Not Doing Secondary; What's Next Step?

Hi,

I'm doing my second batch, using Brewer's Best (a brown ale this time).

I brewed 8 days ago.

It has been bubbling happily since, although the bubbling has slowed a lot in the last several days.

I have decided not to transfer to secondary, feeling that the upside (clearer) isn't worth the risk and hassle, for a dark beer.

Am I correct that, at this point, I just should be looking for the bubbling to stop, then take a gravity reading, then another. When the gravity doesn't change for a full day (two days? three days?), I bottle? And that should occur at about three weeks after the fermentation started?

Thanks.

Don't look at it and just come back at the 3 week mark. Take a reading, record gravity. Wait another two days and take another one. If it is the same and is at your expected final gravity, move onto bottling.

you got it

the gravity readings usually stop dropping no later than day 7 with an ale. time beyond that is for clarity and conditioning. there are exceptions if you under-pitched or temps were under say 65 or if the gravity is crazy high.

Take your time. There's no need to get it out of the fermenter the moment fermentation is finished, because it isn't. The yeast will actively clean up a lot of the compounds that lead to off flavours by being left in contact with the beer for a week or even two after the bulk of fermentation is finished. For Ales, I leave it in primary for 3 weeks religiously.

Ok, thanks!

When you see that the mad bubbling slows or stops,it just means that initial fermentation is done. It'll then slowly,uneventfully creep down to FG. When FG test the same number 2 days apart (2nd test on 3rd day),it's done fermenting. Then give it another 3-7 days to clean up by products of fermentation & settle out clear or slightly misty. Then proceed to bottling bucket & priming.

unionrdr said:

Then give it another 3-7 days to clean up by products of fermentation & settle out clear or slightly misty. Then proceed to bottling bucket & priming.

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Ok. Is there any overwhelming reason to transfer to bottling bucked, or can I just bottle from the same bucket it fermented in?

124Spider said:

Ok. Is there any overwhelming reason to transfer to bottling bucked, or can I just bottle from the same bucket it fermented in?

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Yeah, so you can mix in the priming sugar.

You def wanna get it off all the trub in primary into a bottling bucket to mix in the priming solution. doing it in primary would stir up all that funk & get it cloudy again!

Yeah, that makes sense!

Thanks.

JuiceyJay said:

Yeah, so you can mix in the priming sugar.

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Unless you use carbonation drops. But otherwise, what he said.