Is It Bottling time?

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skradleybrew

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Dec 27, 2006
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Baraboo, Wisconsin
I started my brew 5 days ago and it stopped bubbling on the 3rd day. My gravity reading started at 1050 and the last 2 days is at 1013 (were the kit said it should be). The kit said at this point I can bottle it, do you guys think I can or should I let it set for a week or two. Thanks for the help.
 
If you're not using a secondary then it would be better to let it sit in primary longer to clear up a bit. It won't hurt to go to bottles now, but it would need longer to condition anyway annd you'll end up with more sediment in the bottles.
 
I always use a secondary- but the answer is "it depends". On what kind of beer it is, how much sediment there is, how clear it is. If it's a stout or porter, clarity really isn't a concern. If you used a very flocculant yeast, it might be pretty clear after 10 days in the primary.

To me, a secondary is always a good thing- it allows the beer to get off the trub in the primary, ages it a bit and keeps me from drinking it, and a ton of sediment/yeast still falls out of suspension. But I always make amber ales, or pale ales. My beers come out pretty clear, too.

I've been following the 1-2-3 rule (more or less). One week (or more) primary, two weeks in secondary, three weeks in bottles. I always do at least one week or 10 days in primary, two weeks or so in secondary, but I do usually crack open a bottle after only a week or so. Just to check it ;)

Lorena
 
Using a secondary for a couple weeks would be preferable to letting it in primary for 3 weeks... Sitting on the trub that long MAY contribute some off-flavors. I have let beers sit in the primary for 10-14 days before when I got sidetracked with other things, and there appeared to be no real harm.

Why take the risk though? Rack to glass secondary, let clear 7-14 days, then bottle...

From my experience, you will absolutely have less sediment in the bottles if you use a secondary. Beers (2) I've bottled without secondary seem to have a noticable amount of sediment in the bottle (several mm or 1/8"), while beers I've secondaried (5) have almost no noticable sediment. A slight yeast 'film' on bottom (similar to what you'd find in a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale) but that's about it.
 
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