what do you think?

[Seeyakid]

ok guys/girls, I cooked my pail ale on Saturday and talked to some people about the fermentation and how long i sjould leave it so i came up with these numbers, but i wanted to see what everyone thought here:
1.primary fermentation keep in prmary for 9-10 days
2. transfer to secondary and keep in for 1 week
3. bottle and keep in for a week to week and half.

keep in mind im using a true brew pale ale ingredient kit, the directions that come with the kit tho are very vague so i've been trying to figure out stuff by myself and the help of this site, also i know pale ale is a very simple ale so i thought it might not need as much fermentation as the others but correct me if im wrong or tell me your advice on this matter

 

[sculpin]

Keep in bottles at least 3 weeks. The more time spends in the bottles the better should get.

The rest is ok with me, I know others have different opinions about primaries and secondaries.

 

[pd230soi]

Unless you have a very specific reason for moving it to the secondary why risk it?

I use 3 to 4 weeks in the primary and then 4 weeks in the bottle.

Lots of folks have different opinions, but those numbers work for me unless its something big.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

Unless you have a very specific reason for moving it to the secondary why risk it?

I use 3 to 4 weeks in the primary and then 4 weeks in the bottle.

Lots of folks have different opinions, but those numbers work for me unless its something big.

+1 - 3 weeks primary minimum, then bottle taste one at week 1, then at week 2, then at week 3, around week 3-4 your carb level will be correct, and beer will be tasting good. If it is a higher gravity ale, condition longer, a normal 1.054 or less should be good to go between week 3-4 after bottling.

Also, no reason to move to secondary unless you are trying to clear your beer further, or do an actually secondary ferment on fruit, oak, or such which will require an extended aging period. All it does is introduce another chance for infection and if you are careful your beer will have minimal sediment.

Cheers!

 

[ReDim]

I do have this crazy idea:

Keep in primary till done fermenting, then transfer to bottling and keep for like at least a month to age...

It's done fermenting:
When the airlock activity stops AND the white stuff floating around (crust) goes away, then take a gravity reading and see if it's done.

If it is not done by 3 week time clean it (move to secondary)...

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

I do have this crazy idea:

Keep in primary till done fermenting, then transfer to bottling and keep for like at least a month to age...

It's done fermenting:
When the airlock activity stops AND the white stuff floating around (crust) goes away, then take a gravity reading and see if it's done.

If it is not done by 3 week time clean it (move to secondary)...

This is the wrong way of going about measuring if your beer is complete. Get a Hydrometer (if you don't have one). Measure your gravity before pitching your yeast. After at the very least 1 week (5-7 days) check the gravity, if there is no change over the course of 3 days (72 hours) your beer is more than likely finished. Then bottle or keg, and wait more. At least 2 weeks if force carbonating via keg, at least 3 weeks if bottling.

SIMPLE METHOD:
Or you could leave it alone for 3 weeks without even thinking about it in the primary fermenter. Then carefully rack to keg or bottling bucket. If kegging set your PSI to the desired range, I use 12-15 PSI with my 10' lines to faucet, if you are bottling, use approx 5 oz of dextrose to carbonate to roughly 2.0 volumes (look up your volume chart if necessary). Wait at least 3 weeks after bottling, enjoy your beer.

Cheers!

 

[ReDim]

Schnitzengiggle

That's what I said.. "take a gravity reading"... once all visible signs say done fermenting do that hydrometer trick and if the gravity is close to your final gravity....

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

You are correct, unfortunately I am a slow typist, and I can't see what was typed beforehand.

Credit where credit is due, you were first.

Cheers!

 

[JLem]

2-3 weeks in primary is all you'll need. The beer will clear just fine and the yeast will have time to complete fermentation and then clean up after themselves (the yeast will metabolize unwanted byproducts of fermentation).

As others have said, there is no reason to move to a secondary for most beers. I only use a secondary if I am bulk aging or adding oak +/or fruit. Otherwise it's 2-3 weeks in primary and then bottle.

 

[Seeyakid]

would it still ferment if i put it in the secondary for a week after being in primary for 2 weeks, like this is my first brew so i thought i'd try it out. or is 3 weeks just to much time for a pail ale to ferment?

 

[unionrdr]

Just leave it in primary till it reaches FG. Transfering before it's finished could cause a stuck fermentation. Secondary is just more of a bright tank commercially. Used to clear the beer fast with all their machinery. On our scale,we get the same effect with a longer primary.