"Do not transfer to secondary until final gravity is reached" .. ??HUH???

[woozy]

Not really. It all depends on the yeast. Yeast are living organisms and they do as they please. Some yeast will finish fast and some won't.

Okay... explain. The fermentation takes 5 -7 days. And then... final gravity is reached? Final gravity isn't reached? It's mostly reached but yeast can wobble it around a bit for several weeks? Fermation that usually takes 5-7 could in some cases take four weeks? Final gravity becomes stable while the yeasts read your mind and now you want to rack but then final gravity becomes unstable after racking because the yeast is afraid of bottles? huh?

I don't see how final gravity being reached maintained can be a requirement for fermentation to be over, fermentation taking 7 day max, and final gravity being reached being a test for bottling after 2-4 weeks, can be mutually consistent concepts.

 

[lebucheron]

Okay... explain. The fermentation takes 5 -7 days. And then... final gravity is reached? Final gravity isn't reached? It's mostly reached but yeast can wobble it around a bit for several weeks? Fermation that usually takes 5-7 could in some cases take four weeks? Final gravity becomes stable while the yeasts read your mind and now you want to rack but then final gravity becomes unstable after racking because the yeast is afraid of bottles? huh?

I don't see how final gravity being reached maintained can be a requirement for fermentation to be over, fermentation taking 7 day max, and final gravity being reached being a test for bottling after 2-4 weeks, can be mutually consistent concepts.

Yes. Final gravity (FG) is reached when all of the sugar that the yeast is going to eat has been eaten. This usually takes 3-5 days as per Yooper's post. Sometimes (Lagers for ex.) the yeast takes longer to eat all those sugars.
You could drink that 3-5 day old beer and get drunk from your 5% alcohol. But it would suck.... because although your FG has been reached, your yeast pooped out some bad tasting crap that they need to eat up so your beer tastes better. They can do this in your primary or you can transfer them to a secondary to eat that poop. The only reason you check your FG before you bottle is to check to see if you made a mistake; Did your yeast get lazy and not eat all the sugars and go to sleep? - this would be weak, sugary beer and if your yeast decides to wake up in the bottle the C02 pressure would blow those things sky high.
Hope this helped.

 

[woozy]

It's not misleading IMO. Fermentation can last a while depending on temp. The cooler the wort the longer fermentation lasts. The only real way to determine when it's finished is by gravity readings. Normally I don't even bother to take a gravity reading until two weeks have passed.

So.... you're saying that they are saying .... although fermentation usually takes 5-7 days it *could* take 2-3 weeks or longer.

And are they also saying that you *could* bottle imediately after fermentation is done but you probably shouldn't cause you'll probably have cloudy beer?

And in my confusion about the F.G as a test for bottling is that just because I've waited two weeks that doesn't *actually* mean the fermentation is finished?

And if some beers are actually clear after only 10 days, I shouldn't start be concerned that both my two batches seemed ready to bottle in only two weeks? (Seriously, the batch I measured last night did look great.)

But then again even though I measured the gravity once and it was close to the projected final and it has been two weeks, I should measure again on Weds. because after 2 weeks fermentation *might* not be done?

 

[BansheeRider]

Okay... explain. The fermentation takes 5 -7 days. And then... final gravity is reached?

Yes...

It's mostly reached but yeast can wobble it around a bit for several weeks?

No. After the initial fermentation (5-7 days) the yeast will "clean up" improving the "green beer" taste and ridding off flavors.

Fermation that usually takes 5-7 could in some cases take four weeks?

Four weeks is a bit long but it could take longer than 7 days depending on temps and yeast string.

Final gravity becomes stable while the yeasts read your mind and now you want to rack but then final gravity becomes unstable after racking because the yeast is afraid of bottles? huh?

Dude how many beers have you consumed tonight?

I don't see how final gravity being reached maintained can be a requirement for fermentation to be over, fermentation taking 7 day max, and final gravity being reached being a test for bottling after 2-4 weeks, can be mutually consistent concepts.

If you bottle when FG hasn't been reached you will have "bottle bombs". Meaning that too much sugar still exists in the bottle and the yeast will continue to ferment creating bottle bombs.

