So, what is the breakdown of primary only vs secondary users

[pjj2ba]

Lots of continued discussion of the primary only vs debate, but I find it hard to really grasp what people are actually doing. So here is an attempt at a poll to get an idea.

I'll start with a couple of assumptions. We can do another pool for higher gravity beers. Let's assume this is a typical pale ale (ish - no roast malt) with a SG of ~1.050 - 60, say, 30 - 50 IBU's.

Also assuming proper pitch rate, O2 and temperature control

No dry hopping, no wood, etc.

How would you ferment and package this?

 

[fartinmartin]

Primary only.

 

[LovesIPA]

Ferment 14 days, then straight to keg.

If I'm dry-hopping, ferment for 14 days, dry hop for for 5, cold crash for 2, then keg.

I only secondary for fruit, cocao nibs, vanilla beans, etc., and that was only one time with a blackberry wheat beer.

 

[AnOldUR]

Where's the poll?

If you do get a poll up there should be several choices, like never secondary, secondary to dry hop, secondary for wood, secondary for fruit . . . with more than one selection allowed.

 

[pjj2ba]

Part of my reason for this poll is I find it a bit confusing with what folks say, and what it actually entails

It seems to me that some folks who say primary only, still get their beer off of the yeast quickly, while others who say primary only, leave it on the yeast for a long time. So what are people really doing?

I guess the real question is how long do you leave your beer in contact with the primary yeast cake?

 

[LovesIPA]

Getting the beer off the yeast quickly is not a concern for homebrewers. I leave the beer in primary for 2-3 weeks, then package. However, since I keg, I don't particularly care if the gravity is stable. In fact, I only check the FG after the beer is in the keg and carbing up.

 

[Dirty25]

Three weeks on the cake is normal for me. Then it's off to secondary for log term aging or to Kegging for drinking

 

[Wynne-R]

I guess the real question is how long do you leave your beer in contact with the primary yeast cake?

That’s a more interesting question.

I’m in the ‘When it’s done, package it’ mindset. Most beers are better fresh.

Like Yooper says, brew it so you don't have any flaws to clean up after. Apologies to Yooper, she would say it better, but I think the sentiment is accurate.

 

[thegreatmaibockaddict]

I think more people on this forum should get to know your local brewer and learn about how a full sized batch is made and what they do specifically.

For those of you who bottle right off the primary, don't you find that your beer is rather yeasty? Even if you keg right off the primary, there will be quite a bit of sediment in the bottom, so your first few pours will be gunky.

I have always found that letting a brew sit after transferring allows more of the suspended yeast to settle more quickly than letting it sit on the yeast. It also gives you the chance to actually taste the brew before packaging, and you can see if there is some sort of issue before hitting the bottling/packaging day.

 

[LLBeanJ]

That beer would be in the keg right at 14 days. After 10 days I'd take my first (and likely only) gravity reading, which I would expect to reveal that it is at or very near expected FG. I'd then give it a few more days in primary and then keg it. At that point, if I wanted to drink it, I'd put it on tap immediately and have it sufficiently carbed for drinking in 2 days. More than likely, though, it would sit in the keg in my basement for several weeks to several months before it made its way to an available tap. If dry-hopping was needed, I would wait until it was about a week out from tapping, then dry-hop it in the keg for a week, before putting it on tap.

 

[AnOldUR]

I took the second choice, but of those "up to seven days more", three or four of them would be cold crashing time.

 

[LLBeanJ]

For those of you who bottle right off the primary, don't you find that your beer is rather yeasty? Even if you keg right off the primary, there will be quite a bit of sediment in the bottom, so your first few pours will be gunky.

I find that my brews are typically mostly clear within about a week after tapping, which is perfectly fine for me. Here's the thing: I HATE transferring beer. For me, it's a total PITA and one of the least appealing aspects of brewing, so there is absolutely no way in hell I would transfer a beer to another vessel simply to help it clear faster or to keep my first few pulls free of sediment. If ANY of my beers go to secondary, it will truly be for a secondary fermentation, not just to clear it.

 

[dobe12]

Your poll is missing the best choice. Let it sit for 3-4 weeks then keg!

I'll also add, a pale ale NOT dry hopped makes me

 

[ktblunden]

For those of you who bottle right off the primary, don't you find that your beer is rather yeasty? Even if you keg right off the primary, there will be quite a bit of sediment in the bottom, so your first few pours will be gunky.

I cold crash a couple days before bottling and I end up with clear beer with minimal sediment in the bottles.

 

[F_R_O_G]

took the poll than i read the beer your making. fg is stable, plus 10ish days. no secendary. i make mostly HG ipa and stout so it's "primary until FG is stable, transfer to secondary for 14 - 21 days, package" most of the time

 

[kombat]

Every one of the poll options assumes I'm testing the gravity to detect when it's "stable." Where's the option for those of us who don't bother taking such readings, and instead just give it ___ days, and then go straight to bottling/kegging?

 

[UglyDude]

1 driving factor is what or how much is left from previous batches. If I'm completely dry, that ***** is getting force carbed ASAP!

 

[djt17]

18 - 21 days, then keg. I take 2 hydro readings; 1 just after going into the carboy & 1 just before leaving the carboy.

 

[masonsjax]

Yhe real answer is: it depends. Different beers get different treatment for different reasons. For an average ale though, I don't take gravity readings, I primary for 2-3 weeks, then keg whenever I get a chance. Sometimes that will be immediately, other times it is several months or somewhere in between. Many times I leave the beer in primary until the next brewday when I want to reuse that yeast cake.