English ale

[beerclone]

So, the beer I am going to brew is an English ale and the recipe calls for using a secondary fermenter. I know opinions vary on here, but if I don't use the secondary how will this effect the beer? Less clarity? Flavor? Just curious.

 

[Smellyglove]

AFAIK, most peole just ditch the secondary fermenter unless you're keeping your beer in the same fermenter for a very long time. I think it's an "old" idea that you should secondary ferment, but keeping it for two weeks on the same carboy isn't a problem, unless it discharges a lot of nasties.

When it somes to the clarity, wait for someone else to chime in. But, transferring makes the risk of oxygenation and infection bigger.

if it's a 2 week ale, leave it in the primary.

 

[masterfool101]

Most of us on here agree that, with proper aging in the primary, the beer will NOT be affected by not placing it in the secondary.

That being said, for optimum clarity, note the following:

1) If possible, cold crash your beer 2 days before bottling. If you haven't used fining agents yet (whirlfloc, etc), consider using gelatin during the cold crash.

2) You want to MOVE your fermentation vessel to where you're going to bottle the beer the night before you bottle, to allow any "stirred up" trub to settle again. If you can't move it the night before, then shoot for a least an hour before you bottle.

3) When you rack to your bottling bucket, take care to get as little trub as you can. Then cover the bottling bucket and allow to settle for 10-15 mins prior to bottling.

In the end, I don't think you'll have any issue just leaving the beer in the primary. As long as you take some precautions, I've developed plenty of clear beers without ever using a secondary.

 

[Smellyglove]

Most of us on here agree that, with proper aging in the primary, the beer will NOT be affected by not placing it in the secondary.

That being said, for optimum clarity, note the following:

1) If possible, cold crash your beer 2 days before bottling. If you haven't used fining agents yet (whirlfloc, etc), consider using gelatin during the cold crash.

2) You want to MOVE your fermentation vessel to where you're going to bottle the beer the night before you bottle, to allow any "stirred up" trub to settle again. If you can't move it the night before, then shoot for a least an hour before you bottle.

3) When you rack to your bottling bucket, take care to get as little trub as you can. Then cover the bottling bucket and allow to settle for 10-15 mins prior to bottling.

In the end, I don't think you'll have any issue just leaving the beer in the primary. As long as you take some precautions, I've developed plenty of clear beers without ever using a secondary.

And, if you're tilting the carboy to get those extra few ml's left in it. Make sure it is tilted before you start draining it. The smallest movement makes the trub flow freely.

 

[beerclone]

So I am reading the instructions again and it gives the option of dry hopping and adding gelatin finings at that time. If I choose not to dry hop so as to avoid the secondary fermenter when do I add the gelatin?

 

[RM-MN]

So I am reading the instructions again and it gives the option of dry hopping and adding gelatin finings at that time. If I choose not to dry hop so as to avoid the secondary fermenter when do I add the gelatin?

You can dry hop right in the primary fermenter. Just make sure the fermentation is done before you add the dry hops. I've only used gelatin once. The rest of the time I let time and gravity settle everything.

 

[beerclone]

This may be a dumb question but why is the gelatin added? To help settling and clearing? Or other reasons?

 

[DocScott]

This may be a dumb question but why is the gelatin added? To help settling and clearing? Or other reasons?

Gelatin causes the haze forming proteins to clump together. This increases the mass of the solids and causes them to drop out of solution faster. This leads to better clarity and certainly faster clarity.

I cold crash my beers for 2-3 days at 37*F then add gelatin to the cold beer. Then bottle about 2 days later. I can get clarity that rivals filtered commercial brews consistently with this process. I've also just let time and gravity work and get similar results. Gelatin speeds the process for me and makes me more confident that it will be crystal clear. Also, I always use whirfloc (Irish moss) in the boil.

 

[beerclone]

I am using Irish moss just wasn't sure the purpose of the gelatin. I think I am going to leave the gelatin out and see what happens.

 

[DocScott]

Sounds like a good plan. Make sure you cool your brew quickly after the boil. If you give it enough time to ferment, condition and settle, I'd expect good results. Let us know how it comes out.

 

[beerclone]

I will definitely report results. I bought a wort chiller so I hope to cool the wort quickly. I have to say, I have only been a member here a short time but the feedback is incredible. Thanks to all!!

 

[Yooper]

I am using Irish moss just wasn't sure the purpose of the gelatin. I think I am going to leave the gelatin out and see what happens.

I always leave out gelatin- it's an animal product and I want my beers to be vegan/vegetarian friendly. You don't need it for clear beer if you follow good brewing techniques, so I wouldn't worry about it at all.

 

[TheJasonT]

Gelatin is the greatest thing you can do to your beer unless you have 1-3 weeks to wait for cold conditioning to do the same. I'm usually at commercial clarity with gelatin in 3 days.

