Fermentation completed?

Fellow home brewers, My first batch has been in primary now for 15 days, and I've gotten two consecutive days hydrometer readings of 1.015. However the target for this ESB is 1.010-1.013. Could it be that it is ready for bottling despite being above target gravity? Thanks!

It appears it could be done. Normally hydrometer readings are taken at least 3 days apart. Maybe give it a couple more days and check again. It should be done after 3 weeks though.

Yes, it can be ready to bottle. I would wait another 5 or so days and take another hydrometer reading. This period of time will let the yeast clean up natural off flavors produced by the process of fermentation.

jmitchell3 said:

Fellow home brewers, My first batch has been in primary now for 15 days, and I've gotten two consecutive days hydrometer readings of 1.015. However the target for this ESB is 1.010-1.013. Could it be that it is ready for bottling despite being above target gravity? Thanks!

Click to expand...

It's only .002 above a FG mentioned by the kit maker. That can be due to several things- hydrometer of by .002; a slightly lower attenuation of the yeast; user error (it's hard to read .002 on a hydrometer plus a few bubbles can raise up the hydrometer; etc.

A projected FG isn't really a target, it's more of a likely place for the beer to finish. You're in the ballpark, and if it's stable for at least three days or more, it's done.

Great, thanks for the input. I'll wait till wed and take another reading. Happy brewing!