Primary > Patience > Clarity

[DJCalico]

I have been searching and searching so I didn't have to beat a dead horse in a new thread, but of the hundreds of educated responses regarding leaving the primary alone for 2-3 weeks instead of racking to a secondary...

Does the clarity become comparable in the primary at 2-3 weeks as it would be in a secondary?

I am currently on day-4 of my primary fermentation (first batch on my own) of a summer ale. I was a bit nervous for the first two days as the color was a great dark brown color (used 4 lbs of DME) but now it is starting to mellow into a nicer blonde color that I would associate with a 'summer' beer. It is milky, not clear. My LHBS recommended this recipe for a quick turn around as it was a 10min boil. He was enthused about how quick the turnaround is but after reading this amazing message board, I'm siding on the philosophy of 'chill out and let it do it's thing' even though I'm the most impatient person ever lol.

So I'm rambling, but the summation is, if I keep the juice in the primary for 2-3 weeks will I end up with a nice clear beer if all goes well?

many, many thanks!

~cheers

 

[Arneba28]

it will be clearer than it would if youi just left it say a week. now if aftre your 3 weeks primary, if you can cold crash it for a few days then bottle you will be in good shape. If after your primary you can secondary for a few weeks to let it mature, then cold crash it you will be in great shape to have a very clear beer!

 

[homebrewer_99]

Right...

The reason for a secondary is two-fold.

1. To get your brew off of the yeast. This is good for when you want to wash your yeast, or in most cases here, to obtain an empty fermenter for the next brew.

2. For clearing.

Both fermentation and clearing are natural processes and should be allowed the time to follow their own courses.

You could cold crash your yeast, but you have to make sure the brew is done fermenting first.

I use an attenuation of 75%. Basically, I divide my OG by 4 giving me an approximate (projected) FG. Once the reading has hit that FG number the brew is done fermenting.

Cold crashing will only drop out the yeast. It will not age and/or mellow the brew any faster.

 

[DJCalico]

Decisions, decisions...

I am reading up and see the application of dropping the temp a few days before bottling, sounds intriguing.

I got the deluxe kit last week (6.5g carboy, 5.5g carboy, and bottling bucket) but the brother-from-another-mother at the LHBS said I really dont have to secondary with this summer brew. The issue I see is... do I shoot for a nice clear beer and secondary, or do I bottle and get crackin on my IPA....

 

[homebrewer_99]

Maybe this will help you decide: if you do not secondary...all that yeast will eventually drop out anyway.

Where do you think it is? Right...in the bottle.

The clearer the beer going into the bottle the cleaner the beer coming out.

 

[DJCalico]

Maybe this will help you decide: if you do not secondary...all that yeast will eventually drop out anyway.

Where do you think it is? Right...in the bottle.

The clearer the beer going into the bottle the cleaner the beer coming out.

soooooooooo you're saying... put that 5g carboy to work eh?

 

[RoaringBrewer]

A secondary will definitely help clarity from what I've experienced, BUT that does not mean you need to rack it out of the primary after 1 week. I usually let me beer in the primary for at least 3 weeks, then go to secondary for a week or so, then go to a keg. I've left beer in primary for 5-6 weeks before with no negative effects (read: autolosys) My beer is better now than when I used to do the 1-2-3 method...

So, in summary, although a secondary will definitely help you get clearer beer into the bottle or keg easier (read: less trub in secondary), there are also benefits to a longer primary (yeast cleaning up bi-products, etc). This is why patience is the one thing that has improved my beers as much as any other...

 

[PseudoChef]

Maybe this will help you decide: if you do not secondary...all that yeast will eventually drop out anyway.

Where do you think it is? Right...in the bottle.

The clearer the beer going into the bottle the cleaner the beer coming out.

Well, that's just an incorrect assessment.

It's about time. 4 weeks in the primary is going to be the same as 1 in the primary and 3 in the secondary. The only thing affecting the yeast dropping out is giving them enough time to do so. Leaving the beer in primary for at least 10 days also helps the yeast clean up off flavors that are natural byproducts of the fermentation process.

I don't secondary, I bottle everything, and my beer is consistently clear.

 

[Danek]

A secondary will definitely help clarity from what I've experienced, BUT that does not mean you need to rack it out of the primary after 1 week. I usually let me beer in the primary for at least 3 weeks, then go to secondary for a week or so, then go to a keg. I've left beer in primary for 5-6 weeks before with no negative effects (read: autolosys) My beer is better now than when I used to do the 1-2-3 method...

+1. Darn tootin'.

 

[ThriceIn5Minutes]

I have a similar question and don't want to start a new thread for it.

