to bottle or not to bottle...

...That is the question.

So... still new to this. I brewed an IPA on 7/28 (my second brew) with an og of 1.051. I checked it on 8/12 and it was a 1.020...a little high. I gave it a couple swirls and later that night it was a krausening and everything. A happy camper I was.

(full disclosure, 2-row roasted barley, 6.6 lbs LME, 3 lbs DME, lots of armarillo, muntons gold pack dry yeast)

Now, it's 8/18 (ok, 8/19) and it's read 1.015 for two days now and I was excited to bottle tomorrow.... until I noticed bubbles-a-rumblin in the air lock.

So, I leave for a 3 week trip on thursday and I was hoping to have this bottled and ready for me when I get back...do I bottle or do I not bottle if it reads 1.015 tomorrow? IF it dips to 1.014 do I bottle away? thoughts?

Another three weeks on the yeast cake won't hurt it and might help it.

Even if you leave it for three weeks while away, then leave it on dry hops for two more weeks there will be plenty of yeast left in suspension for it to carb right up.

Do you really have time to brew another batch and get something else into primary before you leave? You can probably get away with bottling it and not having bombs, but if your primary isn't going to be busy, better to wait.

My pipeline is at 45 gallons, so I would have no problem leaving it.

The bubbles in the air lock are probably just off gassing(co2 coming out of solution.)

If it did drop a gravity point I personally would leave it. Bottle bombs scare me. But I may just be anal.



-Nick

If the gravity is the same tomorrow, you will be safe to bottle. If it drops, leave it alone.

Poindexter said:

Another three weeks on the yeast cake won't hurt it and might help it.

Even if you leave it for three weeks while away, then leave it on dry hops for two more weeks there will be plenty of yeast left in suspension for it to carb right up.

Do you really have time to brew another batch and get something else into primary before you leave? You can probably get away with bottling it and not having bombs, but if your primary isn't going to be busy, better to wait.

My pipeline is at 45 gallons, so I would have no problem leaving it.

Click to expand...

I guess that's the thing... I can get another in primary and I dont have 45 gallons in my pipeline...I'm bone dry and hoping to get this one ready for when I get back.

As far as dry hopping, do I lose anything with a 4 week dry hop?

I wouldn't dry hop for 4 weeks. I have never experienced it, but many people claim they get grassy flavors from dry hopping longer than 2 weeks. I usually go for a week because IMO you don't gain anything from dry hopping longer than that.