mmoran903

Recipes 

What's up guys? I've been lurking since around Christmas (when I received my kit!) and I must say, it looks like an great community. Lots of answers and friendly replies.

I brewed my first batch (arrogant bastard recipe kit from Brewer's Best) on 12/27 - I moved it to my secondary on 1/2 and from the time I moved it, I've noticed ZERO bubbling.

My O.G. was approx. 1.062 and readings over the last few days have come in right around 1.015. It seems to be steady in the 1.01x range. Should I be concerned the recipe claimed a higher ABV? I don't care about the alcohol content so much as I'm afraid the taste will be off. So far, it tastes pretty good.

I guess my question is:

Should I continue to let it sit in the secondary or should I bottle it?

and on a side note, i'm using the hydrometer that came in the kit, which is pretty difficult to read. Does it get easier?

Thanks in advance - I'm excited to get my first few batches going and get to a point where I can offer some advice back.

Brewnoob1

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It will get easier with practice on the hydrometer. Most people would recommend skipping the secondary step to let the yeast stay on the yeast cake to clean up after themselves. The extra transfer if you're not planning on bulk aging or using fruit/oak chips for example is just an extra step for baddies or oxidation to happen. Though, some religiously use secondaries so to each their own. As you'll hear from others and see in the stickies, bubbling means nothing really other than excess gas being released. As you already did, the only way to know if you're done fermenting is by the reading on the hydrometer. What did the kit say your FG would be? 1.015 sounds very reasonable and you're sitting roughly 6% alcohol. Sounds like you pretty close to nailed it. I'd let it sit and clear for a little longer and bottle when you're ready and have the time. Awesome first brew! CONGRATS!

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Keg #1: All Cascade IPA
Keg #2: Kick you in the Nuts Brown Ale
Keg #3: empty :(

Ferment #1:Blue Moon Clone
Ferment #2: empty :(

OHIOSTEVE

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I don't know the kit so I have no idea what the final gravity is supposed to be, but 1.015 doesn't seem extremely high to me. IF you are concerned that you stalled the fermentation by moving it you can heat it up a LITTLE and swirl ( not slosh around) the fermentor to get the yeast roused up...

FOR NEXT TIME-- racking to secondary is not necessary, and shouldn't be done at all until the final gravity has been reached. The term secondary IN MOST CASES is a misnomer . It is REALLY a bright or clearing tank. Let the beer ferment until final gravity is reached...wait a few days THEN rack to a secondary to clear more then bottle.

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Quadrupled

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As you brew more you will understand why you shouldn't pay much attention to the bubbles in your air lock and simply trust the numbers you get from your hydrometer.

As for bottling, let it sit a full 2 weeks in the secondary and make sure your gravity is stable for a few days before bottling.

And yes, after a few uses, you'll be a champ at measuring the specic gravity.

bighorn_brew

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Yep...Sit on it for a week or two,,,what temp is it sitting at?
Congrats!

Cranny04

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Your beer is finished fermenting. Thats why the gravity readings are stable.

You could bottle now. I would let it sit at least another week... Maybe two... Waiting will help the beer clear (Also less sediment in your bottles)

As for the ease of reading your hydrometer... The ones that come with the kits are too broad (making it difficult to read). I have three one that is from 0.098 - 1.020 for reading FG; one from 1.000 - 1.070 for OG. And then the standard tripper scale that goes up to 1.130 for any big beers I make.

Hang Glider

Recipes 

let it sit!
12/27 was barely a week ago.

That's a reasonably big beer, and it will benefit from some conditioning. Plan your next batch while you leave this one for 3 more weeks...

(read around, you'll see a good bit of consensus on that)

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luke2080

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Before you bottle it, try to be sure it stays steady for a few days at the same gravity, not ther "range". It won't go up, should only go down. It may well drop a couple of points yet, despite already being transferred to a secondary.

Just really important your gravity is stable before you bottle, so you do not create bottle bombs.

Sounds like all went pretty well though for your first batch. My advice, when you put in the priming sugar, be sure to mix it in well enough (without aerating the beer). My first couple of batches had bottles undercarbbed, and others overcarbbed, because the priming sugar was not mixed in evenly enough.

luke2080

Recipes 

If you fill the glass/tube you are using to keep the wort, to put the hydrometer into (is there a term for that? I haven't come across it..hmmm..) fill it close to the top, so that when you stick the hydrometer in, the wort overflows. Do this over the sink.

This kicks out any bubbles. The wort at that point may be concave at the top, so you may need to blow the rounded top off. But it is much much much easier to read. You aren't reading through glass or plastic, and without bubbles in the way.

They also sell hydrometers for this use, just between 1020 and .0997, so the in between lines are easier. Easier to read the FG. A though for a future investment down the road in your brewing hobby.

mmoran903

Recipes 

Thanks for the replies. The corner of my dining room is pretty much sunlight free and a constant 68 degrees.

The kit, oddly enough, didn't give a target FG. Doing backwards math (x*131.25 = 8.5) means my FG should be closer to 1.0000-.99. Again, not concerned with actual alcohol content as much as i'm worried it'll be too sweet or imbalanced. We did add some apricot in the secondary (which, so far, tastes great).

Guess i'll let it go for another few days and bottle it when I get back from the beach.

Thanks for all the input! Super stoked about the whole thing, and I can tell i'm already hooked.

EDIT: Per advice of Hang Glider above: Is there a difference in bottling in a few days and letting it sit in bottles to age and waiting two weeks to age and then bottling? I figured an IIPA would age well, and planned on doing so either way.