abbot555

Recipes 

I been brewing for about a year now and when I made my first brew, the shop gave me a paper with your basic instructions. One item on there was that a way to tell when your brew was done, to check the airlock and if its longer then 60 seconds between the gases, its time to bottle.

I was just wondering if anyone uses this way to tell when its "about time" to bottle?

I know and have read that one should not read, or go by what your airlock is doing. I still use this technique to tell me when its about time, but still check the FG reading to know when to bottle.

Edcculus

Recipes 

The airlock is not a fermentation timer. Use your hydrometer, or simply let it sit for at least 3 weeks. Your airlock could stop bubbling within 5 days, depending on the fermentability of the wort, yeast etc. 5 days is WAY too fast to bottle though.

wonderbread23

Recipes 

Always bottle once you've hit a stable gravity. It is the only way to make sure the yeast are done doing their thing. My beers typically take 2-4 weeks from grain to bottle and then another 2-3 before they are properly carbed. Patience is key as is establishing a pipeline so you have plenty to drink while you wait.