 

[DirtyOldDuck]

Transferring your beer off the initial trube & into a clean container and letting it sit there for a couple of weeks helps the beer settle out and you get a much clearer, and in some cases a better tasting beer.

I've done it both ways and beer bottled after secondary has about half the sediment in the bottom of the bottle.

I know this is really not addressing OP's question, but I just don't see how this is accurate. Beer clears because yeast and other material in suspension drops out of suspension and settles to the bottom of the fermentor. How quickly this happens is mostly a function of time and temperature, not whatever vessel it is in. Given the same time and temperature, a beer is going to clear just as well in a primary as it will in a secondary. In fact, it may clear even better in the primary because the yeast is not disturbed by unnecessarily racking it to another vessel. A secondary simply does not have any magical powers that make yeast drop out of suspension faster than it will in a primary vessel.

I also doubt that there is any objective evidence that beer tastes better after secondary. Again, everything else being equal, taste may change with time, but not because it was in a secondary.

Finally, the fact that you have noticed more yeast in bottles where you did not secondary, does not mean the lack of secondary is responsible. Different yeast (some floculate more, some compact better), different fermentation temperatures, different fermentation times, and different amounts of priming sugar and levels of carbonation will all effect the amount of yeast sediment in a bottle.

Sorry for the rant. Feel free to disagree.

 

[grem135]

Tack it? Newbie here. What does "tack it" mean?

.

Opps, dang cell phones. I meant rack it

 

[woozy]

The only reason you check your FG before you bottle is to check to see if you made a mistake; Did your yeast get lazy and not eat all the sugars and go to sleep?

OH!!

Okay.

 

[GASoline71]

Different yeast starins take different amounts of time to ferment. A lot of "wheat beer" yeast strains are very fast to ferment, and I've had some in the keg as early as 10 days. Others yeast strains ferment very slow, and take more than 2 weeks. Plus fermentation temps have A LOT to do with how fast yeast work and if the beer is ready sooner.

Most of the instructions you get from LHBS completely suck. They are going by a single guideline to try to help you not make any mistakes so you will have a good brewing experience. The beer might not be the best... but you make beer. Then you go back for another kit... but after some reading and experience... you will learn to pitch the instructions and make your own way of doing things while you brew and ferment your beers.

woozy... are you an engineer by trade?

Gary

 

[BansheeRider]

So.... you're saying that they are saying .... although fermentation usually takes 5-7 days it *could* take 2-3 weeks or longer.

By week 2 the yeast are most likely "cleaning up".

And are they also saying that you *could* bottle imediately after fermentation is done but you probably shouldn't cause you'll probably have cloudy beer?

Not only that but green beer doesn't taste very good.

And in my confusion about the F.G as a test for bottling is that just because I've waited two weeks that doesn't *actually* mean the fermentation is finished?

It doesn't hurt to double check and make sure FG has been reached before bottling/kegging.

And if some beers are actually clear after only 10 days, I shouldn't start be concerned that both my two batches seemed ready to bottle in only two weeks? (Seriously, the batch I measured last night did look great.)

Two weeks should be ok as long FG has been reached. Take two samples three days apart to make sure.

But then again even though I measured the gravity once and it was close to the projected final and it has been two weeks, I should measure again on Weds. because after 2 weeks fermentation *might* not be done?

Absolutely..

 

[woozy]

If you bottle when FG hasn't been reached you will have "bottle bombs". Meaning that too much sugar still exists in the bottle and the yeast will continue to ferment creating bottle bombs.

Yeah... but if this happened it means something went wrong during the fermentation which should have occurred a week or so earlier when all the sugar should have been eaten... but that *does* sometimes happen so you should check during bottle and not assume that the yeast were all healthy and happy little sugar eating robots, right?

Okay, I think I got it.

 

[BansheeRider]

Yeah... but if this happened it means something went wrong during the fermentation which should have occurred a week or so earlier when all the sugar should have been eaten... but that *does* sometimes happen so you should check during bottle and not assume that the yeast were all healthy and happy little sugar eating robots, right?

Okay, I think I got it.

It simply means you bottled too early and didn't make sure fermentation was complete. If this happens when FG was reached then you either had a infection with that bottle or you over primed the batch.

 

[Siteswackson]

I agree and the onle reason I transfer to secondary is to free up my formenting bucket. No patience, I guess