My newest batch

[danimal615]

I messed up my first batch using hose water. This is a Belgian Dark Strong that I started on oct 16th (6 days ago) i just moved it to the secondary and i am not sure what it is supposed to look like. How does it look?

 

[roastquake]

If that's your secondary, I wouldn't leave it there for long, maybe a week just to clear. I hear that a lot of head-space can cause oxidation

If that's your primary, I'd be worried it didn't ferment at all.

 

[danimal615]

This is in the secondary

 

[NewWestBrewer]

6 days for belgian strong? Was it even done fermenting? What was your FG?

The trend seems to be to leave it is primary for 3 weeks then bottle or keg. No real reason to secondary at all.

 

[danimal615]

The instructions said to move it after 4-6 days and to move it to a secondary before fermentation was complete to sit for another 2 weeks. The FG was 1.024.

 

[boydster]

Too much head space. That is fine in primary when the beer is creating a protective CO2 blanket, but now that fermentation is complete that protective layer will not be there and infections can take hold much easier.

If you can put it in a smaller vessel and have it filled up to the top, that would be best, or you could top off with water in the vessel you are using now. Either would be better.

Other than that, the beer looks like beer, and that is the goal, right?

 

[boydster]

I didn't even see you said 6 days. That is probably too soon. You want to be at a stable FG before transferring. Transferring early can actually stall the fermentation if it wasn't complete.

 

[LovesIPA]

The instructions said to move it after 4-6 days and to move it to a secondary before fermentation was complete to sit for another 2 weeks. The FG was 1.024.

The instructions are wrong. That is too soon to rack a beer out of primary, and you don't need to secondary at all.

If you can put it in a smaller vessel and have it filled up to the top, that would be best, or you could top off with water in the vessel you are using now. Either would be better.

I would definitely not add water to the beer at this point. All you're going to do is water it down. If you can rack it to a smaller secondary, do that, otherwise leave it alone and cross your fingers.

 

[kh54s10]

I didn't even see you said 6 days. That is probably too soon. You want to be at a stable FG before transferring. Transferring early can actually stall the fermentation if it wasn't complete.

few

It is all too common in instructions to go by time instead of gravity measurements.

It is accepted these days to wait until you reach final gravity for a couple of days then wait another couple of days to another few weeks.

It may be that the aim is to get you drinking the beer asap so they can sell you another kit. But, it seems most kits give these too simple instructions.

 

[kh54s10]

Another idea on your excess headspace, since you transferred so early you probably had some further fermentation which would have created a co2 layer above the beer. Since co2 is heavier then oxygen it will protect the beer from oxidation. I would leave it alone. Anything you do to fix the problem will probably make things worse.

 

[dstranger99]

Alot of good feedback here, but if it were me, I'd simply rack it back into the bucket, let it sit for another 3 weeks, then bottle. (because of the headspace) You don't want that !.

 

[danimal615]

Sorry if it sounds dumb but im new lol...wouldnt moving it back into the bucket still have the same amount of head space? The bucket is bigger than the carboy.

 

[boydster]

Leave it

 

[danimal615]

If skipping the secondary and just bottling from the primary do you use the plastic bucket or the glass carboy as your primary?

 

[dstranger99]

If skipping the secondary and just bottling from the primary do you use the plastic bucket or the glass carboy as your primary?

Don't bottle from your primary, rack it into your bottling bucket so you will leave all that trub behind.

 

[WissaBrewGuy]

I really wouldn't get over worried about the head space. Plenty of my beers have a similar-to-slightly less head space and I have never tasted negative flavors from it. I recently started purging the headspace with CO2 but I have not done that for most of my beers. Just let it sit until it is the clarity you want. Looking at it it looks like another 2 weeks.