Gravity help

I've been scouring the board for a while to find the info I'm looking for, and I'm sure it's here, but I cannot find it. I've got an orange hef fermenting for 9 days now and I went from an OG of 1.0345 to a day nine gravity of 1.0107. From what I understand, I need to get down to about 35% of my OG. That number would be 1.012. I've hit the mark, but is it going to hurt to let it sit for a few more days? I want to have this attempt at a fruit beer to carbonate....

Thanks for your help!

PS.......Is there a good hydrometer/gravity thread on here? It's the weakest part of my brewing game so far.

Hi Idle. First, there's no problem with leaving your beer in your fermenter for weeks. I almost never bottle sooner than three weeks, even after active fermentation is done.

Second, I wouldn't go with the 35% number, that doesn't make sense to me. There are many factors that impact where your final gravity will end up. What you want to do is let the yeast do their work until their are done and your gravity isn't falling any more. So, for example, you might let it sit for two or three weeks, the krausen has fallen, your airlock isn't burbing, there's no swirling activity going on in your wort. Take a hydrometer reading, wait a couple of days and take another. If its the same, if it hasn't dropped, then you know its safe to bottle (you won't have bottle bombs).

Third, your gravity readings are too precise for my hydrometer - I only go out three digits after the point, such as 1.012 Are you using a refractometer or hydrometer?

If you are using a hydrometer, here's an pic of how to use it


And another


Does this help? Or do you have another question about using a hydrometer? Cheers!

If I'm not mistaken, don't I need some yeast left though? To eat the sugar I add when I bottle? I mean, will there always be some left, even after the bubbling stops? I guess I'm assuming that once the bubbling stops, all the yeast has eaten, and died. I kind of figured that's why my raspberry porter didn't carbonate ( another problem, another thread )

I got the precise readings only because of the tempurature adjustment sheet that came with the hydrometer. I guess I didn't need to be so specific.

I believe I know how to use the hydrometer correctly. I do know that I have made a few mistakes with it, ie not letting all the bubbles completely dissapear before taking a reading, spinning the hydrometer to get all the bubbles off of it, but I'm learning.

As far as the 35%, it's from a book. Your info is much more to the point. Thanks for the input, I greatly appreciate it.

Idlehanz said:

If I'm not mistaken, don't I need some yeast left though? To eat the sugar I add when I bottle? I mean, will there always be some left, even after the bubbling stops? I guess I'm assuming that once the bubbling stops, all the yeast has eaten, and died. I kind of figured that's why my raspberry porter didn't carbonate ( another problem, another thread )

Click to expand...

No, there are plenty of yeast left. All you have to do is add the right amount of priming sugar and bottle, the yeast will get back to work and eat the priming sugar and carbonate your beer. You will see sediment at the bottom of your bottles - that's yeast!

Pappers said:

No, there are plenty of yeast left. All you have to do is add the right amount of priming sugar and bottle, the yeast will get back to work and eat the priming sugar and carbonate your beer. You will see sediment at the bottom of your bottles - that's yeast!

Click to expand...

Yea, I saw the sediment on my first batch....it turned out superb. but my next batch never carbonated. It was a more complex recipe...a fruit beer. I've taken that problem up in another thread though. I'm just worried my second try at a fruit beer isn't going to carbonate either. I'll put my trust and faith into all the advice though. We'll see! Thanks again.