MTate37
Well-Known Member
When I bought my first equipment and kit the LHBS didn't mention a hydrometer. I brewed on a Sunday so I couldn't get one to take an initial reading, but the recipe states an OG of 1.048. Based on the calculation method on picobrewery.com my OG should be about 1.050 and my FG should be 1.012 assuming 75% attenuation, which seems reasonable for Safale US-05.
I finally got a hydrometer today. I tested in my tap water and got a reading of about 1.010, but I did not check the temp and therefore did not adjust for temp. I pulled a sample that was 66 degrees and had a gravity of 1.015. The internet calculator I found for adjusting for temp came back with 1.015 as well.
I was hoping to bottle on Saturday, as the recipe calls for two weeks of fermentation with no mention of a FG. I plan to take another reading on Thursday and on Saturday. If the readings are not the same, what risks am I taking if I go ahead and bottle not knowing what FG I'm aiming for? Since this is my first batch it's hard to balance my impatience with wanting to get it right.
As suggested, I tasted the sample and must admit that my excitement lessened a bit as it tasted a bit bad, but since I don't know what it should taste like at this point I'm not going to worry about it. The color is very nice, but it is a bit murky. The aroma has a good hop character to it and I get the bitterness of the hops in the taste, but I'm having a hard time imagining what a few weeks in the bottle and some carbonation is going to do to improve the flavor. What do bottle conditioning and carbonation do for the flavor?
Thanks!
I finally got a hydrometer today. I tested in my tap water and got a reading of about 1.010, but I did not check the temp and therefore did not adjust for temp. I pulled a sample that was 66 degrees and had a gravity of 1.015. The internet calculator I found for adjusting for temp came back with 1.015 as well.
I was hoping to bottle on Saturday, as the recipe calls for two weeks of fermentation with no mention of a FG. I plan to take another reading on Thursday and on Saturday. If the readings are not the same, what risks am I taking if I go ahead and bottle not knowing what FG I'm aiming for? Since this is my first batch it's hard to balance my impatience with wanting to get it right.
As suggested, I tasted the sample and must admit that my excitement lessened a bit as it tasted a bit bad, but since I don't know what it should taste like at this point I'm not going to worry about it. The color is very nice, but it is a bit murky. The aroma has a good hop character to it and I get the bitterness of the hops in the taste, but I'm having a hard time imagining what a few weeks in the bottle and some carbonation is going to do to improve the flavor. What do bottle conditioning and carbonation do for the flavor?
Thanks!