Microbrewing v Homebrewing

[EsJay_Brewing]

Since joining this forum I have ready many threads which have helped me into homebrewing but there are some aspects of homebrewing which I still just don't quite understand the reason behind.

1 - Fermenting in primary in some cases up to a couple of weeks (Some even more) yet in a microbrewery you would be looking at 4 days (Taking OG messure each day till FG hit, Usually 3-4 days)

2 - Secondary fermentation? Again something not done in a microbrewery unless you count the cask as secondary or the bottles, though homebrewers have both these too.

[boingy]

That's an easy one. Microbreweries have bills to pay. They can't afford to have beer lying around for weeks on end, tying up floor space and containers so they work hard to reduce the fermentation time. Typical schedule is 4 to 7 days in the fermenter plus a week in the barrel then done.

[EsJay_Brewing]

There is nothing diiferent in how ''hard'' either party works, the process is identical

[Graham]

Since joining this forum I have ready many threads which have helped me into homebrewing but there are some aspects of homebrewing which I still just don't quite understand the reason behind.

1 - Fermenting in primary in some cases up to a couple of weeks (Some even more) yet in a microbrewery you would be looking at 4 days (Taking OG messure each day till FG hit, Usually 3-4 days)

2 - Secondary fermentation? Again something not done in a microbrewery unless you count the cask as secondary or the bottles, though homebrewers have both these too.

Quite frankly, a home brewed beer should be fermented out in three to five days.

The thing about people leaving beer in a bin for a week or two, or three, at atmospheric pressure, for, so-called, secondary fermentation is a bad habit that has been picked up from somewhere and has become endemic. I would not do it - never have - and I would not recommend that you do it either. Fortunately, you can see the folly of it, so you will not need much persuasion to not go down that path.

[EsJay_Brewing]

Indeed Graham, I recently brewed a Pale, Cara, Flaked Maize hopped with Green Bullet. OG to FG was complete in 3 days, Day 4 Aux finnings added. Beer was chilled before racking into bottles. If I had of casked it there would have been a white finnings additions. 8 further days later I cracked one open for inspection and hey presto I am where it should be. Now onto the shelf for drinking when required.

[mysterio]

I think it depends on yeast and temperature etc. Some yeasts like the common American ale yeast will take 6 - 7 days to reach terminal gravity at 18C, other English ale yeasts will be done in 2 - 3 days. The 'one week in primary' is blanket advice that covers both of these eventualities. A couple of weeks in the primary more often than not won't do a beer much harm if the yeast is healthy. Like Boingy says time is on our side, we're not rushing beer out of the door. Homebrewers typically have jobs and families so brewing is slotted into weekends, so we see things in 1, 2, or 3 weeks, if you see what I mean.

If you give advice like, chill on fourth day immediately after fermentation then theres a good chance a beginner brewer, who might have pitched 7g of poor quality dried yeast into a 5 gallon batch might stall fermentation prematurely, or cause the yeast to drop out before by-products like diacetyl and acetaldehyde are cleaned up.

Secondary fermentation. This is more of of a thing from American HB boards. I guess all breweries use bright tanks, casks or whatever so the principle is the same. I think secondary fermentation is really a synonym for maturation.

[Dennis King]

As Mysterio says it is about the working week, I tend to brew saturday barrel the following saturday, FG allowing. No secondary just a few weeks maturing.

[boingy]

There is nothing diiferent in how ''hard'' either party works, the process is identical

I disagree. I think the average micro will go to a whole lot more trouble than the average home brewer to ensure the correct amount of yeast is pitched at the right temperature into a properly aerated wort and to make sure that the temperature is controlled throughout the whole process. The fact that many home brewers take a couple of weeks to achieve the same thing is just a reflection of the less than ideal conditions many of us ferment with. We have to give those yeastie beasties a bit more time to work their magic. I've hit FG in 4 days a few times but I still like to leave the beer in the fermenter a bit longer to let more of the yeast drop out. The results are good and I get less sediment in the keg. Don't get hung up on it. If you get decent results why worry about the timescales?

BTW, I'm enjoying Grumpy Graham this evening. It's been a while. Maybe we should have more Boppergates....

[Graham]

BTW, I'm enjoying Grumpy Graham this evening. It's been a while. Maybe we should have more Boppergates....

I just thought a bit of compassion was in order, but it seems that I screwed up.

[boingy]

BTW, I'm enjoying Grumpy Graham this evening. It's been a while. Maybe we should have more Boppergates....

I just thought a bit of compassion was in order, but it seems that I screwed up.

You should have kept going. I was just starting to have the teeniest inkling of belief that you might be correct...

[Scotty]

I tend to leave my beers in the FV for 7 to 10 days. Whether this is good or bad, I don't know?! It fits in with my work and hasn't failed me yet.

As it isn't a business concern, I don't need to get beer out of the door quickly so I'm not worried.

[Graham]

You should have kept going. I was just starting to have the teeniest inkling of belief that you might be correct...

In actual fact, I still feel that I might be right. I thought that I'd better knock it on the head before the bullies gang up on me. I have an acquaintance (Mathew) who was not expected to live past about 20 years of age, due to some condition, but he is now well into his mid 40s. Unfortunately he is a 45-ish-year-old with a 13-year-old mentality. I see a lot similarities between Mathew and the way Bopper behaves, so I thought that I was comparing like to like. Indeed, bopper's last reaction (at the time of writing) was exactly as I would expect Mathew to behave under the same circumstances. There is a lot of mental pressure put on these blokes because they spend their lives being told that they are 'not quite right', so there is an overwhelming desire to prove themselves. One telling trait is that despite the things that has been said about him, Bopper does not fight back with anger or vociferous vehemence as you or I would, but he fights back with bigger and better boasts. That's Mathew!

Anyway,not the proper forum.

[Bribie]

I believe that Yorkshire brewers had a saying to give a brew "two sabbaths" which sounds about right. Yorkshire Stone Square brewing was done a few degrees cooler than that Southern fiendish stuff, according to a wee essay on the Sam Smith site, typical temperatures were 16 degrees. So fermenting around 20 as they do nowadays should have it all done and dusted in around 4 to 5 days, but this would be contingent on proper yeast levels and oxygenation.

[InsideEdge]

Since joining this forum I have ready many threads which have helped me into homebrewing but there are some aspects of homebrewing which I still just don't quite understand the reason behind.

1 - Fermenting in primary in some cases up to a couple of weeks (Some even more) yet in a microbrewery you would be looking at 4 days (Taking OG messure each day till FG hit, Usually 3-4 days)

2 - Secondary fermentation? Again something not done in a microbrewery unless you count the cask as secondary or the bottles, though homebrewers have both these too.

Quite frankly, a home brewed beer should be fermented out in three to five days.

The thing about people leaving beer in a bin for a week or two, or three, at atmospheric pressure, for, so-called, secondary fermentation is a bad habit that has been picked up from somewhere and has become endemic. I would not do it - never have - and I would not recommend that you do it either. Fortunately, you can see the folly of it, so you will not need much persuasion to not go down that path.

Can you/others expand on that Graham? Many American HB authors and now suggesting that for 'normal' beers no secondary is necessary and advise leaving the beer in primary for 3+ weeks to allow the yeast to fully clean up.

Is it because of oxidisation, autolysis or something else?

[a-slayer]

As Mysterio says it is about the working week, I tend to brew saturday barrel the following saturday, FG allowing. No secondary just a few weeks maturing.

Same for me, very rarely go past the week before bottling.