Still going after 7 days

I took a gravity reading on my Nut Brown Ale tonight and it was 1.018. It started at 1.060, so I think I'm ok in just leaving it for another few days to a week, then transferring to the secondary. It was still bubbling every now and then and there was also still some foam at the top. I just checked again and the activity is enough to keep it bubbling.

I tasted the sample of course and it was sweet, and my wife agreed. Too sweet for beer, but the alcohol was also there.

It was 8lbs Ultralight liquid extract, 24oz of various grains, bittering, flavor and aroma hops and WLP 002 yeast made into a 1 pint starter.

So far so good? Just let it keep going? Patience. The problem isn't that I want it to be done as much as I want to make more! My first batch ran out in 2 weeks, so I'm trying to build up an inventory.

I was hoping this would be done before my lager, but it doesn't seem like it will be. They are both at least 3 weeks away from bottling. I guess it's back to the Brooklyn Lager (to which I'm hoping my lager will be similar) and Chimay.

Just leave it alone for another week. Anytime you see active bubbling, don't touch it and give it more time.

My understanding is that the airlock doesn't really mean anything at this point. It's could easily be residual CO2. Let it stay for another week and let the yeast clean up after itself. 2 weeks in primary won't hurt it. Some leave it in 3 weeks and more.

If you are going to make a lager you may want to invest in another primary and secondary fermentor.

devaspawn said:

If you are going to make a lager you may want to invest in another primary and secondary fermentor.

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The lager is already in a carboy. I have 2 carboys and 1 bucket. I think the lager will need at least another 3 weeks before bottling, and if I leave the brown ale in another week, and then in a secondary for 2 weeks, they'll both be ready at the same time, but I will only bottle one at a time. A few years ago I broke both wrists, and the capper is hard on them.

If it's bubbling more than a minute and your hydro reading is at 1.018, I agree you should wait at least another week before letting it clear.

zacster said:

...A few years ago I broke both wrists, and the capper is hard on them.

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You might want to get one of those vertical cappers. They are a little more expensive but if you are going to do any amount of capping on a regular basis, this might be the right move for you.

Do you still have krausen on the top? Always wait for the krausen to fall before transferring (this can take a while for higher gravity beers). Once the krausen falls, then you can rack to secondary for additional clearing/aging.

There was still a little foam on top. When I saw the foam I almost didn't take the reading but I already had it open so I took it. I'm figuring another week at this point before I transfer.

A bench capper may be a good idea, but I'm trying to not spend too much money on this hobby. Maybe a keg system would be a better idea, so I can spend even more!