Is there an absolute minimum for fermenting?

[scottj19x89]

Hey, just boiled my first batch yesterday and it's fermenting right now... the directions I received from the home brew store says to wait 7-10 days for the primary fermenting and then says to do the secondary fermenting. When I called, the guy there said that I could just forget about the secondary fermenting which would knock a week off of all of it before I do my bottling.

Should I give it two weeks in the primary fermenter (or longer) or should I just wait until the ending gravity is reached (beginning gravity was spot on)?

Oh, and since yesterday was my first time, I was super ocd with everything being clean and washed my hands way too many times haha. Is it kind of overkill to try to be that clean? I just really don't want nasty **** in my beer and I'd like for my first batch to turn out decent.

One last thing... what can I do to try to make my beer look as clean as possible? would straining the beer while it's going into my bottling bucket be fine? or are there better ways?

 

[InfernoBrews]

You can just wait untill the final gravity is reached and bottle.

If you want a clear beer i would go secondary when its done fermenting and add gelatin. That should clear her all up for you, I use gelatin in most of my beer. Works like a champ!

 

[jessebymail]

If you want to skip secondary thats fine just leave it in the primary that much longer. Time will help clear out the beer or you could cold crash it. If you use a secondary you can mix gelatin in which will clear it up in about a week. I would not strain it it might aerate it. Getting the yeast to settle out will make it clear. Time works best.

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

No straining when going from carboy to bottling bucket. I don't see anyway that you can avoid oxidating the hell out of when straining. Also, it's unlikely that you would really filter anything haze causing out.

As far as making it clear. You could try gelatin. I personally don't think it's necessary. Once the beer carbs up all the way (after 3-5 weeks) you can cold store them. After a few days or weeks of sitting in the fridge they will pour crystal clear pretty much regardless of what you did during the brew.

As far as how long to leave it in primary, i leave everything for 3 weeks in the primary which is probably overkill. I mainly just do it cuz I'm too lazy to take to samples to see if it's done. 2 weeks in the fermenter is probably good for a normal gravity beer but take gravity readings just to be sure. If you get 2 readings back to back days then it's done. Could be 5-10 days. i personally have never bottled anything that quick.

 

[Shaneoco1981]

The ending gravity on any kit is an estimate. The only way to tell if fermentation is done is to take a gravity reading 3 days in a row and when the number is the same, then bottle. As far as your clarity, you could have used a whirlock tablet or irish moss during the boil, but now, there is not much you can do. Nor would I really worry about it. Usually a cloudy beer does not impart any off flavors to a beer. But most of your clearing agents are used during the boils. Welcome to the addiction.

 

[Lechien]

Its a fairly common thing here to leave in primary for a month, then rack and bottle. It gives the yeast time to clean everything up and the yeast cake gets more solidified on the bottom giving you clearer beer.

 

[InfernoBrews]

O, and for being over cautious being clean, thats not a bad thing only means you "shouldn't" have to worry about getting contaminated.. If you dont have it get some StarSan.. Its the Homebrewers best friend!!

 

[Wakadaka]

You would be fine to bottle it once the final gravity is reached and held for 3 days, however, going longer wouldn't hurt and would help with the taste and clarity of the brew.

In regards to cleanliness, I am not going to say that you are doing too much, or too little, because I am not there with you to know what you are doing. I think that once you get a few batches (and beers) under your belt you will loosen up and know when to be careful, and when to RDWHAHB. Cleanliness and sanitation is very important, but don't let it drive you nuts; this is a hobby after all and is supposed to be fun.

Straining your beer can be done, but there is some risk of oxidation. From the sounds of it you want your beer to be clear like a commercial beer, and for that you might consider doing a secondary. Whether or not to do a secondary (also called a bright/clearing vessel) is debated, but if you want it to be very clean looking, you should consider racking to a secondary vessel after your final gravity is constant.

 

[Wakadaka]

Haha 7 people beet me to it. Thats a lot of posts in no time at all.

Let us know if you have any other questions

 

[ShermanTank]

If I want a beer fast, I go to the store. If I want a magnificent home brew I can show to my friends and hear the accolades, I borrow one from a neighbor. When I brew mine, I try and get the best product I can. With that said, 1-2 additional weeks in the fermentor may feel painfully long, but the well aged and tasty result is always worth it.

It also solves that clarity problem you are asking about.

 

[scottj19x89]

hmmm... fast responses, thanks guys

I guess I'll just deal with the fogginess if there's still some after a prolonged fermentation, but I'd like it to eventually look pretty good.

I was mostly talking about non-hazy stuff in the beer like debris from grain/hops/yeast or does that usually all settle on the bottom?

Also: does anybody here have a system set up that allows them to not HAVE to buy beer from the store and they can "live" off of their own home brew?... that would be pretty awesome haha

edit: oh yeah! when I boiled, it seemed pretty weak, like not even enough to get close to boiling over... I had it on the highest it would get on my electric stove, will this be bad?

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

give the beer away for a donation toward cost of supplies ....... anything to do with "selling" is a naughty word. Avoid this word whenever possible lol

Hazy stuff at the bottom ....... just stop siphoning once you get close to the yeast cake. Anything you suck up will be minimal and will have little effect on your finished bottled product.

LOL i have been living off of homebrew since the day i started brewing. I have more beer than I could ever imagine drinking...... Half the fun is giving it away, sending it to comps, etc.....

I've never used electric but if you were able to get it boiling you should be fine. I had trouble getting a boil on my gas stove and moved out to the garage after one indoor attempt.

 

[KevinM]

Definately avoid the word selling. Get them to help you brew though. Then they can share the costs and the product.

Once you get a "pipeline" going, brewing every couple weeks, you start to get enough to keep you supplied. You wind up having something in a primary, something in a secondary, and plenty of filled bottles and you just keep rotating it all.

*edit: It should be said that many, including myself, feel that a secondary for the sake of the secondary is often unnecessary. Those could both be primarys that sit there for a month or longer. The main use of a secondary these days is for alternate items (dry hopping, fruit additions, some spice additions). Or just to get stuff out of the primary so you can use it for the next batch. */edit

Although Michigan has enough breweries to keep anyone satisfied with decent beer. I generally only drink my own, since I'm one of those gluten free brewers. Though there's a place I can buy a belgian beer by me at least.
It kind of depends on how much you drink though. I generally have plenty, but I don't drink too much either.

If you're doing extract beer, the boiling is mostly for getting bitterness from the hops. You don't necessarily *have* to have a full rolling boil, it's just helpful. Oh yeah, there's stuff about getting the hot protein break too, but I don't know the diff between extract/grain protein breaks since I haven't malted my own sorghum yet. No room. Some things, (mead, wine, hard cider) you don't even boil.

 

[scottj19x89]

Thanks guys

 

[northernlad]

The answer to your question in my "brewery" is 3 weeks. 3 Weeks in the primary, 3 weeks in the bottle, and 3 weeks in the fridge produces crystal clear beer. But I don't care about clarity. A 10 gallon batch every 3 weeks is more than I need to keep me in enough beer for myself and a sixer or two every once in a while to friends and family.
What the fine people of the board are trying to tell you is: Stop talking about selling your beer without a license. Especially on "these boards".

 

[scottj19x89]

Who said anything about that?

lol