So i think my beer is screwed

So, I was checking my beer after being in the fermenter for a week and nitoced something.

I guess i'll start by explaining last week I noticed my airlock wasn't bubbling away. Checked the SG and it was 1.022. My reading on Fridayand thought I read it as 1.016 (great I thought 4 more points and it'll be ready) checked it again today to see if it had stabilized at all. Noticed that the SG was now 1.020. So probably didn't read the Friday reading correctly.

So the recipe I used said the FG should be 1.012-1.014. the beer is almost opaque with haze and it is meant to be finished in one week.

is the fact that it has dropped only .002 SG points since last Monday a problem.

or am I just having first batch jitters

I took a sample a few days ago and my SG was about right on 1.02, and I took it again today and it hasn't moved but a bit...kind if in the same boat I think. I'm curious to see what people have to say!

Ok first off, screwed is a harsh term. It sounds like, worst case scenario, you MAY have some haze and MAY have missed your target FG. Even if both are true, the beer can still taste really good.


If this is your first batch, then I really wouldn't worry about the haze. If you're siphoning off beer to take gravity readings in a cylinder, you're going to stir up a little bit of stuff. In a carboy, even a beer that would look pretty clear in a glass is going to look more opaque since theres just more beer for the light to travel through.

If you're not at 1.014 in a week, let it go a bit longer if you can. If it settles above that, its not a huge deal. Remember the gravity readings change with temperature, that could be the issue.


For this being your first batch, you sure are worrying about the small things I was happy that my first batch was drinkable. Getting better at hitting target gravities and dealing with haze is something that you'll just improve on over time. Its an art and a science, you shouldn't be upset if you miss perfection on your first try.

thanks Rob,

it tastes great but it looks like swamp water I can't even see a flashlight on the other side.

Well if you insist on clarity, you could always add gelatin to the carboy to get some of the haze to fall out of solution. I recently did that for a California Common that I'm entering into a BJCP, and it worked well.

It has absolutely zero impact on flavor though, its simply for aesthetics. Plus, every time you go adding something to it you risk messing it up more. I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't entering it.

I think you should probably go through the FAQ some more. The beer isn't screwed, just perhaps the lack of patience. Sounds like you have only had it going for only a week and that's rarely enough time.

Extract? Depends on the brand too. I can't remember which, but I used one that wouldn't get much below 1.020. Good beers from it regardless.

Try for more time though.

Its Midwest's 20 minute boil Nut brown Ale Kit.

Your beer is "meant to be" finished in a week? Sorry to say but your beer doesn't work on your schedule. One week is pretty young. Give it another week or two. I can't think of any beer I've done that was not only done fermenting, but cleared in a week from brewing.

Who told you this recipe would be done in a week?

sorry I meant one week from today

Then wait until the 2 weeks is up before you start to worry. Check it next week and give it more time if necessary. As I said, beer cares not for your schedule and it'll be done when it decides it's gonna be done.

Forget about it for the next three weeks and then take another reading. What's your fermentation temp?

no beer is finished in a week. the youngest beer is a dme hefeweizen that is ready to keg in 11 days. a major difference in commercial beer and homebrew is clarity. most of us don't filter our beer, so it's not"crystal-clear". you can usually see stuff floating. adds character. anyway, back to my beer