MidRex

Recipes 

This is my first brew (BB American Light) so i have been watching it carefully. There has been no activity in the airlock for 2 days now and I took a hydrometer reading yesterday and today and they were the same 1.011. Should I let it sit longer because the paper with the kit says it should be 1.010 - 1.007 or could it be done and just be 0.001 higher?

RoaringBrewer

Recipes 

As a general rule of thumb; you should be fine to bottle if you are under 1.015-1.016... but again that is just a general rule of thumb.

1.011 is pretty good though... What was the OG? Aren't you going to rack it to a secondary? It is best for quality, clear beer and ensuring fermentation is complete. Sometimes fermentation will start up slightly after racking to secondary due to rousing the yeast.

andylegate

Recipes 

SilkkBrew is right! You should rack your batch to another container and let it sit for at least a week before you bottle it! It's called Secondary Fermentation, and while your yeast might be done turning the simple sugars to alcohol, they are still alive and well, eating away at the more complex sugars. Your gravity will more than likely go down a little bit during secondary, but much more slowly.
Another thing you are doing during secondary, is getting the beer away from the crud (called Trub) on the bottom of your fermenter. You don't want to accidently siphon that into your beer bottles when you're ready to prime the beer and then bottle it.
I highly recommend that you rack the beer and let it sit for another week.

__________________
Primary:
Merlin's Ale
Secondary:

Bottled and Waiting:
Cherry Wheat Ale #2
Ready to Drink:

Pumpkin Spice Ale
Cheesefood's Carmel Cream Ale
Chocolate Cherry Ale
Planned Batches:
Maple Ale
Past Batches:
Brewnet Brown
American Pilsner
Cherry Wheat Ale #1
Honey Ale

MidRex

Recipes 

The OG was 1.042. I only have the brewers best kit right now. The guy at my lhbs said that a secondary is not really needed until I get a couple of these premade kits under my belt. I am going there at lunch today to pick up some things. Should I buy a secondary? This should be a 5 gal carboy right?

MidRex

Recipes 

Store was closed today. Can this be bottled now? If I take another reading today and it is the same since friday will it be ok?

RoaringBrewer

Recipes 

You can bottle after primary fermentation is complete, however it will not be as clear as if you let it settle out another 2 weeks in a secondary (or even in the primary)

BrewStef

Recipes 

Greetings,

I did not use a secondary for my first brew...an amber ale. Now I do it for most beer styles (but not hefeweizens).

Go ahead and bottle it so long as it has been in primary for at least a full week, prefrably 2 if not transferring to secondary. Do a secondary next time if time and $$$ permit.

Cheers.

__________________
"Brew or do not brew, there is no try."

Primary: Nothing
Secondary: Nothing
Bottled and Drinking: Maibock, EdWort's Apfelwein, Traditional MeadUp Next: Cherry Melomel