help with method please

[Garth]

don't get me wrong, I agree with you that beer left for a little longer tastes a lot better, just most of the stuff I make is low OG stuff with quite a bit of hop aroma and this greatly diminishes after a few weeks whether in the fv or keg. It ends up being a waste of good aroma hops if it's left.

Although I would expect the beer to condtion and mature whether in the fv or keg.

The porter I am drinking at the moment is coming up to a month old from start of fermentaion and it tasting better every day.

(and I am sampling it 'every day')

[EoinMag]

I suppose I do a lot of the maturation in the FV in a bulk manner, I don't touch my beers until they are at least 6-7 weeks old, so they are already up and running by the time I go near them and I'm really only waiting on them to carbonate in the bottles by the time they are bottled.

Both ways will work, but I think realistically, we both have good beer about the same time, but I'm not willing to touch it before this point, whereas I'd suggest you're already a good bit of the way through the cornie before it's at it's peak.

[daveyk]

Of course some folk bottle straight from the primary fv, there isn't anything wrong with this way, and as long as you've used a particulary flocculent yeast like S-04 or Nottingham and left it a few days longer preferably in the cool then there shouldn't be massive amounts of yeast getting into the bottle. You only need a tiny thin layer on the bottom of the bottle to get that secondary fermentation which gives the beer a bit of sparkle and life.

Yup that's me! I've tried two methods. When first starting out and owning a little less equipement, I would VERY GENTLY stir in the priming syrup straight into the primary FV, leave 1/2 hour to settle and bottle straight from this. My newer and prefered method is to put the priming solution into a second FV then run the beer from FV1 into FV2. Running this off mixes everything nicely then bottle straight away.

This does leave a little sediment but it helps carbonation and helps to keep the beer fresh. most kits say to allow 4-6 weeks for maturation but personally I think a much better result is after 6-8 weeks.

Actually come to think of it, I added litterally 1/2 teaspoon to each bottle through a little funnel for my first ever brew but this was less than consistent.

[trucker5774]

I'm partly with daveyk on this.................and partly with all the other options!!

I tend to bottle my beer. I prefer to do this from a bottling bucket with the priming solution in it. In any case I go for about 10 days in the primary. This usually ensures fermentation has finished and gives me a couple of days each side if I have to bottle on a certain day due to work etc. If all my FVs are in use and I dont have a spare to bottle from, I have often added the priming solution to the primary FV and given it a few hours to settle (not that it really gets disturbed if you stir gently)

I have used this method for all techniques, kit,extract and AG. I start drinking anytime from 2 weeks after priming to over 6 weeks (the latter being prefered, other than in the case of big aroma hops)

[EoinMag]

Guy here on a US forum kept his IPA 22 weeks in the fermenter.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/22-week ... ost1517103

No sign of autolysis or off yeasty tastes apparently.

Lots of alcohol and lots of hops methinks, but none the less.