 

[TheJasonT]

I always leave out gelatin- it's an animal product and I want my beers to be vegan/vegetarian friendly. You don't need it for clear beer if you follow good brewing techniques, so I wouldn't worry about it at all.

The trick is to not tell them. ;P

 

[Yooper]

Gelatin is the greatest thing you can do to your beer unless you have 1-3 weeks to wait for cold conditioning to do the same. I'm usually at commercial clarity with gelatin in 3 days.

Interesting. I'm drinking an IPA right now that I brewed on 6/22 which was 16 days ago. It's completely clear, and I don't wait for weeks OR use gelatin. I think good brewing techniques negate the need for extraneous measures, but others may like to draw out the process a bit longer.

 

[TheJasonT]

Perhaps I'm just impatient, Yooper. Tell ya what... I'll try gelatin-free on my next IPA...

 

[CadiBrewer]

Interesting. I'm drinking an IPA right now that I brewed on 6/22 which was 16 days ago. It's completely clear, and I don't wait for weeks OR use gelatin. I think good brewing techniques negate the need for extraneous measures, but others may like to draw out the process a bit longer.

I don't want to hijack this thread, but Yooper, can you give the recipe, fermentation schedule and carbonation routine you used to go from brew to drinking in 16 days? I'm intrigued.

 

[beerclone]

Ok so I have my first batch in the fermenter. I feel a bit stupid because not sure I'm reading the hydrometer correctly. If I am I have missed the OG by a mile. I guess I will see how it plays out.

Also, it seemed I needed to add way more water to the fermenter than anticipated. Not exactly sure what my final boil volume was but I a easily added 2.5-3 gallons of water on a 3 gallon boil. Maybe this is normal?

 

[DocScott]

Ok so I have my first batch in the fermenter. I feel a bit stupid because not sure I'm reading the hydrometer correctly. If I am I have missed the OG by a mile. I guess I will see how it plays out.

Did you add top off water after the boil in an extract batch? If yes, and your volumes were/are correct, the OG reading is probably off bc of poor mixing of the wort/water. Heavier wort sinks and lighter water on top so your gravity reading reads the lighter (lower) gravity of the mostly water part. No big deal - extract batches are pretty much guaranteed to give you the OG of the recipe. Other thing to consider is the temp of your sample. Hydrometers are calibrated for a certain temp. If you're not reading it at that temp, there is a conversion chart usually included with your hydrometer.

Congrats on the first brew. Put it somewhere cool so temps in the beer stay in 62-65 range and be patient!

 

[beerclone]

This was an extract batch and I did add top off water In the fermenter. It is very possible the mixing was not good so I feel better now. Hopefully this batch works.

 

[beerclone]

When should I expect to see activity in the fermenter? I didn't see really anything going on this morning after starting fermentation last nite.

 

[Yooper]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but Yooper, can you give the recipe, fermentation schedule and carbonation routine you used to go from brew to drinking in 16 days? I'm intrigued.

I have made lots of posts about this- but if you want to start a new thread with how to do that, and have others chime in as well (I'm definitely not the only one!), I'd be happy to contribute!

 

[Yooper]

When should I expect to see activity in the fermenter? I didn't see really anything going on this morning after starting fermentation last nite.

Sometimes you don't see much activity, for whatever reason. Sometimes there just aren't a lot of bubbles, and sometimes there is an air leak around the fermenter's lid.

Keep it at 65-70 degrees, and wait for a bit. You may see some bubbling, or you may not. But give it at least 24-36 hours before thinking about it too much. If you really get concerned, you can look at the beer and see if a krausen (big foamy head of yeast) is forming and/or the beer is churning around due to fermentation.

 

[beerclone]

Checked on the brew this evening and thankfully fermentation has started. A pretty steady bubbling in the airlock and some decent aromas. I am going to have a hard time being patient. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[beerclone]

Also, it is a really hot day here in KC today and I have my beer in the basement for fermentation. Temp is about 80 degrees right now, should I adjust anything in the process? Let it sit longer? Try to cool it down?

 

[DoctorMemory]

Also, it is a really hot day here in KC today and I have my beer in the basement for fermentation. Temp is about 80 degrees right now, should I adjust anything in the process? Let it sit longer? Try to cool it down?

If you can, stick your fermenter in a tub of water (a big cooler or Rubbermaid bin will work) and stick a tee-shirt on it. Keep the bottom of the shirt in the water and it will wick up and evaporate the water and keep your beer cool. If that doesn't keep the temperature down around 70, consider throwing some ice in the tub too. I have a couple of sport drink bottles filled with water in the freezer and I just rotate them every twelve hours or so.