Oatmeal Stout fermentation question

[BrutalBrew]

I am going to brew my first Oatmeal Stout Partial mash. I have two 6.5 gallon buckets and one 5 gallon better bottle. Ive been reading on how long to ferm. and to/not to secondary. I have read a lot of "most just use primary for 3-4 weeks" I'm not concerned about the time spent to rack to secondary or waiting few extra weeks . I was wondering what is the BEST way to ferment a Oatmeal Stout. I usually use a secondary to clarify , and know visually your not going to notice on a dark beer. So what are the pros / cons of using a secondary. I have read in John Palmer's book that keeping beer on the yeast cake to long can cause off flavors. I have read that stouts are best if fermented longer. Or is it better to condition in bottles for longer? Hope for some experienced help on this . Im not lazy so Im not looking for the quickest easiest way , but for the end result of being the best quality beer I can get. Does a long ferment cause problems when your using oatmeal in the stout? Thanks...!

My original plan was to primary for 10 days , rack to secondary in 5 gallon better bottle for 3-4 weeks. Bottle for 4 weeks, cold crash in bottles for 1 week befor enjoying.

 

[slarkin712]

Palmer's book is incorrect about getting off flavors from leaving the beer on the yeast for a long time. He's even admitted this, so leaving the beer in the primary for a long time is not going to hurt it. Some people use a secondary as a settling/brightening tank, but that's probably not necessary for a stout unless you need the primary fermentor for another batch. I suggest letting the beer ferment to completion and then let it sit in the primary for another 1-2 weeks and then bottle. Stouts do tend to smooth out in flavor with a little extended age, but you can do this in the bottles at room temperature. After they're carbed up you can put them in the fridge and enjoy when at serving temp.

 

[TahoeRy]

I still use secondary, as from my tastes and test's, I do notice a bit different flavors when composited to primary only. It's not a big deal but I am one to not let the beer sit on the primary cake for over 2-3 weeks. You will get a build up of yeast in the secondary and I prefer that out of my keg or bottles. Yes, it does take more time but I am not on the "primary only" bandwagon. Just do what your tastes prefer and what you like. You can make good beer either way, it really comes down to preference. I know what the studies say and that I'm stirring up a hornets nest but brewing is about personal preference. Some beers will not benefit from a secondary, others will.

 

[Beernik]

Autolysis happens but is rare.

I'll sometimes do 4 weeks primary and 4 weeks bottle 4 condition. Other times I'll do 2 weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary, 4 weeks bottle condition. It depends on carboy availability, if I'm fruiting, and how lazy I'm feeling.

For non-fruited beers, I've never really noticed a difference.

 

[SpeedYellow]

IMHO, once fermentation is done (i.e. after the yeast stops around day 5 to 10) nothing you do to the beer really has a significant impact on its flavor except duration of aging. The only exception is perhaps a diacetyl rest if you've got a lager with diacetyl problem.

In my view, the concept of "secondary fermentation" is utterly illogical since there's no fermenting going on. There's just not much of anything going on.

I have an imperial oatmeal stout that just stopped bubbling (4-5 day fermentation). Think I'll give it another week or two then keg it and let it age for a couple months, which it's going to need.

 

[Arg1129]

Think I'll give it another week or two then keg it and let it age for a couple months, which it's going to need.

I'm not trying to hijack but quick question. If you feel the answer does not belong here can someone pm me the answer?

When you age is it okay to age it at room temp in a keg that I have bled the oxy out of. I want to age an American Brown Ale and have never aged a beer yet.

 

[SpeedYellow]

I'm not trying to hijack but quick question. If you feel the answer does not belong here can someone pm me the answer?

When you age is it okay to age it at room temp in a keg that I have bled the oxy out of. I want to age an American Brown Ale and have never aged a beer yet.

I've occasionally wondered the same, but I really don't think there's a correct answer. So my policy is to age lagers in the fridge, and age ales either in the fridge or at basement temps (54-62f), whichever is most convenient.

 

[TahoeRy]

I know it seems illogical that a secondary will do anything to the beer but I have seen it first hand and its just my preference. I have a beer that I make and I have tried it with several different fermentation times and have found that the yeast does impact flavor. You can control it or you can just let it control the beer. If you let your beer sit on the primary yeast for say 7-10 days and compared it to a beer you let it sit for 20 or so days the flavors are different. Sometimes you get a yeasty flavor that is not as good or clean as just taking it off the primary cake and letting it settle from there. Yes, its still going to be sitting on a cake even in secondary but it does change flavors. Unless you have tried it both ways with the same beer and same exact ingredients, there is nothing illogical about it. From my experience and preference, it makes a difference. Others may say different but it really just breaks down to beer style and taste.

 

[afr0byte]

I am going to brew my first Oatmeal Stout Partial mash. I have two 6.5 gallon buckets and one 5 gallon better bottle. Ive been reading on how long to ferm. and to/not to secondary. I have read a lot of "most just use primary for 3-4 weeks" I'm not concerned about the time spent to rack to secondary or waiting few extra weeks . I was wondering what is the BEST way to ferment a Oatmeal Stout. I usually use a secondary to clarify , and know visually your not going to notice on a dark beer. So what are the pros / cons of using a secondary. I have read in John Palmer's book that keeping beer on the yeast cake to long can cause off flavors. I have read that stouts are best if fermented longer. Or is it better to condition in bottles for longer? Hope for some experienced help on this . Im not lazy so Im not looking for the quickest easiest way , but for the end result of being the best quality beer I can get. Does a long ferment cause problems when your using oatmeal in the stout? Thanks...!

My original plan was to primary for 10 days , rack to secondary in 5 gallon better bottle for 3-4 weeks. Bottle for 4 weeks, cold crash in bottles for 1 week befor enjoying.

It's true that many people on here seem to primary for a minimum of 3-4 weeks, but we don't know what most people do. Certainly there's no need to keep the beer on the yeast once they've dropped out, assuming no diacetyl is present. This is often around 10-14 days. The yeast aren't going to do anything once they've dropped to the bottom of the fermenter. It seems to me the biggest proponents of a minimum of 4-weeks in primary just want to feel part of a group and/or important. Obviously verify that you've reached your expected FG before you rack to secondary, though.

 

[CRoth36]

Secondary is a waste of time and also a risk of introducing bacteria into the beer. Leaving the beer on a yeast cake is the way to go? Does it affect the taste vs transferring to a secondary after a 10 or so days? I'm sure that depends on variables. Such as how flocculant your yeast is resulting in how fast it settles. Also remember while it may appear that all your yeast has settled to the bottom there may be a small amount working that you cannot see. Yeast cells are very small and cannot always be seen. If you really want to know which is better or which is better for you then do an experiment.