I have a strong ale fermenting right now on day 11. The OG was 1.088. I pitched WLP060 from a 1.5 quart starter plus an extra tube I had. The yeast went nuts for a few days and then things really slowed down (but didn't stop) after a week, so I took a reading, and the AG on day 7 was 1.05. I raised the temp from ~70 to ~78 over two days and stirred the yeast cake up. Things have picked up and I've had two days of strong activity again.

My question is: How long is this formentation going to take?

I've never made big beer before. I didn't use a published and/or tested recipe, so there were no guidelines re: fermentation time. I planned for at least 4 weeks to give the yeast plenty of time to mellow out all the harsh flavors they might produce with such a heavy wort. Now I'm starting to think the gravity might not stabilize until then.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Well, that's just an incorrect assessment.

It's about time. 4 weeks in the primary is going to be the same as 1 in the primary and 3 in the secondary. The only thing affecting the yeast dropping out is giving them enough time to do so. Leaving the beer in primary for at least 10 days also helps the yeast clean up off flavors that are natural byproducts of the fermentation process.

I don't secondary, I bottle everything, and my beer is consistently clear.

For me it's all about technique and greed.

Some people will try to rack every last drop including some of the yeast that fell out. I just stop syphoning before it starts sucking yeast off the bottom to keep it clean/clear, unless it's a weizen.

As far as 4 weeks in a primary, I've done 34 days before so I can relate, but I have 7 primary buckets and over 20 carboys so I will rack to a carboy so I can brew up some more batches.

In the end it still comes down to a brewers patience as well as clean syphoning techniques/process to achieve a clear brew.

 

[PseudoChef]

For me it's all about technique and greed....

In the end it still comes down to a brewers patience as well as clean syphoning techniques/process to achieve a clear brew.

Same here. I'll design batches 5.5 or sometimes even 6 gallons so that I don't care about stopping that siphon an inch above the trub.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Same here. I'll design batches 5.5 or sometimes even 6 gallons so that I don't care about stopping that siphon an inch above the trub.

Agreed. I do 5.25 and 5.5 gal batches also.

 

[DJCalico]

Well I like all the input here... I called the store where I got the recipe as it was the store owner's recommendation.

He said with this particular recipe... keep it in the primary for two weeks at the temperature it's at (~67'F) and then bottle and store at same temperature for no less than 2 weeks. He said he really didnt recommend a secondary racking as it isnt really necessary with the DME that I used.

I hope it turns out well so I can take my first super-cool pic for this board!

 

[Hibob!]

For my first secondary fermenter try, I had this great idea to put my Cerveza Clone into a secondary with a dash of gypsum to give it a super-clear appearance. However, I think I pulled it off the yeast too soon - absolutely no bubbling in the secondary (5 gal carboy). FG looks to be around 1.02. Can this beer be saved?

 

[Hibob!]

I should mention - Brewers Best Cerveza kit, Nottingham dry yeast (pitched straight from packet to wort), ambient temp 68 degrees.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Well I like all the input here... I called the store where I got the recipe as it was the store owner's recommendation.

He said with this particular recipe... keep it in the primary for two weeks at the temperature it's at (~67'F) and then bottle and store at same temperature for no less than 2 weeks. He said he really didnt recommend a secondary racking as it isnt really necessary with the DME that I used.

I hope it turns out well so I can take my first super-cool pic for this board!

Racking has nothing to do with using DME. It's the yeast you want to separate from the brew by racking it to a secondary then letting even more yeast drop out.

 

[homebrewer_99]

For my first secondary fermenter try, I had this great idea to put my Cerveza Clone into a secondary with a dash of gypsum to give it a super-clear appearance. However, I think I pulled it off the yeast too soon - absolutely no bubbling in the secondary (5 gal carboy). FG looks to be around 1.02. Can this beer be saved?

Gypsum is used to make your water harder, not for clarifying. Are you sure you don't mean gelatin?

 

[Hibob!]

Gypsum is used to make your water harder, not for clarifying. Are you sure you don't mean gelatin?

How about bentonite?

 

[homebrewer_99]

How about bentonite?

I chose gelatin because it also started with a "g" like gypsum.

Anyway, isn't bentonite mostly used by wine makers?

 

[Hibob!]

Ran across it in Joy of Homebrewing. I had not used any finings during the boil, like Irish moss, so I went with bentonite as a clarifier in the secondary.

 

[DJCalico]

Racking has nothing to do with using DME. It's the yeast you want to separate from the brew by racking it to a secondary then letting even more yeast drop out.

Clearly put, and roger that!