Question about brew schedule

[Russ1409]

Greetings all.

I have a question regarding a batch I'm brewing. This is my second brew, and I'm using the Hop Scare IPA recipe from Midwest. The recipe puts the SG range at 1.058-1.062. My reading was 1.066. I use a glass carboy for fermentation, and the temperature was a steady 68 degrees in my dark basement. I got fermentation bubbles immediately.

I like to use the two stage fermentation (transfer to another glass carboy). My understanding was that I take a gravity reading and when it's about half way to the FG then transfer to the secondary fermenter. Then when I am in the range of the FG it's time to bottle.

The recipe says total time is 10 weeks. I checked the gravity this evening after 11 days. The recipe puts the FG at 1.010-1.014. My reading, which shocked me, was 1.010. I'm already at the bottom end of the FG range. So, I put it in my secondary fermenter and put it in the basement, while I came looking for advice.

Where is my brew currently? 11 days is a long way from 10 weeks. How do I know when to start bottling?

I did taste beer, and for warm, non-carbonated beer it was good.

 

[Calder]

11 weeks is a long time for an IPA. IPAs are usually drunk young, before the hop aroma fades.

You are basically done fermenting. Leave it a few days to settle, then add dry hops and bottle a week later.

You have done nothing wrong.

 

[Jimbodaman]

+1 to what Calder said

 

[Russ1409]

Will do.

I don't understand why the instructions are so different from your advice. But as a rookie, I certainly take advice when I ask. Plus, as I said, the beer tasted good to me

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

More edification.....

10 weeks is crazy for an IPA. Do what the experts in this thread have said.

 

[FatDragon]

For clarification on the discrepancy between instructions and the advice here:

Kit instructions are almost always written in terms of older conventional homebrewing wisdom: a few weeks in primary followed by a few weeks in secondary (with dry hops in secondary if they're added), followed by a few weeks of bottle priming.

Current homebrewing wisdom has turned some of those ideas around. A healthy ale fermentation is usually done within a week or less, with wide variation depending on variables such as yeast strain, pitch rate, fermentation temperatures, original gravity, and more. Secondary is also considered unnecessary by most homebrewers, while racking to secondary is viewed as one more chance to accidentally oxidize or infect the batch. Dry hopping - originally done in secondary and often for a week or longer, is now typically done in primary and usually only for a few days. Many brewers also often start drinking bottled brew after a week or less rather than the traditional three weeks.

Kits follow a more traditional schedule because you're less likely to mess up if you wait longer before each stage. Three weeks in primary and three in secondary? You're definitely not going to get bottle bombs! A long secondary increases your chances of bottling a clear beer instead of something murky or hazy. Waiting three or more weeks in the bottle virtually guarantees the brew is fully carbed by the time you open the first bottle. It also gives time for some potential off flavors to age out in case the brewer fermented a bit warm or messed something else up in the process. It's not an optimal schedule for a beer like an IPA that is best enjoyed fresh or for a brewer who doesn't want to wait 2-3 months for his first taste, but it's a safe way to ensure that most new brewers (the ones who are most likely to follow the kit instructions) will end up with a decent beer for their efforts and stick with the hobby long-term.

In short, those of us who have a few brews under our belts know there are quicker, potentially better ways to make a beer, but kit instructions offer a tried and true method to make sure most new brewers can put down a decent batch of beer, even if it takes a bit longer than it needs to.

 

[h22lude]

FatDragon's explanation is great. Those total time estimates are just a rough gauge on what you can expect. They are a good estimate for newer brewers. I know Midwest puts the total time in their catalog. It is nice for newer brewers to see around how long it will take. It doesn't mean you can't make a great beer under that time. For newer brewers that may not have the entire process down yet, it is good to keep the beer in primary a little longer to help clean up any off flavors from a slightly higher or lower fermentation temp. The total time also includes conditioning. Since this is a slightly higher than average gravity IPA, Midwest probably gave an extra week or two in primary and then an extra week or two in the bottle to condition. You can definitely make this beer in 4 weeks...2 in primary and 2 in bottle.

 

[ArthurDigbySellers]

Well at least your instructions err on the side of longer fermentation than the kits which instruct you to bottle after 7 days in the fermenter!

 

[Russ1409]

Thanks for your help and postings everyone. The education is very much appreciated.

 

[kh54s10]

You can make it even easier if you want to. Wait 10-14 days, check the gravity wait a day and check again. If the numbers are the same and close to the predicted FG you do have Final Gravity. Add your hops to the primary fermenter and wait 5-7 days. (depending on hop schedule indicated) Then you can bottle or cold crash then bottle.

I also have never seen directions that call for that long a fermentation. Most say 5-7 days in primary then a week in secondary....

 

[whip]

Russ
I use a 5 week process. 1 week in primary, 2 weeks in secondary and 2 week bottle conditioning.

For my first batch I also racked my beer into a second carboy. But then someone here gave me some good information and good advice.

Primary fermentation is usually done within that for week. Why disturb it to rack it into a second carboy? Secondary fermentation serves a couple purposes. It allows the flavors to meld together and allows for more clarification of the beer through floculation. Very little alcohol is produced is the secondary. After that I began leaving my beers in the same fermentor for 3 weeks. I would rack the beer into my bottling bucket and bottle.



My first batch was an extract batch and my finished product was slightly cloudy even though I had used 2 different carboys. Now that I'm all-grain and leaving my beers in the same fermentor, they are darn near commercial beer clear.

Something else to consider; Anytime you crack open your fermentors, you risk contamination and infection. I've lost 1 batch to infection and believe me, that is not a smell you want to deal with when cleaning up and disposing of the bad beer. Plus not racking into a second carboy cuts down on your sanitizing work !

In the end, it's going to depend on you and your results. If you think you make better beer because of racking to a second carboy, then do it !

Cheers
"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin

 

[Russ1409]

You can make it even easier if you want to. Wait 10-14 days, check the gravity wait a day and check again. If the numbers are the same and close to the predicted FG you do have Final Gravity. Add your hops to the primary fermenter and wait 5-7 days. (depending on hop schedule indicated) Then you can bottle or cold crash then bottle.

Yes, I was planning on checking the gravity and moving to secondary fermenting after 2 or 3 days of steady readings. The only reason I cracked it open to check the gravity so early was because the bubbling stopped so noticeably.

My recipe doesn't call for any hops after the primary fermenting, so I'm done with that. I even went back and re-read the instructions after reading this thread because I was afraid I messed up, but I didn't. Are adding certain hops (like aroma hops, I assume??) a more "current" way of getting the best out of the ingredients?

In the end, it's going to depend on you and your results. If you think you make better beer because of racking to a second carboy, then do it !

Here's the reason our two batches have been racked to a second carboy: This is a shared experience between my dad and me. I get my info off the internet. Dad likes to go to a shop and talk to someone face to face. When he was in Albuquerque (nearest place, 4.5 hours away) he was told racking to the second carboy was required. My research here and elsewhere said otherwise, but I got outvoted, 2-1 (Dad's vote is always at least twice the son's vote)