How do you gauge fermentation length?

I do a 2 week primary for most beers, 3 for bigger beers, 3-4 for Lagers (depending on size), and watch gravity for Saisons and funkier stuff. I pitch healthy yeast from starters using a calculator or brewery pitches, hold the fermentation in the middle of the suggested range for 3 days, then step up by 3 degrees every 3 days until I get to around 75*F, and hold until day 12, then cool to 40 over 2 days. Never had an issue with off flavors or under attenuation. But, it all depends on pitch rates and temps, knowing your system. After primary I rack to kegs, and cold condition a few weeks while carbing, then jumper to a fresh keg to get it off the yeast.

 

Completely agree with @jbakajust1. I can't help but go check the fermentation 3x a day. So every time I check I look at the bubbler. As long as it's increasing in frequency, I leave the temp at the target temp. As I notice it tapering I increase the temp a degree or 2 a day until I get to my personal temp ceiling. Lagers are lower than ales and ales are lower than Belgians. I hold the temp there 1 week beyond that point. Then I start taking gravity readings and tasting. Lower og beers finish/clean up quicker than bigger beers.

Conditioning I determine by tasting samples out of the keg, and by samples I mean 12-24oz. samples.

 

Just a point of clarification, because I hear "big beer" being used a lot. Is it:
1. Physically larger fementation volume, like 10 gallons
2. Very high gravity stuff

 

Good point. I hear big beer, I hear high OG. Unless I'm at BWW. Then big beer means big mug.

 

Good point indeed. I view Big Beer as anything over 1.080, especially something in the 9% ABV and up. The yeast can get a little drunk at that alcohol level and as we all know, no one functions at 100% after imbibing at those levels. Give em an extra week to get their work done.

 

Same here. During the "few weeks" of cold conditioning while carbing up, I easily "sample" a gallon of beer a pint at a time over that time frame. Just can't stay out of my kegs.

 

I'm with ya. Even during the secondary fermentation I can't help but get out that wine thief and do a few pulls just to see how it's tasting. I am impatient

But to answer your question InVitoVeritas, I normally do 2 weeks primary (just to insure there's been a complete ferment on the yeast) and then another 2 weeks in secondary for 'normal' gravity brews. But for the high abv beers, I give it a LOT more time. I did a 15% barleywine over a year ago that I'm still waiting on... the few samples I took are still tasting pretty harsh. These kind of beers need some serious time to mellow, but once they do, you will have something special. just brew another batch while you wait, and then brew some more

 

"few weeks"?

 

Usually, I just plan on 10-14 days for fermentation for ales, plus a week of cold conditioning/clearing before kegging. I don't transfer to a secondary. Generally, ales are going to finish up more quickly than that, but I've never seen the point in rushing things. Normally, I take a gravity reading before I start dropping the temp for the week of conditioning, and as long as it's what I expected I assume the yeast is done. I always taste, too.

For lagers, I'm a little more hands on. I'll check gravity and do a taste test at two weeks, and then usually raise the temp for a d-rest and to help ensure full attenuation. Once the higher-temp rest is finished (usually 2-3 days) I'll slowly bring the beer to something near lagering temperatures, transfer to a cornie, and lager.

 

"Few weeks" = however long it takes to carbonate fully, drop clear, and start hitting its stride before I start drinking it more often. Around 2-3 weeks for the carbonation to hit and to clear up, then I jump to another keg. Another week to let any leftover sediment that made it in to settle out and pull off, and get the CO2 back to where it should be. So typically, the beer starts really drinking well around 5-7 weeks from brewday.

 

Ive never heard "Big Beer" and thought amount. Always ABV

 

Do you ever use gelatin? And if so, do you do it in the first keg while conditioning or in the second keg?

 

I leave all beers on the yeast for at least 3 weeks. Big beers 4. Good luck.

 

Nope, never have. Up until my latest IPAs I just left the beer in the first keg with any dry hops still in them until they kicked. It would take a few weeks for it all to clear, then drink great, until the keg behind it blew and I had to move a keg out of the fridge to get the next one. I lost over 1/2 a Vienna Lager to cloudy chunky pours from resuspending all the particulates when moving it around. I finally started jumping on this last batch of 3 IPAs and wow was it better. Jumped 2 of them once, and one twice. The one that jumped twice went to a church party and was pouring clear as soon as I hooked it up. The other two that got jumped once were moved out of the fridge this weekend to install my new (used) dual regulator and 4 way splitter valve and when I hooked them back up they were cloudy. Next night there was a taster glass worth of cloudy beer before I had clear beer again for our LHBC meeting. Worked great. Gonna do the same thing with a Porter I kegged last night. Gonna get coffee for a day or two then rack it off, crash it and rack it again.

 

3 weeks primary, no secondary unless I'm adding an extra dry hop/ingredients. Then keg and set at room temp for a week, 2-3 weeks if I'm priming with sugar. Into the fridge and 3-4 days before trying, I've tried rushing the process and shortening the times my beer goes through each process but it always seems to taste best at that 6week+, so I now just wait

 

for me, brewing and racking only happens on weekends. so a typical beer would be brewed on Sat or Sun, then fermented for at least three weeks. maybe 4. maybe 5, depends on how busy I am. i'll rack into a glass carboy and place in the kegerator for cold crashing. then usually one week after cold crashing the beer is forced with CO2 into the keg. then another week in the kegerator, usually, and gelatin is added to the keg. sometimes I skip the gelatin or just forget.
I brew frequently this time of year so there will always be a beer somewhere along the fermentation/cold crash/conditioning/ready to drink time line.

and yes, I am drinking a bit, ounces, as soon as it is kegged.

I do not like to rush my beers. not my thing.
Cheers.

 

Big beer! *Snicker Snack*

 

Big Big Buck Beer

 

I will check in on the beer at the two week mark and make a decision whether to give it more time or not. Typically, they are not skimming any more gravity points by this time but there may be some undesirable off flavors that could benefit from a week of yeast clean-up. I'll check in on it on a weeklyish basis from here on.