How long in the primary??

[BoxerDog]

Well I have already upgraded to 6.5 glass carboy and I have a nice porter in there right now. I dont have a secondary so I was wondering what should be my standard amount of time I should let by beer hang out in my primary? I was figuring atleast 10 days, then its time to bottle.

Hopefully I will get a 5 gallon secondary in a month or so.

 

[NUCC98]

I think the longest I've ever let a beer sit in the primary was 5 days. Once your airlock stops chirpin'...like maybe down to 1 every 3 seconds or so...I rack to the secondary the next day. You don't want your beer to sit in the primary for too long, because it'll sit on the dead yeast and pick up a lot of funky off-flavors. Stick it in the secondary (I use a 6.5 gallon carboy there) for about a week to let some more stuff to settle out. Bottle it, and let it sit room temp in the bottles for a couple weeks...I've never had that formula fail me.

 

[Yooper]

I use the 1-2-3 method, 1 week in primary (or more like 10 days sometimes), 2 in secondary, 3 in the bottle. I always use a secondary. But if you're not using one, I'd let the beer finish fermenting and then leave it in primary for up to 2 more weeks. You'll have cleaner better tasting beer for it.

You don't have to worry about off flavors for a long time in the primary, like over a month. When you move it to a bottling bucket, just be careful to not stir it up. I'd put the fermenter on the counter the night before, so it will settle back down. Then rack it to the bottling bucket in the morning, leaving all the trub behind that you can. It should work just fine.

Lorena

 

[Fiery Sword]

Hopefully you took an initial gravity reading. Then, whenever you think it is time to bottle, take another gravity reading to confirm if you have reached your target. If you didn't take an initial gravity reading, take three over 3-4-5 days and, if the reading hasn't changed over that time, you are ready to bottle.

If fermentation is not complete your bottles will explode and you won't be happy.

 

[david_42]

A week is a good guideline. There are exceptions, so waiting until the bubbling is down to once a minute and a specific gravity that doesn't change for three days and is in the target gravity range is the only way to be certain.

 

[Richard]

The temp where my primary is located is a little low - a steady 65 or so. Does this mean I should ferment for longer?

 

[Fiery Sword]

The temp where my primary is located is a little low - a steady 65 or so. Does this mean I should ferment for longer?

That really depends on the yeast you used. On the packaging it should have an optimal temperature range. If not, find the manufacturer's web page, the info should definitely be there. I would guess that 65 is fine, but it is worth a check. If you are getting a slow fermantation then yes, stretching out the times in primary and secondary is a good idea. There is a difference between slow and stopped though. If you were down in the high 50's range then you'd be more talking about a stuck fermentation which would definitely require heat and agitation to rouse the yeast. At worst, that situation would need a re-pitch. But at 65 I bet you are fine.

 

[Richard]

The yeast is just a small packet of dry stuff that came with my Mr Beer kit. There isn't anything on the yeast package itself, but the Mr Beer instructions say the temp should be between 68 - 76.

 

[delboy]

Hi
While i wouldn't recommend it i had a brew in the primary for about six weeks. I Went ahead and barelled it so far no off flavours that i can detect!!!

 

[Fiery Sword]

The yeast is just a small packet of dry stuff that came with my Mr Beer kit. There isn't anything on the yeast package itself, but the Mr Beer instructions say the temp should be between 68 - 76.

You are on the lower edge of the yeast range so I'd keep a close eye on airlock activity. If a good deal of bubbling happened on the first 2-3 days and then it slowed down I'd check the gravity of the beer compared to it's original. Then I'd wait a week and check it again. If it is above your target gravity both time, it might be stuck. If it dropped from day one to day 3 significantly, then dropped only a little over the next week you are absolutely fine.

....Please tell me you took gravity readings! There have been a lot of n00b questions for the last few days regarding the first few weeks of fermentation. Most beginners skip the whole gravity thing, which is a big mistake. Until you have a good feel for the progress of a beer and consider yourself an 'intermediate' brewer you absolutely should be taking gravity readings. Even after then it is a good habit, though some abandon the practive as they learn to recognize when a beer is fermenting, stuck, done, etc. IMHO, it is essential data.

EDIT:
Dangit I just realized you were using Mr. Beer. I have no experience with Mr. Beer so I am not even sure if they gave you a hydrometer or explained the entire idea about specific gravity. Paging Papa Charlie!!!!

 

[Richard]

Sorry, but I'm totally clueless about gravity readings.

 

[Fiery Sword]

Sorry, but I'm totally clueless about gravity readings.

You need this book.

 

[Richard]

Thanks very much.

 

[Torchiest]

When I only had a primary carboy, I left my beers in it for at least 11 days, and at most 15 days.