Its Brew Night! (and I have a question regarding fermentation)

[ItsTheBrent]

Hey guys, I'm brewing tonight and have a general question about fermenting. This will be my first time using a secondary fermenter, so do I need to let my gravity reading even out for two or so days before I swap to the secondary, or do I wait a certain amount of time before switching? Thanks.

 

[RCCOLA]

Wait until the beer is done fermenting, and has dropped clear. If I secondary, it is usually after about 2 weeks in primary. Don't rush it.

 

[EuBrew]

Primary min 2 weeks then check and transfer if fermentation is complete.

 

[FattyJLE]

I don't think you really need to take a gravity reading for this stage unless you want to take more detailed notes. As these guys say, IF I have to move to a secondary, I normally will give it 2 weeks in the primary first. However, I sometimes like to push it to 4 and let the yeast really clean up after themselves. Keep a watch on the airlock and wait till bubbling slows dramatically (1 bubble every few minutes). However, since the airlock isn't always reliable, I do as the 2nd post says and wait till the yeast settles out and the clears.

 

[dummkauf]

"Secondary fermentation" is really a misleading name for it as there should be no fermenting going on in the secondary. Secondary is used for bulk aging, dry hopping, and helping the beer to clear.

You should not be transferring the beer off of the yeast cake until it is done fermenting. Using a secondary is optional, but will help your beer clear some more.

 

[nanofreak]

If I secondary it is usually for bulk aging and conditioning. I still go about 4 weeks or so on the yeast cake, but this is for beers that need long term aging, such as a barley wine.

 

[businesstime]

Don't secondary!