First beer going to keg and staying in primary fermenter

I have my 4th ever batch (BRICKWARMER HOLIDAY RED ) sitting in the primary fermenter - it has been there for 8 days and I think it is done bubbling. I have used a secondary fermenter in my previous 3 batches and that is only because that is what the DVD said to do.

I did some research on this because I know that it has been debated to death and I found this on another forumn:

[quote][color=#004080]I’ll simply quote part of what John Palmer said in the “Ask the Experts” section if the American Homebrewers Association website…

"The risk inherent to any beer transfer, whether it is fermenter-to-fermenter or fermenter-to-bottles, is oxidation and staling. Any oxygen exposure after fermentation will lead to staling, and the more exposure, and the warmer the storage temperature, the faster the beer will go stale.

Racking to a secondary fermenter used to be recommended because staling was simply a fact of life – like death and taxes. But the risk of autolysis was real and worth avoiding – like cholera. In other words, you know you are going to die eventually, but death by cholera is worth avoiding.

But then modern medicine appeared, or in our case, better yeast and better yeast-handling information. Suddenly, death by autolysis is rare for a beer because of two factors: the freshness and health of the yeast being pitched has drastically improved, and proper pitching rates are better understood. The yeast no longer drop dead and burst like Mr. Creosote from Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life when fermentation is complete – they are able to hibernate and wait for the next fermentation to come around. The beer has time to clarify in the primary fermenter without generating off-flavors. With autolysis no longer a concern, staling becomes the main problem. The shelf life of a beer can be greatly enhanced by avoiding oxygen exposure and storing the beer cold (after it has had time to carbonate).

Therefore I, and Jamil and White Labs and Wyeast Labs, do not recommend racking to a secondary fermenter for ANY ale, except when conducting an actual second fermentation, such as adding fruit or souring. Racking to prevent autolysis is not necessary, and therefore the risk of oxidation is completely avoidable. Even lagers do not require racking to a second fermenter before lagering. With the right pitching rate, using fresh healthy yeast, and proper aeration of the wort prior to pitching, the fermentation of the beer will be complete within 3-8 days (bigger = longer). This time period includes the secondary or conditioning phase of fermentation when the yeast clean up acetaldehyde and diacetyl. The real purpose of lagering a beer is to use the colder temperatures to encourage the yeast to flocculate and promote the precipitation and sedimentation of microparticles and haze.

So, the new rule of thumb: don’t rack a beer to a secondary, ever, unless you are going to conduct a secondary fermentation."[/color][/quote]

I like the idea of not moving it - since I am not adding anything to it because I would rather not do more work than needed. I am also thinking that it will be nice to keep it in the primary because I really want to serve this beer on November 25th out of the keg when we have family over. This will be my first beer in a keg!

So my question to you is this – if the instructions say that I need to keep it in primary for 1-2 weeks and then secondary for 1-2 weeks, do I just keep it in the primary for as long as I can? I am thinking that if I move it to the keg on Wednesday the 21st, then it will have been in the fermenter for 3.5 weeks and then in the keg force carbonating for 4 days. Does this sound right?

Thank you all

[quote=“gusrotteyman”]I am thinking that if I move it to the keg on Wednesday the 21st, then it will have been in the fermenter for 3.5 weeks and then in the keg force carbonating for 4 days. Does this sound right?[/quote]I would give it a full week in the keg at serving temps to help clear it as much as possible, but yes, this is pretty much what I do.

I would give it 2 weeks total in primary then keg it but thats me.

Keep it in the primary till the 18th. Rack to the keg and you’ll have 7 days to carb. Won’t be perfectly clear, just tell them it homebrew. Force carb the beer, gently, and you’ll be fine.