Leave in the secondary, or bottle early?

Jimminator

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I racked my all grain Extra Pale Ale into the secondary 4 days ago. Last night I went down to look at it and while the airlock is still showing just a touch of activity, the beer is crystal clear! I usually had to wait almost 2 weeks to get this kind of clarity as I recall, and I wouldn't mind getting it into the bottles early..... but should I just ignore it and let it sit for my normal 2 weeks, or is it okay to just bottle now?

FWIW, its vitals are:
OG1.062
FG (when racked to secondary) 1.012
Primary 7 days
yeast Wyeast 1056, which I read had fairly low flocculation characteristics

Thanks, Jim
 
A longer wait is generally better. Clear, you still have 100,000 cells/ml of wort and they're still reducing off flavors. Airlock activity is generally not an indicator of completed fermentation - have you done a gravity check to see if you're at or near your expected FG?
 
As to FG, yeah, calculated 1.014 and it was at 1.012 at racking, and that was starting from an OG that was 0.06 points high to start with. I think I have a couple of details to work out with the mashing schedule. :roll: But on the plus side, the stuff tasted fantastic when I racked it.

Good point about the yeast still working, so I'll leave it for a spell. This is one of those things you sort of forget when you take 15 years off I suppose. :?

One of the differences between now and when I brewed before is the temperature. This batch is staying in the 63-64 range, whereas before I generally couldn't get the primary fermentation much below 70 (difference between Georgia in winter and Wisconsin in winter). The temperature didn't seem to slow the initial fermentation much, but would you expect it to 'cause' the rapid clearing? (I actually didn't expect this to clear this much, as I also forgot the Irish moss.....)

Thanks, Jim
 
With an English yeast, the temps may have caused the yeast to drop out early - they're notoriously good floculators. But if you're down to 1.012, there should be no worries there. And if the beer is good, even fewer worries... :) Time is our friend, if you're patient enough, it will reward you with better beer.
 
Thanks. Good info about cooler temps maybe helping it clear.

Re: taking my time. I'm one of those people who prays, "Lord give me patience, and give it to me NOW!" But I'll try to maintain my cool for another week or so. :)

Jim
 
there are certain types of beer you can get away with packaging early, Ive done a couple of 1 week batches that were very fine but most beer will taste much better after 30 days from the day you brewed and conditioning cold is always best :D
 
Agreed. British styles can be done quickly but "quickly" is a compromise. Longer is generally better as long as the beer is still in contact with yeast.
 
I have a comment or two under another "Lagering Schedule" that may apply here. Basically, you decide what you want in the beer, plan the brewing and conditioning, then enjoy it. Learning is the fun part. Good beer is the bonus.
 
also if your really in a hurry do it like the pro's and add a filter, Bud says they brew in 30 days and filter
 

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