Debating how long to leave my beer in primary

[natural]

Hello,

I recently brewed a brown ale. The grain make up was this.

7lbs Marris Otter
1/2 honey
1/2 chocolate
1lb crystal 40
1/2 vienna
7oz brown sugar added 15 minutes at boil

williamette for bittering, goldling for flavor, no aroma addition.

Mashed at 154.

I've got it in my primary. I look at the recipes on the website and I notice most of Edworts recipes call for 10 days primary, no secondary. I see some saying 1 week primary, 2 weeks secondary.

I'm going to just stick to my primary, it's in a glass carboy. I just dont know if I should go 10 days, 14 days or 21 days. Hoping for some insight for what the differences are going to be. I keg my beer and don't bottle any of it.

 

[fartinmartin]

Days are not the criteria, get the SG done and make decisions on that.
The longer you leave it the clearer , cleaner it will be.

 

[natural]

Thanks! I just checked the gravity and it's only dropped to 1.018. I didn't get the OG because my hydrometer fell and broke right before I went to take the reading haha. But it could still use some time. My recipe says my gravity should finish at 1.013 but who knows because I don't know what my OG was.

 

[kh54s10]

1.030 is target. Depending on many variables your FG might be different. A few points higher or lower should not be of concern.

Let your beer have the time it needs, don' go by a calendar.


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[Medicbrewer]

Now that you have a hydrometer again, a good rule of thumb is when the reading remains the same for 2-3 days in a row, then fermentation is complete.

 

[flars]

Some recipes for kits just suck. The recipe is the same for any of the kits they sell. When your SG is stable active fermentation is done. After active fermentation natural off flavors of the fermentation are cleaned if the beer is left on the yeast cake. When the CO2 produced by the fermentation is no longer in solution, off gassing, the yeast and sediments drops out to clear the beer.
Some yeasts finish a beer very slowly after a very active initial fermentation. You may need stable hydrometer readings over a period of three to five days if the wort temperature is optimum for the yeast used.

 

[cjgenever]

I try to give all my brews two weeks on the cake. Just cleans up better.

 

[shtoive87]

Differences if any will be barely detectable as long as the beer has been done for a few days before you package it.


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[cjgenever]

Differences if any will be barely detectable as long as the beer has been done for a few days before you package it.


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My brew buddy can barely tell a difference. It makes a big difference to me. I can taste it in double blind tests. To each their own.

 

[TrainSafe]

Three to four weeks is my minimum. At two months they are beautiful.

 

[paperairplane]

I go 3 weeks in primary for almost everything. Then keg it and give it 2 weeks in the keezer before I drink it.

 

[ram5ey]

I do hydro reading for any yeast I'm not used to on my system. Once I get used to what it does I will generally follow that trend, which isn't perfect I'm sure but has worked just fine thus far. In general thought 10-14 days for ales is my thing. Lower gravity (1.036 and below) tend to only take about a week. Again all of this is my system and what works for me. Get to know what works for you and focus on that.

 

[natural]

I've only ever done one beer in a week time span and that was the centennial blonde I found on this site. This recipe I threw together myself so didn't really have a schedule to follow like most recipes.

I'm anxious to get it kegged because it's been so long since i've brewed. It's been so damn hot in my apartment.

I'll wait until it clears up. Usually I can see it quite well. I wasn't worried about fermentation, just curious what people do for clearing/aging. When i've made pale ales before, there's definitely a huge difference from the time it's carb'd to a week or two after. I imagine you're going to get the same thing from sitting in the primary.

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Going to suck it up and keg it at two weeks, the absolute minimum I should probably give this. Try and shoot for 3 weeks.

 

[paperairplane]

Give it two weeks and then cold crash it for a day or two - if you rack carefully, should be nice and clear.