Our first two batches were a 2-step fermentation. Once the airlock ceased bubbling, we transferred to secondary where we left the beer for an additional 5-6 days before bottling. The hefeweizen we are currently fermenting has been in primary for more than 3 weeks as per advice from another homebrewer. And the chocolate stout was in primary for 2 weeks, then transferred to secondary where it has been for 2 weeks. Rather than listen to other people with this batch, I decided to go with my gut feeling and transfer the beer for filtering purposes. It's a damn good thing because there was a ton of sludge in the bottom that will be significantly cut down on due to our process.
My question is this, and I would like to receive any and all feedback, so please leave comments. Which way is the righty way? It's difficult when you have 12 brewers giving you 16 different answers. Like I said, any and all feedback would be appreciated!
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3 comments:
I am known as the Hefe guy in my homebrew shop I help at and I never leave a Hefe much more 2 weeks in a fermenter, it's a young beer that needs to be drank that way. I have kegged after as little as 10 days fermentation. After 3 weeks I'd get bottled and drinking.
Also no need to secondary a Hefe, ever.
I brewed a chocolate stout earlier this year and did not transfer to a secondary. I probably should have. I say "probably" because I also had a lot of sludge on the bottom of the primary. Now that its been in the bottle for 3 months, there is more than the usual amount of sediment in the bottles (as compared to an oatmeal stout that I brewed last year and also only used a primary fermenter).
Transferring to a secondary would have cleaned some of that up. However, the bottle sediment is mainly a visual thing - I don't think it will really affect taste. So the bottom line IMO is that if you don't like the bottle sediment, then transfer to a seconday. Otherwise, its no big deal.
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