Hydrometer Game vs Just wait 2 weeks

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jasolhe

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Which is better?

1-Wait for airlock activity to cease, then get 3 days of successive hydrometer reasons with no change AND THEN BOTTLE

OR

2-Just let your wort ferment for 2 weeks, don't take any readings, AND THEN BOTTLE

Option 1 may take less time

Option 2 is less work, less chance of infecting the brew, but the mixture may have 4-7 days of successive no changes in hydrometer (is 3 vs 4-7 days a big deal?)

Thoughts guys?
 
Both suck. The only reason to do #1 is an ipa imo. If you want to push an ipa or whatever, then check it after it slows to a crawl and then again 3 days later. Then drop in the hops. Normally let the beer hang out more than a couple of days past the ~4 days that would take it to FG. If you are kegging, then you may be able to do #2, but bottling beer that you don't at least taste is dumb imo. I've kegged early and then paid for it by trying to ferment it out after, but bottling early = :smack:
 
This is a brewers best india pale ale kit, at this point its been 6 days and the bubbles have ceased
 
I routinely wait three to four weeks, then bottle. I take a hydro reading on bottling day, just for informational purposes, because I assume it's done.

Life would be a lot simpler if people would get off the idea that they have to rush the beer into bottles, take reading after reading, or else they'll be in violation of the instruction contract that came with the kit.

Just chill, buy a few more six-packs while your pipeline gets established, and give your beer the time it needs. IMHO.

Cheers!
 
This is a brewers best india pale ale kit, at this point its been 6 days and the bubbles have ceased

Take a reading and taste test to see if it tastes finished. If it is at projected FG then drop the hops in the primary and let it hang out another week. That's what I'd do. :mug:
 
this is what id like to do
havent heard a good reason for the other route - though it seems a widely contested option

I routinely wait three to four weeks, then bottle. I take a hydro reading on bottling day, just for informational purposes, because I assume it's done.

Life would be a lot simpler if people would get off the idea that they have to rush the beer into bottles, take reading after reading, or else they'll be in violation of the instruction contract that came with the kit.

Just chill, buy a few more six-packs while your pipeline gets established, and give your beer the time it needs. IMHO.

Cheers!
 
this is an ipa - not a dry hopped ipa though

still havent decided what i will do but maybe this first time i'll:
ferment 2 weeks (skip the hydrometer no change for 3 days BS)
taste it
get a FG reading for ****s and giggles
then bottle

everyone cool with that? good newbie practice to start?

Take a reading and taste test to see if it tastes finished. If it is at projected FG then drop the hops in the primary and let it hang out another week. That's what I'd do. :mug:
 
I always do a "satellite" in a 500ml flask that way I don't have to worry about contamination, can test at will, and it's much easier to view what is happening in the flask.
 
everyone cool with that? good newbie practice to start?

You can always do that, but run the risk of bottling a beer too early and having overcarbonation/gushers/grenades and/or having beer that still tastes "green".
For a kit like this, assuming good temperature maintenance and brewing practices, it is probably safe, but not ideal.
 
thx for reply pdxal

this better?

ferment 2 weeks, take hydrometer reading, wait 3 days, take another reading - if no change then
taste it & then bottle

btw the kit says to do the hydrometer reading thing after only 4-6 days
 
I can only agree with the "don't rush it" method. I made the mistake of rushing my first brew to the bottle. It was "done" as I didn't produce bottle bombs and it most like did reach FG, but it still doesn't taste as good as the other half of the split batch that spent an extra week in primary.

IMHO, if you have the patience, go for three to four weeks before bottling. Take a few gravity readings and taste in between, just to get a feel for how things change over time.
 
thx for reply pdxal

ferment 2 weeks, take hydrometer reading, wait 3 days, take another reading - if no change then
taste it & then bottle

That's what I would do. If you aerate the wort, pitch the correct amount of yeast, and control your temps the fermentation might be done closer to the 4-6 day mark. However, 2 weeks is probably better.

I used to be in the multiple hydrometer readings crowd when I first started. Now that I'm more confident in my abilities and have my process down, I tend to just leave it be for 2-3 weeks and then keg/bottle when I get around to it. I do take a hydrometer reading so I have an FG for my notes, but I'm not checking if fermentation is done since I'm pretty sure it is by this point.
 
I have never taken a hydrometer reading before and actually just got my first one. I was planning to take an OG reading while doing my first all grain batch this past Sunday but dropped and broke the hydrometer after sanitizing. Maybe next time.
 
I always do a "satellite" in a 500ml flask that way I don't have to worry about contamination, can test at will, and it's much easier to view what is happening in the flask.

That's a great way to tell when your 500 mL satellite beer is done fermenting, but virtually useless for indicating anything about the main batch.

The only way to guage the progress of the actual batch of beer is to measure its specific gravity directly.
 
That's a great way to tell when your 500 mL satellite beer is done fermenting, but virtually useless for indicating anything about the main batch.

The only way to guage the progress of the actual batch of beer is to measure its specific gravity directly.

Interesting, my satellites have always been very close to the sample taken straight from the main vessel, your experience has been different?
 
Interesting, my satellites have always been very close to the sample taken straight from the main vessel, your experience has been different?

Honestly, I haven't bothered to do them, because literature I've read indicated they can't be trusted. A smaller vessel has a wildly different thermal mass than a full 5 gallon fermenter, and thus temperature swings will be much more dynamic, which affects fermentation speed. Other variables, such as dissolved oxygen and simply having much less wort to work through, mean the two fermentations (satellite vs. main) will have too many differences to make a useful comparison.
 
To the OP:
Patience is not an easy thing, but you must find it. Look into your soul and into the depth of your heart and ask:

Do I like good beer? Do I want the beer I made to be the best it can be?

If your answer is yes then seek out patience and wait. Wait the 21 days at least for the yeast to do their work and then clean up after themselves. Then take a reading and you will see the yeast have done well and your patience is rewarded as your beer is at FG. Then wait 3 more days and test again is your FG attained? Yes, good!
Now place your fermenter a cool (50 or less) place so your yeast friends can find peace and sleep after they have worked so hard to make good beer.

Once the beer has cooled for 3 days (5 days better) package it in confidence knowing you have done well by your yeast friends and treated them with respect and patience.

Please be kind to yeast and allow them to work and do their job to the best of their ability, so that the yeast can do all that they can do, and fulfill their destiny to make good beer!.
 
thx for reply pdxal

this better?

ferment 2 weeks, take hydrometer reading, wait 3 days, take another reading - if no change then
taste it & then bottle

btw the kit says to do the hydrometer reading thing after only 4-6 days

The two consecutive gravity samples are also for safety. Just recently there was a post from a guy who had bottle bombs and ended up picking glass shards out of himself - lots of blood involved. IMO your plan here is a minimum for safety. I personally like to give it three weeks because it might be better quality. If it didn't need the extra week, no harm done.
 
If you're doing a malty beer, extra time is often beneficial to taste. If it's an IPA, the hop flavor is already fading. You want to drink it as soon as possible. I go about a week and take successive gravity readings. When fermentation is over, it gets dry-hopped for a week or so and then bottled. I start drinking about a week in. For low-gravity beers, you can bottle in less than two weeks if you have good pitch rates and fermentation has stopped for a few days. Certain beers might mature over time, but fresh styles can be done much sooner than 3 weeks.
 
thx for bringing that up

i'm going to specialize in IPA brews so maybe i'll benefit from a quicker turnaround. -don't want that hop flavor to fade thats fo sho!
 
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