Does sitting in primary help any with flavors?

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lorne17

lorne17

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Hello all,

Does having my beer sit in the primary after it's done fermenting help the flavor at all? The gravity reading has been the same 3 days in a row, but it hasn't even been 2 weeks yet? Should I bottle and brew my next batch or just leave it til about 3 weeks? I ask cuz I'm not in town during the 2 week bottling time.

Thanks,
Lorne
 
Depends on the beer. At two weeks it might be ready to bottle. In my experience, three weeks is better. If nothing else, just to let more yeast settle out. Waiting an extra two weeks won't hurt anything though. I would wait until you get back, but that's up to you.
 
It's a Hefeweizen. I have tasted it and it's pretty tasty! Looking forward to it. I'll wait another week and bottle at 3 weeks.

Thanks all,
Lorne
 
If the FG is consistent after 3 days and you're not getting any noticeable off-flavors, I'd say bottle/keg it since it is a hefe.
 
Oh ok, glad I asked! I can bottle at 12 days, vs 14, since I'm out of town. If the FG is consistent I'll bottle it. Will it last in the bottle for a few months? Or will it go bad faster than other beers?

Ok so my next batch is a Liberty Cream Ale from Midwest. Do I need to bottle that young too?

Thanks,
Lorne
 
lorne17 said:
Oh ok, glad I asked! I can bottle at 12 days, vs 14, since I'm out of town. If the FG is consistent I'll bottle it. Will it last in the bottle for a few months? Or will it go bad faster than other beers?

Ok so my next batch is a Liberty Cream Ale from Midwest. Do I need to bottle that young too?

Thanks,
Lorne
Click to expand...

Your hefe will last for several months. After that its character will fade but it won't "go bad".

One of the characteristics of a cream ale is a very clean flavor and a very clear beer. I would let it sit in the fermenter for 3 weeks for the yeast to clean up off flavors. If you can, I would then do what's called a cold crash to assist in clarification. To do a cold crash you basically drop the temperature to close to freezing for several days to a week before bottling.
 
Thanks Ryush. Unfortunately I can't do a cold crash but I do use Irish Moss in all my brews. Will that be adequate enough?

Any other tips for my Hefe or Cream Ale? I've only done dark brews so far.

Thanks,
Lorne
 
lorne17 said:
Thanks Ryush. Unfortunately I can't do a cold crash but I do use Irish Moss in all my brews. Will that be adequate enough?

Any other tips for my Hefe or Cream Ale? I've only done dark brews so far.

Thanks,
Lorne
Click to expand...

Tips? Yeah. Have patience! Buy another fermenter. Most beers CAN BE bottled after a couple of weeks in primary. ALL beers will be better if you give them some time to develop flavors and clarify themselves.
Two or three consecutive SGs that are the same mean you probably won't have bottle bombs if you bottle now. It doesn't mean the beer is "ready" to be bottled. At least not if you want the best beer you cane make.

Again, patience grasshopper.
 
lorne17 said:
Thanks Ryush. Unfortunately I can't do a cold crash but I do use Irish Moss in all my brews. Will that be adequate enough?

Any other tips for my Hefe or Cream Ale? I've only done dark brews so far.

Thanks,
Lorne
Click to expand...

You'll be alright without a cold crash. Hefeweizen is supposed to be cloudy due to the wheat and powdery yeast.

For the cream ale, just make sure to give it 4 weeks in the fermenter if you can stand it. If you absolutely have to brew again faster than that, racking to a secondary vessel after the gravity has stabilized will let you free up your primary and still give the cream ale enough time to clear completely. Or if you don't have a secondary make sure to chill them at least 24 hours before you drink them.

Also, try to keep your cream ale in the mid 60s (maybe even lower) while its fermenting to avoid any esters that are not "correct to style". If you can't do that its not a big deal though.
 
Good to know, thanks all!

I'll bottle my Hefe this Friday since you all think it's better to bottle younger. I can let my cream ale ferment 4 weeks. I just wish I brewed that one earlier so I'd be ready for summer! haha. How many weeks will my Hefe and Cream Ale need to be conditioned in the bottles?

Thanks,
Lorne
 
It will take 2-3 weeks for it to carb properly. Hefe will definitely be ready after that. Cream ale might improve a little bit afterwards but probably not enough to really matter.
 
Roger that, cuz I was trying to have both brews ready in time for my buddies Bachelor party I'm throwing in the mountains the weekend of July 4.
 
Ryush806 said:
You'll be alright without a cold crash. Hefeweizen is supposed to be cloudy due to the wheat and powdery yeast.

For the cream ale, just make sure to give it 4 weeks in the fermenter if you can stand it. If you absolutely have to brew again faster than that, racking to a secondary vessel after the gravity has stabilized will let you free up your primary and still give the cream ale enough time to clear completely. Or if you don't have a secondary make sure to chill them at least 24 hours before you drink them.

Also, try to keep your cream ale in the mid 60s (maybe even lower) while its fermenting to avoid any esters that are not "correct to style". If you can't do that its not a big deal though.
Click to expand...

So, I was wondering about this one. I did a hefe with Weihenstephan yeast. It has been fermenting in the basement and seems to have done well in the fermentation - i.e., vigorously bubbling, etc., though I have yet to check the FG. Anyway, it has been hot now so we have have had the AC on in the house and back room in the basement where I keep my beer stuff (including fermenting beer) is down to about 62 degrees. I know Wyeast lists the fermentation range on this yeast from 64-72, so I am not that far off. My question is, what are the dangers if it is too cold? Anyone?
 
If it is still fermenting you should keep the beer in the recommended range for the yeast. Otherwise it could go dormant and you could end up with too high a FG. Fast temperature swings can do that, too.

If the beer has finished fermenting, the cooler temperature won't matter.
 
How much does temperature matter in secondary? I've got three beers in 2ndary underndark pillow cases in the garage. It gets up to 90 or so sometimes.
 
nospacehere said:
How much does temperature matter in secondary? I've got three beers in 2ndary underndark pillow cases in the garage. It gets up to 90 or so sometimes.
Click to expand...

I can't tell you a drop dead temperature but 90 is pushing it. I would bring them inside and put them in a closet or something. It won't affect the flavors from the yeast since fermentation is already finished. The increased temperature will make any chemical reaction go faster. That includes the chemical reactions (like oxidation/skunking) you don't necessarily want in your beer. Find a place to store it inside.
 

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