Beer Forum

So, im sure this has been discussed, but its not been bumped.

primary, bottle.
primary, secondary, bottle.

which is generally the best?

since ive been brewing(bout 15 batches) ive always thrown it in both for a week each, at least. does this matter? 2 weeks in primary then bottle(after its done bubbling and such) something else to watch for?

would like to get this topic started, ive only done both, so i dunno. i wana brew more and more, and with 4 carboys, i can still only do 4 batches.

does it hurt it in the long run sitting in the trub?

flame on.

The current wisdom is that a secondary fermentation is unneccessary unless you intend to dry hop pr do some other addition. Further, you should be checking gravity to determine whether fermentation is finshed or not, rather than counting bubbles or whatever.

BeerPal wrote:The current wisdom is that a secondary fermentation is unneccessary unless you intend to dry hop pr do some other addition. Further, you should be checking gravity to determine whether fermentation is finshed or not, rather than counting bubbles or whatever.

What he said!

You can have the beer sitting on trub for up to a month with no problems. (Because I'm a lazy ass, I've had some in the "primary" for alot longer with no problems!) Most beers don't need that long to finish. Don't worry about the secondary.

I like doing a secondary if I am going straight to bottles - which is extremely rare these days. I also now dry hop in my primary (after it has settled down). I crash cool the primary, and go right into the serving keg for cold aging. First pint might be a little yeasty, but then it is smooth sailing from then. The additional 02 and risk of infection is not worth it for me. If I need to bottle for a comp or to give to friends - I do it afterwards with a CPBF.


Mylo

If you don't do a secondary then how long do you keep it in the primary?

spiderfish wrote:If you don't do a secondary then how long do you keep it in the primary?

Well, until it is done, of course, and not a minute less!

Seriously, it varies (high grav, low grav, ale, lager, warm/cool ferment) but I usually do 2 weeks for mid gravity ales.

spiderfish wrote:If you don't do a secondary then how long do you keep it in the primary?

Fermentation is finished when the gravity stops going down, usually about 2 weeks.

spiderfish wrote:If you don't do a secondary then how long do you keep it in the primary?

Once the krausen falls, I start taking FG measurements every other day or so, sans pants. Once I get two or three consistent values, it's done. If I'm in a rush then it gets kegged. Otherwise it's no big deal to leave in on the cake for up to 3-4 weeks.


Mylo