Question from a first time home brewer.

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by bellalovesbeer, Jan 5, 2014.

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  1. bellalovesbeer

    bellalovesbeer Initiate (0) Jul 29, 2009 Indiana

    Brewed my first batch on New Year's Day. One day later there was lots of action in the airlock. Even blew the lid off the bucket that night. Cleaned and sanitized lid and airlock. Nice bubbling in the airlock for the next 24 hours. Now there has been nothing for the last two days. I am planning a secondary in a carboy. Should I go ahead and do this now?
     
  2. JohnSnowNW

    JohnSnowNW Initiate (0) Feb 6, 2013 Minnesota

    First, why do you think you need a secondary?

    Secondly, even if you're going to do a secondary, let it sit in primary for at least 2 weeks.
     
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  3. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    It sounds like the fermentation is essentially complete, but not quite. As JohnSnow says, let it stay in the primary for a couple weeks to let the yeast finish their job cleaning up after themselves.
     
  4. bellalovesbeer

    bellalovesbeer Initiate (0) Jul 29, 2009 Indiana

    Mainly I wanted to do a secondary to help clean it up and dry hopping. Sounds like it just needs to sit a while longer.
     
  5. JohnSnowNW

    JohnSnowNW Initiate (0) Feb 6, 2013 Minnesota

    Here's my opinion based on what you're doing.

    Don't secondary at all, and dry-hop in primary after the 2 weeks are up...dry-hop for about 7 days.

    If you're bottling, the beer is just going to get murky again during priming. There is always the possibility that you can introduce O2 or nefarious bugs, when transferring, and it's just not worth the risk...especially if this is your first time doing so.

    Anyway, good luck...and whatever you decide to do...do it after 2 weeks.

    Cheers!
     
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  6. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I also would recommend that you don’t transfer to a secondary.

    As regards the advice of waiting two weeks, that is your call. Once the beer has completed primary fermentation (i.e., has arrived at a steady final gravity value and is no longer changing) it is OK to add the dry hops to the primary. The timeframe for dry hopping is often stated as being 7-10 days. I often dry hop for up to 14 days but a minimum of 7 days is a good rule of thumb.

    Cheers!
     
  7. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Sounds like it had a warm ferment, whether you xfer to a secondary or not. What was the OG and what temp did you ferment at?
     
  8. JrGtr

    JrGtr Pooh-Bah (1,775) Apr 13, 2006 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    if you only brewed New Years Day, it's not even close to dome fermenting now.
    As they all say:
    Step Away From The Beer.
    Leave it alone for at least another week, then you can decide whether to actually transfer to secondary or not.
    My theory is that unless it needs bulk aging, like if I'm doing wood aging or doing a sour, leave it be in Primary.
     
  9. bellalovesbeer

    bellalovesbeer Initiate (0) Jul 29, 2009 Indiana

    Thanks for the help. I will leave it until next weekend then decide if I want to do a secondary. I didn't do an OG just because I didn't have the right stuff to do one. I'm going to try and get that stuff before next weekend. At least I can get a FG.
     
  10. CBlack85

    CBlack85 Pooh-Bah (2,762) Jul 12, 2009 South Carolina
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    are you controlling fermentation temp in any way? if not what is the ambient temp of the room/area your bucket is in? it may be a bit too warm, which would lend itself to the quick, vigerous fermentation.

    I would agree that it is not ready for secondary (if you choose to do one, which I wouldn't). I would let it sit for another week or two then add the dry hops direclty to the primary, wait 7-14 days then bottle.
     
  11. ssam

    ssam Pundit (997) Dec 2, 2008 California

    Don't be afraid to do a secondary, as long as you follow normal sanitation practices it will be fine. I find that most of the beers I brew benefit at least a little from a secondary. The main reason I do it though is because my bottling bucket is my primary bucket.

    Also, someone is gonna say it: airlock activity is not something you should use to decide whether or not a brew is done. Testing it with a hydrometer and making sure its steady for several days is the only way to do it. Even without an OG, your FG will at least tell you when the beer is finished/ready for transfer and dry hopping.
    If you post your recipe we can probably give you a rough estimate of what your OG was, especially if it was extract.
     
    #11 ssam, Jan 6, 2014
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2014
  12. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    "The main reason I do it though is because my bottling bucket is my primary bucket."

    You need another bucket (with spigot) :slight_smile:
     
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  13. epic1856

    epic1856 Initiate (0) Aug 11, 2006 California

    OP, wait 2 weeks to be on the safe side. Worst thing you can do is bottle before fermentation is complete which will create bottle explosions.
     
  14. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    "The main reason I do it though is because my bottling bucket is my primary bucket."

    Message to the OP, you should ferment your beer in a primary bucket (not a bottling bucket). There is absolutely no need to transfer to a secondary.

    Cheers!
     
  15. bellalovesbeer

    bellalovesbeer Initiate (0) Jul 29, 2009 Indiana

    The kit I have is the Brewers Best deluxe kit. It came with a primary bucket, glass carboh, and a bottling bucket. I have a hydrometer but didn't have a tube. I tried taking a reading in the primary before pitching yeast but there was too much foam on top to be able to read.
    Also it is fermenting in my pantry. I checked temps several days before and since fermentation started and temps have been between 64 and 70.
    The kit I have is an IPA extract kit.
     
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