Obnoxious "make me feel good about this" thread

[Ridire]

IPA w/ OG of about 1.060 brewed last Saturday. Everything from boil kettle made it into the fermenter (hops, etc). Assuming my gravity is now steady (I will check this), I have two options: (1) start cold crashing Wednesday and bottle Saturday or (2) wait another 3 weeks to bottle. I don't like the idea of it sitting on the gunk that long. What say you? That would be 5 weeks in the primary. I will not rack this to secondary.

 

[Ridire]

I call it "obnoxious" because I know it will be OK either way (so, please no RWAHB advice). Just wondering the pros and cons of both options.

I am thinking down side of bottling next week = beer may not clear. Waiting = grassy flavor from so much time on the hops (pellets)?

 

[Tinhorn]

If FG is steady I would bottle it personally

I bet the cold crash clears it just fine

 

[Ridire]

If FG is steady I would bottle it personally

I bet the cold crash clears it just fine

I was very much leaning this way but wanted to hear someone else say it.

I'm thinking of dry hopping at the same time I start cold crashing.

EDIT: I did this (cold crashed after 10 days) with my blonde and it turned out great, in my opinion...just needed a little extra bottle time to completely clear. I was just wondering if it was a good idea with a bigger, hoppier beer

 

[unionrdr]

Sounds like you dry hopped too early? I don't dry hop till the beer is at FG & settled out clear or slightly misty. then I dry hop one week. Just seems like too many people wanna shorten the process & find out all to late that it can't be done. The yeasties have there own timetable. One week isn't enough time for it to finish & settle out.

 

[Ridire]

Sounds like you dry hopped too early? I don't dry hop till the beer is at FG & settled out clear or slightly misty. then I dry hop one week. Just seems like too many people wanna shorten the process & find out all to late that it can't be done. The yeasties have there own timetable. One week isn't enough time for it to finish & settle out.

I haven't dry hopped yet. I keep hearing "one week isn't long enough" but my blonde, in the bucket for 9 days before cold crash was as clear as a commercial lager.

But I do understand the vote for letting it sit, otherwise I wouldn't have posted this. But would you let this hop gunk sit for 5 weeks, the alternative to bottling now?

 

[Tinhorn]

I had good success at least for my tastes doing as follows

One week primary one week dry hop cold crash and bottle at 2 weeks with that SG but again individual results may vary

 

[ChefRex]

One week is way too short, i wouldn't hesitate to let it sit on the hops. I keg but i never transfer before 3 weeks.

 

[Ridire]

Also of note, if I bottle at 2 weeks (cold crashing at 10 days) I will leave it in the bottles at room temp for 4 weeks before refrigerating for at least 7 days.

 

[Ridire]

One week is way too short, i wouldn't hesitate to let it sit on the hops. I keg but i never transfer before 3 weeks.

No grass from all the time on the gunk, in your estimate?

 

[Tinhorn]

One week is way too short, i wouldn't hesitate to let it sit on the hops. I keg but i never transfer before 3 weeks.

I don't think OP is suggesting bottling at one but two weeks if FG is steady and on target by day 10-12 and start cold crash and bottle at day 14
At least that what I was referring to

Good thread tho for dry hopping that not a thousand posts long yet!!!

 

[Ridire]

I don't think OP is suggesting bottling at one but two weeks if FG is steady and on target by day 10-12 and start cold crash and bottle at day 14
At least that what I was referring to

Good thread tho for dry hopping that not a thousand posts long yet!!!

The idea is to begin cold crash at day 10 and bottle at day 14-15.

EDIT: but my understanding is that any yeast "cleanup" is going to stop within 24 hours of my beginning cold crash.

 

[unionrdr]

I call it "obnoxious" because I know it will be OK either way (so, please no RWAHB advice). Just wondering the pros and cons of both options.

I am thinking down side of bottling next week = beer may not clear. {Waiting = grassy flavor from so much time on the hops (pellets)?}

This is what sounded like you dry hopped already.^ If you just left the kettle gunk in there,It settles under the yeast & I've never had problems from it after 5 weeks in primary. But dry hopping 7 days has always worked great for me.

 

[Ridire]

This is what sounded like you dry hopped already.^ If you just left the kettle gunk in there,It settles under the yeast & I've never had problems from it after 5 weeks in primary. But dry hopping 7 days has always worked great for me.

Ah, now I see. No, the grass flavor concern I have is from the gunk from the boil. I am going to dry hop 5 days. Thanks.

 

[Tinhorn]

Whatever you decide let us know how it comes out ! Happy brewing

 

[Ridire]

Ah, now I see. No, the grass flavor concern I have is from the gunk from the boil. I am going to dry hop 5 days. Thanks.

I guess this is really the question: will letting the beer sit on the hop gunk from an IPA boil (I wouldn't be concerned if this were 1 oz of hops) for 5 weeks cause off flavors?

I don't have a patience problem here; I have a scheduling problem.

 

[unionrdr]

Like I said,all that stuff usually settles under the yeast layer. So I've never had a problem with it before I started straining. Even less so know that I do.

 

[ChefRex]

I put a all simco ipa in the fridge yesterday, was in the primary for a month, pulled a little taste, no grass at all in fact it's quite tasty!
Now this sucks to go back to coffee

 

[Ridire]

My main reason for concern is how bad my first IPA attempt turned out. But that thing was an extract recipe (PM, really), I pitched too warm, didn't have my ferm chamber yet, I racked to secondary after one week (oxidizing the crap out of it), left it uncovered in a glass carboy for days, etc. I'm not sure why I have concerns about this beer turning out like that bumblefrock of a mess.

I am yet to have an AG beer not turn out well...but I'm yet to finish an AG IPA. I really want this to be good.

 

[FATC1TY]

No off flavors from sitting on trub for that long. Continue on with your schedule.

 

[Ridire]

Glad I started this thread, as I am begging to be persuaded to the 5 week+ in primary.

 

[unionrdr]

I put a all simco ipa in the fridge yesterday, was in the primary for a month, pulled a little taste, no grass at all in fact it's quite tasty!
Now this sucks to go back to coffee

It's not the fact that the beer is sitting in primary 3,4,5 weeks. We're talking about how long the HOPs are sitting in there during dry hopping vs in the trub from the boil. The stuff in the trub should be covered by the settling yeast. It's the dry hop that can get grassy. If you have to leave it in primary 5 weeks due to work or something,go ahead. 5 weeks isn't bad ime.

 

[RCCOLA]

I only have one rule when it comes to the "when to bottle/keg" question.

The answer is--wait for it---When the beer tastes good. If it's done fermenting, has dropped clear, and tastes good, then it's time to package it. If it doesn't taste good, wait until it does.

For me, that's usually 10-14 days on ales, 14-21 on lagers. Let your taste buds be your guide--not some arbitrary timeline. Your wang will NOT get bigger if you let beer sit in primary for 4+ weeks, despite what some brewers would have you believe.