it in primary for 3 weeks, then throw into your bottles, leave in there for another 3 weeks at 70-ish degrees, and then enjoy after 3 days in the fridge.

Experiment with differnt styles and have fun. This is the best hobby ever :rockin:

 

[ckcanady]

Transferring to secondary does raise the risk of contamination but as long as you sanitize everything well you should be ok. If you do decide to leave in primary I would suggest cold crashing. That will achieve everything you get from a secondary and then some. I would strongly suggest cold crashing for at least a week whichever way you go. Welcome to brewing and good luck.

 

[brewkinger]

Welcome to the wonderful and sometimes confusing world of brewing.

To answer your multitude of questions

A pretty standard guideline that is put forth time and time again is 2-3 wks primary followed by 2 wks in secondary (if secondary is used)
Bottle it and then 2-3 wks in bottles at 70 degrees and then week or two in fridge.

 

[BlackGoat]

I also vote for just leaving it in the primary for three weeks or more. Easier, less room for error, and same results. Welcome!

 

[russellnyg745]

What is cold crashing and what does that achieve??

 

[BlackGoat]

it means putting the beer into a fridge for a few days. It makes the yeast and other solids drop to the bottom so that the beer clears up better.

 

[ckcanady]

What is cold crashing and what does that achieve??

Sorry I should have elaborated a bit. On a pilsner especially, I would recommend finding a way to cool your fermenter down to 32-36 degrees after fermentation is complete and a week or two of conditioning the beer ( letting it sit ). All this does is help clear your beer up by dropping all of the solids and giving you the clearest and cleanest beer possible. In my experience, the thing that turns most people away from homebrew is the thought of drinking yeast and other solids. This will help get rid of that. Use a fridge, a deep freezer with temperature control or even a bucket filled with icy water. It will give you a better beer.

 

[russellnyg745]

Ok cool now would moving the primary fermenter cause a problem because id have to move it to cold crash it

 

[BlackGoat]

moving it is fine, just go slow and try not to splash it around.

 

[russellnyg745]

And thank you for all the help and for the quick replies!

 

[ckcanady]

moving it is fine, just go slow and try not to splash it around.

Exactly what he said

 

[russellnyg745]

Thanks guys i appreciate the help i plan on brewing something close to a stella artois for my next batch any suggestions on ingrediants and process?

 

[BlackGoat]

Stella is a lager, which are very difficult to produce when you're just getting started. I might suggest you look into brewing a kolsch sometime, browse the descriptions and see how that sounds. Check the recipes on this forum for some ideas on that. A kolsch will have some of the characteristics of a lager, but will use ale yeast.

 

[ckcanady]

Stella is a lager, which are very difficult to produce when you're just getting started. I might suggest you look into brewing a kolsch sometime, browse the descriptions and see how that sounds. Check the recipes on this forum for some ideas on that. A kolsch will have some of the characteristics of a lager, but will use ale yeast.

I saw on here somewhere that someone had a Stella clone that involved using an ale yeast. However for the best results you'll probably still need a cool place for fermentation.

 

[ckcanady]

But I do have to add that I would advise starting with dark styles that you enjoy because they better conceal small mistakes. Mistakes that will only be fixed with experience and education.