Single Fermentor Fermintation Question

[Ufkin17]

Hey guys,

I've recently started home brewing just a couple of months ago and have enjoyed every minute of it thus far, but up to this point I've been using ingredient kits that are put together for you just to get used to the brew process and what not. Well I've recently created my own recipe for an American Pale Ale and had a question about my fermentation process.

Up to this point the ingredient kits fermentation lengths have only been about 1-2 weeks. I used BeerSmith 2.0 to create my recipe in order to make sure the profile is that of a Pale Ale, and I know the fermentation process is longer for Pale Ales. The software is telling me to ferment for 30 days with a single fermenter. My concern is the beer sitting on the trub of a primary fermenter for 30 days. Will this create off/sour flavors in my beer, and should I consider getting a secondary fermenter to prevent this?

 

[Copperpots_Brewing]

Well, that's not entirely true. Some pale ales can be fermented and ready to drink in as little as 2-3 weeks. Fermentation lengths depend on gravity and complexity of beers. My standard is 2-3 weeks in primary and 1-2 weeks in secondary, regardless of style. Some people say letting beer sit on trub can only help it. But I haven't found that in my personal brews. On the contrary, some people say the trub can give you astringent flavors. I feel that a Secondary is more beneficial by helping you with clarity.., which is key in a pale ale.

 

[Double_D]

No you'll be fine. Plenty of people leave in in the primary for the whole process. Ashton Lewis goes into detail answering this question in his book called "The Homebrewers Answer Book". It's a good read for the bathroom you should check it out.

 

[Ufkin17]

Alright, thanks for the quick responses.

According to the software, my recipe (if all works out as planned) should have:

Original Specific Gravity: 1.051
IBU: 36
Color should be around: 8.3 SRM
Est ABV: 5.1%

It'll be a 5-gallon batch.

 

[Golddiggie]

I typically go at least a month in primary with my beers with no racking to another vessel before going to keg/bottle. I even dry hop in primary, with great results. Racking to another vessel during the process, except in a handful of situations is completely unnecessary. There are plenty of people, on these boards, that have gone several months in primary with zero issues.

Look it up and you'll see all about it.