How long til a gallon kit is ready?

Hey y'all, first time poster here.

Got a 1 gallon Mr. Beer kit goin, been about a week now. I'm wondering when it'll be good to brew? It's still a little cloudy, with a few bubbles on top. A few more days?

Just need to know what I'm lookin for, thanks!

I always let mr. Beer go a full two weeks. I've done 5 batches of mr. Beer. I bottled one at 9 days and it wasn't nearly as good as the other batches. Definitely let it go 2 weeks then bottle it.

Does it matter if it's one gallon, or five, or 20? Are the brew times different?

I have never brewed a 20 gallon, so I can speak on 2 gallon and 5 gallon. It is generally two weeks in a primary, then anywhere from 1-4 weeks in bottles for conditioning depending on the recipe. Some guys that are way more
Experienced than I, may have a better rule of thumb based on gravity reading. I am not there yet

I'm new to brewing too, one rule of thumb I've read but not too sure about is 1, 2, 3.... 1 week in primary, 2 weeks in secondary, & 3 weeks to condition in the bottles.

Good tips I appreciate y'all. Newb question, whats primary/secondary all about?

MrMonkey said:

I'm new to brewing too, one rule of thumb I've read but not too sure about is 1, 2, 3.... 1 week in primary, 2 weeks in secondary, & 3 weeks to condition in the bottles.

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Yeast does not go by anyone's schedule. They get done when they decide to be done. 1 week is way to early for most beers to rack to secondary. Only gravity readings can tell you for sure though 3 weeks is "usually" safe and secondary is not necessary.

CWing1739 said:

Good tips I appreciate y'all. Newb question, whats primary/secondary all about?

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Some people like to rack to a secondary or bright tank for clearing. It is generally accepted that a longer primary (3-4 weeks) will do the same job.

grem135 said:

Some people like to rack to a secondary or bright tank for clearing. It is generally accepted that a longer primary (3-4 weeks) will do the same job.

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I also think that the longer time the beer can ferment with the yeast cake on the bottom the more full flavor you will get.

Well in the kits destruction manual it says 7-14, no longer than 21 days. I only have this one tank, so if I left it in for the full 21, would that be the best way to get the fullest flavor, with my limited equipment? And then in bottles another 2/3 weeks?

3 weeks should be good for average beers. I usually primary around 4 weeks for beers around 6%. I want to make a belgian strong or a quad and I believe those need extended aging in a secondary.
If you aren't in a hurry then a little extra time never hurts. Let bottle bottle condition for around 3 weeks and then try to fridge a few days before cracking one open.
Notice i said try. I still end drinking at least one to early.... Oh well.
Edit: I forgot it was a 1 gallon batch.... Not many beers for testing so try to be patient. Good luck

CWing1739 said:

Well in the kits destruction manual it says 7-14, no longer than 21 days. I only have this one tank, so if I left it in for the full 21, would that be the best way to get the fullest flavor, with my limited equipment? And then in bottles another 2/3 weeks?

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I personally like the 3 weeks and bottle/keg after that. I think the yeast clean things up after primary ferm completes. My 2 cents

Alright that's good advice, if I'm gonna do it I'd like it to have a nice, full flavor. So another month before I can taste it, plenty of time to stock up on bottles, ha!

Love how its a kit destruction manual! They are trying to ruin your beer!

Seriously though, we are in a tough boat doing 1 gallon recipes. Taking hydrometer samples can put a dent into the final amount quickly if you don't return it to the fermentor. A sometimes take refractometer readings at the end of every week and once I get the same reading I either bottle or transfer to the secondary. 2-3 weeks is more than acceptable for low ABV beers but that is also with ideal fermentation conditions (healthy yeast, proper temps, etc) Hope this helps

CWing1739 said:

Well in the kits destruction manual it says 7-14, no longer than 21 days. I only have this one tank, so if I left it in for the full 21, would that be the best way to get the fullest flavor, with my limited equipment? And then in bottles another 2/3 weeks?

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Yes for kits I generally go with the instructions. The reason people rack to a secondary is to get the brew off the Yeast cake and to help clear the beer up. As you saw I have 2 carboys and 3 5gal Buckets I rack to a 5gal bucket for roughly a week to 10 days, Then transfer to the Carboy "secondary" for another week to 10 days. Some or most people I have seen don't rack to a secondary and say its fine to leave the brew on the yeast cake. Since you don't have a secondary looks like you don't have a choice. Either way you should still have good beer.

I'm gonna brew another batch this weekend if you want in! And come get those bottles.

Cheers

i almost always do at least 2 weeks + in primary and then rack to secondary for a week or 2. I like IPA;s so I dry hop in secondary. I do have a wheat that i'm experimenting with not doing secondary and it's ready to bottle this weekend. I'll be curious to see how it comes out as it's the first beer i have put in secondary.

I think when it comes down to secondary or not, it's a personal choice and there's no right or wrong answer. Benefits to both ways.