Should I rack it?

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Ben25

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I have an amber ale thats been in the primary for 1 week. OG was 1.068. Here's the recipe:

4.00 lb Amber Dry Extract (12.5 SRM) Dry Extract 48.51 %
3.25 lb Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM) Extract 39.42 %
1.00 lb Rice Extract Syrup (7.0 SRM) Extract 12.07 %
1.00 oz Mt. Hood [6.00 %] (60 min) Hops 10.1 IBU
5.00 gal New York, NY Water
1 Pkgs Munton Fison Ale (Munton-Fison #-) Yeast-Ale


I tested the gravity yesterday, and it was 1.025. Tested it again today, same thing. There are no bubbles in the airlock, and the krausen is gone. (and it tastes REALLY good)

What do you guys think?
 
Most all the yeast that has dropped out is done (for the most part) yes, you CAN transfer. There is still plenty of yeast in suspention to finish the job. Also when you transfer your going to roust some yeast as well. All that being said there is no NEED to transfer yet. I have beers that I let sit in primary for 3-4 weeks and go straight into keg.
Cheers
JJ
 
Yeah it does seem kind of high. I was hoping to get another batch in today. Oh well. I guess I'll have to wait til next week.
 
Well the sad part is, Ive brewed 2 batches so far, I haven't tasted a finished product yet, and I'm still hooked for life.
 
Well the sad part is, Ive brewed 2 batches so far, I haven't tasted a finished product yet, and I'm still hooked for life.
Frustrating for sure, but once you build up a stock and keep the pipeline full you will enjoy quality beer when it is at prime. I struggled with the same situation for months.
More fermenters never hurts.
 
You mentioned racking it... what were you going to rack it into?

If it's another fermenter, maybe you could use the other fermenter for your new batch and rack your first batch directly into your bottling bucket when it's ready?
 
I have 1 primary bucket, 2 5 gallon carboys (soon to be 3) and a bottling bucket. I'm getting another carboy this week to make some Apfelwein, that I was going to start when the carboy got here.

But now, I think I'll just use the carboy that I have and start the Apfelwein today, and use the other one for the secondary when it gets here.
 
Well I just checked it again, and its still the same at 1.025. The Apfelwein is fermenting nicely though... :drunk:
 
it's only one day. let it sit another week and it'll drop a few points. it's only going to get better with age. besides, if you rack to early, you run the risk of stalling your fermentation. you can never really rack too late.

i'd get another primary and you won't be worrying about it so much ;)
 
I couldn't rack it now if I wanted too. I just used my 2nd secondary carboy for Apfelwein. I'm getting another secondary by the end of this week, just in time to rack. I guess I really should get another primary though.
 
Stop messin with it...lol... just forget about it for at least another week. These days I don't even bother looking at them for like 3 weeks. There's absolutely no need to take daily gravity samples. Heck there is probably still krausen after a week. All you are doing is increasing oxygen exposure and increasing the risk of infection from poor sanitation or airborne bacteria. You are only at 63-64% attenuation right now which is real low. If the fermenter is colder than say 58° warm it up a few degrees, and gently rock the primary around to stir up the yeast. Its a low flocculating yeast to begin with, so I think the problem is just time.

Oh... have you calibrated your hydrometer? If its reading high then your OG and FG numbers will be out of wack. I think 1.068 may be a touch high for the ingredients you posted, and 1.025 is definitely high for FG numbers.


"A single-point calibration
If your hydrometer is properly calibrated, it should read 1.000 when floating in pure water. Because the density of water changes with temperature, hydrometers are meant to be used at a specific temperature (either 60 °F/16 °C or 68 °F/20 °C). This temperature is almost always printed on the slip of paper inside the hydrometer. Tables that take temperature into account can be found in most beginning homebrew books.

So, to check if your hydrometer accurately measures the specific gravity of water, simply float it in pure water
(distilled or reverse osmosis water) at the correct temperature. Spin the hydrometer to dislodge any bubbles that may be clinging to it and bring the test jar up to eye level.

You will see that, in the middle of the test jar, the water will be level. However, it will climb up the sides of the test jar, making the liquid surface look like a “U” or smiley face. The curved surface of a liquid in a container is called a meniscus. When reading your hydrometer, take your reading from the lowest point of the meniscus — the point where the liquid level intersects with the hydrometer scale gives you your reading.

If you’re lucky, your hydrometer reads 1.000 at the specified temperature. If it reads either higher (1.001 or more) or lower (0.9999 or less), simply add or subtract the amount of error from your readings in wort or beer. For example, let’s say your hydrometer reads 0.998 in pure water at 60 °C (its calibration temperature). This means that it’s reading two “points” low and you should subtract two “points” from any reading you take in wort or beer. In other words, if your wort reads 1.050, your corrected reading would be 1.048."
 
Leave it...I know you're impatient...but 1.025 is still mighty high...

If you want to brew, get another bucket fermenter, they're cheaper than dirt. Even if you like fermenting in carboys, it won't hurt to have a backup bucket for when you get the itch to brew.
 
Ok ok, I'm going to the LHBS tomorrow and getting another primary. I checked my hydrometer when I got it (about a month ago) and it read 1.000 at 60°. The fermenter is staying at 64° so it think thats fine.
 
True.... Man I never leave the HBS without spending AT LEAST $60. Oh well, I guess this trip wont be any different.
 
So I just got back from the LHBS, I got another fermenter and some grains, but unfortunately, they wanted $100 for a small wort chiller, so my project for today is building a counterflow wort chiller.
 
Thanks! Well I just built a Counterflow Wort Chiller, so tomorrow I'll make that batch.

Just built my cfc too! but no more brewing until the rig takes shape. hoping for the next 2-3 weeks. rig and collared freezer next. all the parts are sitting on the floor, just waiting for me to "build the beast".
 
Just tested it again for fun. Gravity is still at 1.025. I stirred it VERY gently last week. Should I consider pitching some dry yeast, or just leave it for a couple more weeks and call it done.
 
Well there was nothing I could do to get the FG down, so I bottled it. It was obviously not fermented out to what I should have been, and fairly sweet, but definitely good. I haven't had any bottle bombs, so it wasn't stuck fermentation.

Oh well, live and learn. I only have about 5 bottles of it left now.

I'm also using only liquid yeast with a starter now with much better results.
 
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