Secondary Fermentation

[SuperBrew]

If you are trying to mature your beer in a secondary, is there any hard rule on how long you should leave it in there? Does it just depend on the style of ale? I only ask because I have heard many different times given, weeks, sometimes months, I even know a guy thats had a barleywine in a secondary for over 4 years.

 

[El Pistolero]

Yes, the hard and fast rule is that you should leave you beer in the secondary until it's ready to bottle (or keg).

 

[SwAMi75]

Depends on lots of things....OG, yeast, temps, etc. The easiest thing to do is check your gravity. If it's the same three days in a row, then it's finished. Unless, of course, it's way above where the recipe was supposed to have finished out.....then it's stuck.