Fermentation Time?????

tim1088 · 02-21-2008, 02:37 PM

I am brewing my first batch and everything seemed to be going well. It was in the fermentation bucket and bubbling away and did so for over a week and coming up on 2 weeks now. The booklet that came with my kit as well as what came with the ingredients said it should take from 5 days to 1 week. Is this a good thing (more alcohol developing) or something wrong????????

brewt00l · 02-21-2008, 02:40 PM

1st step would be to take a hydrometer reading and see where it is

**Joker** · 02-21-2008, 04:04 PM

Fermentation time has many variables including temperature, amount of sugars, and type of yeast used. Amount of fermentable sugars and yeast used will have an impact on the amount of alcohol you get.

The most important part about fermentation is to make sure it is complete before bottling so you don't end up with bottle bombs. If you don't have a hydrometer you can wait longer to be sure, but a hydrometer is recommended especially if you want to figure out the ABV of your brew.

tim1088 · 02-26-2008, 07:38 PM

I took the reading on this past friday and it was 1.01 and bubbling away then again I took it on Sunday and it was the same, 1.01 on the 2 week mark?

**DeathBrewer** · 02-26-2008, 07:40 PM

looks like it's time to rack if you're using a secondary.

i'd wait another week if you're going straight to bottle or keg.

bubbling is no indication of fermentation. you hydrometer is your only reliable method for seeing where your beer is at.

tim1088 · 02-26-2008, 07:45 PM

Yeah if I understand the process I am putting it in the secondary buckett then straight to bottles? So would that mean I should be ok to do so now or should I wait longer. I am just worried of it having an adverse effect on the beer for letting it sit for so long, but the temperature is very stable and I am extremely careful to clean everything when testing so it should be ok right???? I think I'm making this more difficult than it is but I just dont want to screw up my first batch. Thanks in advance for the help guys.

**Yooper** · 02-26-2008, 08:55 PM

The "secondary" they are referring to is a carboy, used as a clearing vessel. Not every one uses one, but some do. What I do is ferment in the primary fermenter (an ale pail in my case) and after about 10 days, I rack it (transfer it by siphon) to a carboy to clear and condition. Then about 2-3 weeks later, I bottle it.

If you are not using that carboy as a clearing vessel, it's good to leave it alone for at least 2-3 weeks, then rack it to the bottling bucket.

tim1088 · 02-26-2008, 10:08 PM

Ok well that sounds good then so it has been about 2 weeks and at this point it is just waiting a little longer and as long as the hydrometer reading is stable then I can finally bottle it?

Go Gators · 02-26-2008, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tim1088

Ok well that sounds good then so it has been about 2 weeks and at this point it is just waiting a little longer and as long as the hydrometer reading is stable then I can finally bottle it?

Give the posts another read, all the information to answer your question is in the answers already posted.

Recap:

1. Yes if the hydrometer readings are constant for three days or so then it is OK to bottle.

2. However if you have a secondary vessel, caraboy, then you should rack the beer into that and let it sit for another two weeks or so.

3. Make sure to add your prepared priming sugar to your bottling bucket then rack your beer into the bottling bucket. Bottle. Condition for three weeks and enjoy.

tim1088 · 02-26-2008, 11:13 PM

Alright thanks a lot guys I appreciate the help and hopefully I wasnt too much of a pain but I'm just gettin started... Thanks again and i'll let ya know how it turns out