Smashing Pumpkin Ale. First timer and first run

Northern Brewer General
1

Hello,
First time home brewer and super excited. I made my first batch of pumpkin ale and it has been fermenting for 1 week. It appears activity and slowed to a crawl. I look at the bottom of the jar(Sorry for the lack of knowledge) and I have a yeast cake at the bottom and the head has fallen into the beer. Should I transfer to the second fermentation jar. Also when I do transfer do I leave the think sludge at the bottom or transfer complete contents over. Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks in advance for tips and pointers. :smiley:

2

I would leave it in the primary (1st jar) for another week. Just because you don’t see activity doesn’t mean fermentation is complete. If your hydrometer readings stay the same for a few days then fermentation should be complete. When you do transfer to your secondary(2nd jar) leave that cake (Trub) behind . Be careful when you transfer to your secondary and try not to introduce oxygen into your beer by splashing. Congrats on your first brew. FWIW I usually only use a secondary for an ale if I’m dry hopping . :cheers:

3

Cobia gives sound advice. You are going to hear a lot of opinions about whether or not to use a secondary (which is technically a bright tank unless you add fermentables). Do some research, try it both ways, and see what works best or what you like best.
Personally, I see my beers clear faster and better with a “secondary.”

4

Being your first beer, I am going to advise to keep it in the primary for 3 weeks and then bottle.

You don’t need a secondary unless you’re adding something to the beer, like hops, or fruit, or other fermentables. The opinions on the matter vary wildly, but the general concensus is that a secondary isn’t needed - even though every NB recipe calls for one.

You run much less risk of contamination or oxidization if you skip the secondary step.

Let is sit for 2 more weeks, then bottle. Keep it in the bottle for 2 weeks. From there, you can start enjoying the beer. Though you’ll find the ones you drink later (After several more weeks) taste better than the ones you drink young.