is it gong to be okay?

[benzy4010]

ok well this was my first all grain attempt.... ok really my first attempt at all really. brewed and it went well everything seemed to go according to plan. i followed the directions which said after four days move to a secondary. well it was a vigerous fermentation however once i moved it to a secondary it now its very slow. you only see one bubble every like 15 seconds. i know its going to slow down but im kinda unsure what to do now and when. i have been told that i should have ignored the directions and left it in primary for about a month. just kinda worried, any advice?

[Rusty Nails]

Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew. Or if this is your first batch, at least a craft brew. A bubble every 15 seconds after 4 days is still pretty active. (It's amazing how fascinating it can be to sit and count bubbles). I usually go 1 week in the primary because it works with my work schedule. Some people go less, some go longer. I would follow the directions, and don't worry about it. Everything will be great and you can soon enjoy a homebrew.
If you feel you must worry, I gladly dispose of homebrew at no charge.
Prost
Ed

[benzy4010]

yea checked on it today and its the same, so i think im gonna just let it sit for a few more weeks then check wiht a hydromiter? then transfer to bottles. does that sound okay? do you bottle or keg. i know i have to do somthing wiht sugar when bottle but dont know what yet gotta research.

[brewlord]

if you bottle, 2/3 cup corn sugar seems to be about the norm. It will be fairly highly carbonated at that rate.

after you bottle a couple of batches you will want to keg, much easier.

I only transfer to a secondary for very few styles. most of my beers I ferment for 14-21 days in the primary, then keg.

My last batch was a 10% west coast red, and it was done in 8 days. However, I have total control of fermentation temp.

[benzy4010]

do i just dump 2/3 of a cup of corn sugar into the wort? then transfer to bottles?

[GoodisBeer]

In regards to priming sugar and bottling just follow Palmer's directions.  Check out the link:

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11-4.html

Good luck.

[Duboman]

Without knowing your recipe it's hard to judge your time fermenting but my schedule has always been 7 days primary, 7 days secondary with dry hop, otherwise 2 weeks in primary, you do not want the beer sitting on all the trub for extra long periods of time. Always check your gravity a couple days ion a row to verify your fermentation is complete.

2/3 cup priming sugar is the general rule for a lot of beers and no, you do not just dump the sugar in the beer (after fermentation it is no longer wort). YOu dissolve the sugar in 1 cup boiling water, cool and add to bottling bucket, then siphon into the bucket and it self mixes, then bottle away! I can usually get good carbonation in 1-2 weeks depending on the temperature. I like to bottle condition for 3-4 weeks to let the flavors mature a bit but have been know to sample a few in the process. Bigger beers will like more time-Cheers!

[benzy4010]

its a dark strong ale

[Duboman]

its a dark strong ale

for a dark strong ale I would go with the 7 days primary, 7 days secondary(I'm assuming you are dryhopping) and then bottle as described, try a bottle after 10 days-2 weeks but this type of beer will definitely need 30 days conditioning for the flavors to really blend and mellow.

[glienhard]

This sounds like an acceptable rate for the air lock to bubble.  The rate of bubbling really depends on many factors; head space, yeast, amount of yeast started with, temp, etc.  I would recommend a primary of 10-14 days and then at least 7 days in secondary.  Then follow Palmer's suggestions for priming and bottling.

Cheers

[Monge]

Regarding the priming sugar: you will need to disolve some corn sugar (dextrose) in some water and add it to your bottling bucket before you begin bottling.  Here's how I do it.

In a small pot, put in about a cup or so of water and start it to boil.  When it is boiling, add your corn sugar (I use anywhere from 3-5 ounces and 2/3 of a cup is about 5 ounces).  Let it boil for a minute of so and then take it off the heat.  Spill the sugar water into your already sanitized bottling bucket.  Then rack your brew into the bottling bucket.  A quick stir with a sanitized paddle or spoon will ensure even distribution of the priming solution.

Good luck

[HolyFirkins]

yeah i'd def let primary go much longer..let the yeast do its job..if you are doing a secondary you pretty much dont want any activity anyways..i normally dont even check the beer's FG before 4 weeks in the primary..and i only do a secondary if i am adding things such as dry hopping, or fruit, or oak chips, etc..if not then i dont do a secondary just because its one more extra step you dont really need to take, which also opens up the possibility of welcoming infection/airborne junk/oxygenation/etc..

[Maine Homebrewer]

Next time wait until the fermentation has subsided before racking. Seven to ten days is good for most ales.

As far as this one goes, I'd leave it alone for at least two weeks to be on the safe side.

In the mean time I highly suggest reading a book. 

Specifically this one http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Joy-Homebrewing-Third-null/dp/0060531053.

Your local homebrew supply should have it on the shelf. If not then shame on them.

Cheers!