I'm am brand new to brewing I ordered an ipa brew kit from true brew but I'm getting a lot of mixed information from reading and talking to people I started on Wednesday and today is Monday how long do I leave the brew in the primary and how long in the secondary if needed? I appreciate any advice
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- Thread starter troybott
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funkstrman
Well-Known Member
Welcome to HBT troybott.
The length of time in primary and secondary depends on the type of beer you are making. Light ales and hefs may only be in primary for 10 days with no secondary, while big stouts require much longer than that.
Without any specifics on your brew kit, I would say that your IPA should be in primary for about 2 weeks. I wouldn't worry about secondary at this point unless you are going to add more hops (called dry hopping) after primary fermentation is finished. I would leave it in primary until the 18th and start researching the bottling procedure in the meantime. Good luck, and don't worry about it too much because you've already made beer!
The length of time in primary and secondary depends on the type of beer you are making. Light ales and hefs may only be in primary for 10 days with no secondary, while big stouts require much longer than that.
Without any specifics on your brew kit, I would say that your IPA should be in primary for about 2 weeks. I wouldn't worry about secondary at this point unless you are going to add more hops (called dry hopping) after primary fermentation is finished. I would leave it in primary until the 18th and start researching the bottling procedure in the meantime. Good luck, and don't worry about it too much because you've already made beer!
Hey thanks for the reply its hard choose a method when are so many one more question what should the wort look like when it has been in the fermenter for 4 days? it doesnt look much different than when i put it in there . thank again for your input!!
funkstrman
Well-Known Member
Well, it should have gone through a period called fermentation in which the wort (pronounced wert) churns up and begins to separate and clarify. Basically the yeast you pitched eats up the sugars in the wort and leaves behind alcohol and CO2. The CO2 comes out of your blow off tube or airlock, and the alcohol stays in solution. The beer should be forming a layer of sediment on the bottom of the carboy called trub (pronounced troob).
So to answer your question, it won't really look much different that when it went in. The only difference may be more clarity and the layer of trub on the bottom.
So to answer your question, it won't really look much different that when it went in. The only difference may be more clarity and the layer of trub on the bottom.
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funkstrman
Well-Known Member
I don't know. You'll just have to wait and see.
Don't worry,it may take longer than 2 weeks to get down to FG. I only had 1 brew that was done & clear in 12 days. My IPA took a few weeks to finish & settle out fairly clear. Once you get a stable FG,let it sit in primary for another 3-7 days to clean up by products & settle out more.
Time to bust out some words of wisdom from the wise ones called Revvy and....many other people who have answered this kind of question:
Don't rely on bubbles, because the airlock lies.
Use your hydrometer. Kits will always give you an OG and an FG. You know your beer is done when the FG is either spot on or hasn't moved in 3-4 days.
You don't HAVE to use a secondary. There are tons of threads that discuss the pros and cons.
I recommend googling every question with Homebrewtalk at the end if HBT's search tool isn't working for you. I do that when I'm bored at work and have a question stuck in my head.
Last but not least, always cover your bunghole before fermentation. Nobody likes an open bunghole.:rockin:
Don't rely on bubbles, because the airlock lies.
Use your hydrometer. Kits will always give you an OG and an FG. You know your beer is done when the FG is either spot on or hasn't moved in 3-4 days.
You don't HAVE to use a secondary. There are tons of threads that discuss the pros and cons.
I recommend googling every question with Homebrewtalk at the end if HBT's search tool isn't working for you. I do that when I'm bored at work and have a question stuck in my head.
Last but not least, always cover your bunghole before fermentation. Nobody likes an open bunghole.:rockin:
