Need advice on Fermenting.

Jamisonh

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My brew has been in my primary bucket for 5 1/2 days now. It was bubbling thru the airlock for about 1 1/2 - 2 days and has stopped for about a day now. Should I put it in a secondary crbody in a few days or leave it for another week and then bottle? I read that secondary is not as necessary anymore as it used to be. Also one book says after 7 days bottle it while the local store says to bottle only after 14 days. I confused what to do. I'm new to this and I want it to work. The brew I'm making is a Pale Ale.
 
Totally depending on a number of factors like ingredients, style, type of yeast, fermentation temp, a beer can be finished with the main fermentation in just a few days. You can't trust airlock activity as an indicator when using a bucket. They don't seal well and it could still be very active with the CO2 leaking out before it builds enough pressure to bubble up in the lock.
No...secondary is not necessary but when I use a bucket for primary, I do a secondary in a carboy because risk of infection is less. If you're going to use a secondary transfer when the krausen is gone the beer is nearing final gravity and but before the yeast starts to drop completely...that's almost always longer than 5 1/2 days.
A good way to think about it is 7-10 days in primary and 7-10 days in secondary for low-gravity beers. Be patient and err to the side of longer time. If everything is clean and the temp is in a good range (65F is usually just right) you should leave it for 3 weeks and then bottle it. It's good to take a couple of gravity readings a day or two apart before you bottle.
Good luck.
 
I wouldn't let a beer sit for very long if you've opened it up, it can introduce all kinds of problems, for best results let it set for 7 days, then put it in a warmer area for 3 days, after 10 check the gravity. if their is no bubbles forming on the top and the gravity is close to what its suppose to be then bottle
 
My brew has been in my primary bucket for 5 1/2 days now. It was bubbling thru the airlock for about 1 1/2 - 2 days and has stopped for about a day now. Should I put it in a secondary crbody in a few days or leave it for another week and then bottle? I read that secondary is not as necessary anymore as it used to be. Also one book says after 7 days bottle it while the local store says to bottle only after 14 days. I confused what to do. I'm new to this and I want it to work. The brew I'm making is a Pale Ale.
What does your hydrometer say? There are any number of reasons for the airlock to stop bubbling, few of which have to do with the fermentation. If you're at, or near, your predicted FG, your carboy or airlock likely has a leak somewhere or, depending on your yeast, it may have finished that quickly. Take readings for a couple days and see if they change. If not bottle. If you have a refractometer and don't mind it reading strangely - they don't measure the gravity the same way as a hydrometer - use it due to the smaller sample size (a couple drops) required. You're looking for change, not an absolute measurement. If the readings stay the same over a few days (3-4), it's done. From there you can choose, either let it condition in primary for a while longer (usually my choice), rack it to another carboy and let it condition there at room temperature, or bottle it and let it condition in the bottle. Here's a place where certainty is good - unfermented sugars have a way of fermenting in bottles, causing them to fail catastrophically (read explode).
 
Totally depending on a number of factors like ingredients, style, type of yeast, fermentation temp, a beer can be finished with the main fermentation in just a few days. You can't trust airlock activity as an indicator when using a bucket. They don't seal well and it could still be very active with the CO2 leaking out before it builds enough pressure to bubble up in the lock.
No...secondary is not necessary but when I use a bucket for primary, I do a secondary in a carboy because risk of infection is less. If you're going to use a secondary transfer when the krausen is gone the beer is nearing final gravity and but before the yeast starts to drop completely...that's almost always longer than 5 1/2 days.
A good way to think about it is 7-10 days in primary and 7-10 days in secondary for low-gravity beers. Be patient and err to the side of longer time. If everything is clean and the temp is in a good range (65F is usually just right) you should leave it for 3 weeks and then bottle it. It's good to take a couple of gravity readings a day or two apart before you bottle.
Good luck.
Thank You!
 
I wouldn't let a beer sit for very long if you've opened it up, it can introduce all kinds of problems, for best results let it set for 7 days, then put it in a warmer area for 3 days, after 10 check the gravity. if their is no bubbles forming on the top and the gravity is close to what its suppose to be then bottle
Thank You!
 
What does your hydrometer say? There are any number of reasons for the airlock to stop bubbling, few of which have to do with the fermentation. If you're at, or near, your predicted FG, your carboy or airlock likely has a leak somewhere or, depending on your yeast, it may have finished that quickly. Take readings for a couple days and see if they change. If not bottle. If you have a refractometer and don't mind it reading strangely - they don't measure the gravity the same way as a hydrometer - use it due to the smaller sample size (a couple drops) required. You're looking for change, not an absolute measurement. If the readings stay the same over a few days (3-4), it's done. From there you can choose, either let it condition in primary for a while longer (usually my choice), rack it to another carboy and let it condition there at room temperature, or bottle it and let it condition in the bottle. Here's a place where certainty is good - unfermented sugars have a way of fermenting in bottles, causing them to fail catastrophically (read explode).
Thanks!!
 
What does your hydrometer say? There are any number of reasons for the airlock to stop bubbling, few of which have to do with the fermentation. If you're at, or near, your predicted FG, your carboy or airlock likely has a leak somewhere or, depending on your yeast, it may have finished that quickly. Take readings for a couple days and see if they change. If not bottle. If you have a refractometer and don't mind it reading strangely - they don't measure the gravity the same way as a hydrometer - use it due to the smaller sample size (a couple drops) required. You're looking for change, not an absolute measurement. If the readings stay the same over a few days (3-4), it's done. From there you can choose, either let it condition in primary for a while longer (usually my choice), rack it to another carboy and let it condition there at room temperature, or bottle it and let it condition in the bottle. Here's a place where certainty is good - unfermented sugars have a way of fermenting in bottles, causing them to fail catastrophically (read explode).
Thanks!!!
 
I just brewed a beer with an agressive yeast and fermented below its optimal ferment temp and it had chewed it's SG of 1.055 to 1.012 I. 2.5 days ! You get to know your yeast and fermentations you get a better idea of what's going on inside the brew. I always take a peak at high krausen that's usually day 2. You can see by looking at the side of the fermentor as well what's going on inside. Yeah but after primary fermentation I leave fermentation Vessel alone no more peeping:D.
 

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