Hi, if you are doing a recipe kit, and it said to ferment for 5-10 days then transfer to secondary fermentation process. But if you are just going to do it all in one bucket/ carboy if the fg is at reading you want at 10 days does that mean you don't have to do the 1-2 weeks that you would do in the second bucket/carboy. You can just do the bottling and conditioning?
If you’ve hit your target gravity, I think you are best off bottling or kegging it, then letting it condition there. Generally, even if fermentation is done, the beer tastes best after a week or two conditioning.
Secondary or from the primary fermenter will make beer. Since you can see there is a difference of opinion in the use of secondary fermenter usage, I. Suggest , if you are interested, making 1 batch using a secondary and another batch of he same beer bottleing , as others suggest , from the primary and make up your own mind. Have fun brewing beer, it is a super experience.
Hey I am just wondering if it should ferment the extra 1-2 weeks or when it is done it is done. Because I was under the impression that the conditioning is done in the bottle before you chill and drink. So you can also condition in you carboy too?
Yes, I do condition big stouts, barley wines and other beers often in secondary. But, I will say your best method is taking a sample after the prescribed time it takes to ferment as well as paying attention to sanitation, temperature and all the other check list items the recommended readings list.
I want to emphasize that, while you may have hit terminal gravity, that doesn't always mean that fermentation is over. The yeast clean up off flavors like diacetyl and acetaldehyde once all the sugar is gone. I always let my beer ride a bit longer after I reach FG.
Okay thank you. So basically your saying that it doesn't hurt to let it sit a bit longer in your carboy? So when you bottle your beer you let it sit at room temp for another 2 weeks before chilling.
Unless you are doing extended aging or adding something like fruit or oak or flavors, transferring to secondary is not “needed”. Some people swear by the process and love it. I don’t. You should try both and see what you like. For a basic kit, particularly if you are a beginner at this, you are potentially causing more problems than you solve by transferring to secondary. As far as your question about gravity, don’t get too hung up on what number it’s supposed to be concern yourself with a stable gravity. It doesn’t always finish where the kit or recipe says. It finishes when it’s done and a stable gravity tells you it’s done.
At least...because you are adding priming sugar that needs warmer temps to ferment/prime...and the beer also needs time to condition/age to smooth out the rough edges. 6-8 weeks total is probably average...unless you are brewing a hoppy NEIPA or other style that favors "green". Not much difference between bulk aging in a carboy or in individual bottles, imho. Edit: cold storage is usually best after priming is complete.
I'm in primary for two weeks at least. It's not going to hurt your beer to let it sit longer than a week.
Correct on both counts. I usually have my beer in the primary for a week or so until the krausen goes away, then in the secondary for a week or so until it clarifies and all tiny fermentation bubbles stop, then two weeks in the bottle (if I’m able to stick it out for that long)
