Looking for a clearer understanding of why my secondary fermentation stage is recommended to be 3 months when my previous recipe was only 4 weeks.
When I transferred the wort from the first carboy to the second I got rid of all the solids ending with a clear wort, so is there anything more for the yeast to work with?
What am I missing if I bottle after the 4 week mark?
Basicly to condition your beer. Clean up the last yeast. Or you dryhop in secondary. Four months. Fermenting. I do it for a high gravity beer. Or fruit beer. Or stout. Only way to tell your beer ready. Less than 4 months. Take several. Gravity readings. Over a period of days if gravity the same. Your beer ready
The peeps that keg, can tell you of the “green beer” syndrome… My thought, is it does take time for all the ingredients in the brew to combine… just like in making bread… the yeast and the grains need some time blend and become a mature product…
There exceptions… Very hoppy forward brews like to show case the hops from a very early point… And some of the smaller brews mature sooner rather than later…
Sneezles61
What are you brewing that recommends 3 months? What was the original gravity and what was the yeast/bugs?
I am making a Lambic inspired Kriek right now and it will be batch aging for 3 months. I have been tempered to just bottle it many times even though I’m 1.5 months in, then just this weekend the gravity dropped a tad more to 1.007 after being a 1.009 for weeks.
Imperial Stout, instruction say secondary for 2 to 3 months
I used Safale S-04, O.G. was 1.086
I should add, I am pretty new to this and do not have the equipment to test the gravity.
So I presume your reply would be either buy a hydrometer so I can check it, or wait the 3 months:grin:
Beer changes flavor as it ages. For hoppy or aromatic beers that’s bad because the desired flavor or aroma fades over time. However for a big malty beer, bulk aging lets the flavors develop in a very good way that gets better the longer you leave it. Even after bottling (assuming you don’t drink it fast) you’ll notice a flavor change from month to month. Best I’ve ever done is a barley wine that lasted two years. I bulk aged that for 4 months before bottling. The beer tasted very good after month or two in the bottle, but tasted fantastic at one year and even better at two!
Bulk aging (which is leaving the beer in the primary or secondary fermenter for months) is almost never about dropping gravity. I would suspect…meaning I’m guessing…that @squeegeethree’s gravity drop at 6 weeks, was due to the kviek yeast.
Lagering would be another reason for a lengthy fermentation because the yeast are doing their thing at a slower pace.
Got it. Thanks for your help guys.
I’ll leave it the full 3 months then, cheers
Get the hydrometer and thief or in you have the money a Tilt hydrometer
Me do this saturday. A kriek lambic. Got to be ready the 1 of june. Than my sister on island. Surprise visit with my mom. They both like kriek. So plan let it ferment untill 1 june than keg and ready to drink 10 of june. Only thing next week got to buy frozen cherries.
