Fermentation Question

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peterl1981

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hi guys

I'm just wondering how you ferment, not sure if I'm doing it the wright way...

Ale fermentation

-I wait til yeast has stop bubbling then wait a day or 2, at 18-20
-then transfer to secondary leave at 18-20 for 7 days on last 24 hours i chill to 4 degrees
-transfer to keg and gas up
-and then drink


is that right or should i not use secondary and just chill after fermentation has finished or ant suggestions



thanx in advance..
 
Ales are generally quite forgiving. I just leave mine at 18c for a week, take a specific gravity reading and check again a week later if it's under target (I only get time on weekends anyway. If all is well, I drop it to -1 where it stays until I find the time to filter(if applicable) and keg, but I usually allow 2 weeks. Some ales, despite filtering, are better after a bit more maturation, but most are good to drink after this 4 week process. I used to transfer to secondary, but experience dictates that it's more or less a waste of time for a 3-4 week period. I secondary all my lagers prior to lagerig though.
 
lagered a kit beer for 5 and a half weeks on the yeast cake and its still the best lager I have put down (AG included) So forget the hype about leaving on the yeast cake. Although only done 2 lagers in AG and didnt give them the time and attention like the kit one so that goes to show that time makes all the difference. I would not worry leaving beer on the yeast for 4-5 weeks after fermentation. If you plan longer the yes rack it if its a ale why bother?
 
I usually leave it in the primary for 5 weeks maybe more but thats only because I work away for a while. If i had the chance id rack it off the primary after a 3 week ferment and a 1 week cold condition into a keg. I filter these days so just gravity through the filter into the keg ready to drink. I wouldn't want to take an ale off it's yeast before a couple of weeks.
If you have clean yeast and constant temp's then your going to get great beer if your patient. Yeast needs to clean up after itself. If you are looking for a fast beer I think there is one in the data base called" parched as bro" which claims you can be drinking it within a week. I haven't tried it yet but im thinking about it because it looks quiet good.
Well back to Russell Howard.

EDIT: Not sure why I use the word primary because as far as im concerned there is no secondary. Why bother? to much cleaning for nothing.
 
How can you have been a member on the forums for 2 years, yet still rely on your air lock?
 
I'd ditch the secondary, in home brew your better off leaving it on the yeast cake as it helps clean up components like diacetyl.
 
Also, you generally want the yeast character to be more prevolent in an ale, so extra time in primary and less yeast exclusion can improve the final qualities.

I have a bit of a set and forget process with lagers, which is why I rack to secondary (a 20L Jerry) but if I were kegging within 6 weeks, I wouldn't bother.
 
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