Expert: Matt Dick - 3/10/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi Matt,

I'm new to this great craft and a huge aficionado for years.
I'm brewing a brown ale and on my 7th day. I was about to transfer to my carboy for secondary fermentation and took a sample to see where the taste was at and really can't tell if it needs more time or not. The hydrometer put me at 5% and it tastes a little bitter(not many hops at the end or beginning of my boil) and i cant taste any sweetness.

My question is, how can i tell when it's completely done, and would leaving it alone for a lot longer be bad or better for flavor?

ANSWER: Hi Devin!

So no sweetness in a brown ale?  That's a little surprising to me, but sometimes it's hard to tell until later.  

An important thing to keep in mind is that one of the reasons to observe a secondary fermentation is to mellow the flavor by removing some of the less active yeasts and all that sediment.  Once you've racked your beer, the yeast that's left will do a little more fermenting, and will settle out of the beer.  This will leave the final product clearer, and with a less yeasty flavor.

When I do a darker ale, like your brown ale, I rack and let it sit in the carboy for a good few weeks.  I think it blends the flavors nicely, and I end up with a more drinkable beer.  You wouldn't want to let it sit with all the primary-fermenter sediments still in it, as I would think you wouldn't get as nice a mellowing effect.

Your direct question "how can I tell?" is a matter of a few factors, but *the* most important thing to keep in mind is that you're unlikely to screw it up at this stage.  You're going to get drinkable beer whether you move it now, or whether you wait a few days.  As long as the yeast is mostly done with primary, you're okay racking it now or in a few days.  I wouldn't let it sit on top of the primary sediment (the trub) for more than a week after the bubbling has stopped.  So answer me this: has your airlock stopped bubbling?  If so, you can move it any time without a problem.  In fact, lots of people do a single stage of fermentation and just bottle right out of primary fermentation and get good beers.

So this seems like a long answer to your question, but as long as you're out of your initial fermentation period you can move it any time, and moving it now might solve some of your bitter taste issues.

And I'd give it about two weeks in secondary and then bottle (or keg, I can't recommend kegging highly enough -- it's not complicated and it's much easier and quicker).

Let me know how it goes, I'd love a review of your finished product.

Cheers!
Matt




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi there, asking question through proper channel as opposed to  being a part of my thank you.

Can i add a little more sugar to the secondary for added sweetness, or am i getting ahead of myself?

Again, thanks for your wisdom and your time.

Answer
Hmm... adding sugar at this stage will reinvigorate the heartier souls of what's left of your yeast.  So you'll get a higher alcohol content for sure, but assuming most of the yeast is used up, it probably won't get *much* stronger.  To the extent the unfermented sugar would dissolve, you could end up sweetening it.

*If* you do it, make sure it's malt, not refined sugar.  But I really wouldn't do it at this stage.  There probably are no contaminants as bacteria usually can't survive on something so sugary, but sugars not having gone through the boil won't incorporate the same way or as consistently.  I would think you might end up blowing up some bottles possibly.

In the end I'd say don't do anything, take very good notes as to recipe, temperatures, yeast variety, volumes, and timing and start making changes on your next batch.  Assuming you kept everything clean enough, you're going to end up with a really drinkable, tasty beer at the end of this.  If it happens to be a little dryer than you'd like, up the malt for the next batch.  That's the real way to get better at this anyway.

I almost guarantee you'll at least like this batch.  And after the taste matures you'll get a much better sense as to what the taste at this stage really means in terms of the final taste.

A few more questions:

What (and how much) malt did you use?  Dry/syrup, etc.  Also how big is the batch (5 or 6 gallons, for instance)?  What brand/species of yeast did you use?  How long did it really actively ferment, both blowing off and bubbling?

msd