FG of first brew

Well my first attempt has been in the primary for 2 weeks and it looks and smells like beer!! My starting gravity was 1.045 todays reading was 1.010. Does this sound ok beer is an extract kit liberty cream ale from midwest. Should I return beer that I used to check gravity back to fermenter? I sanitized everything before I put anything into fermenter? I will continue to take readings for 2 more days and see if it is done fermenting. Which leads me to my next question. After I bottle I hope to store bottles in my basement the temp ranges from 58-62F. Will this be an ok temp range for beer to carb?

1.010 sounds right for your beer. You don't want to put the sample back into the beer. Even sanitized, you don't want to risk contaminating the entire batch by pouring back 3 ounces. Just drink it!

You can check the SG again in two days, and if it's the same (and it should be), you'll be fine to bottle it.

You want to keep the bottles at fermentation temperature for at least a few weeks, until the beer is carbed up. Depending on which yeast strain you used, the yeast may very well go dormant at 58 degrees and it won't carb up. If you can find a place more like 70 degrees, that would be great. Once the beer is conditioned and carbed up, you can store it in the basement.

1.010 sounds just fine. Don't dump the hydro sample back into the fermenter....drink it. You might want to think of a different place to store you bottles. You want somewhere closer to 70 degrees for the bottles to carb up correctly (or at all). Find a closet or something, you'll thank your self later.

1.010 sounds about right, but check it once more to make sure that its done. I wouldnt recommend putting your hydrometer sample back into your fermentor, will it cause an infection? probably not but why risk it for 1/4 of a beer. your basement is a little cold for carbonation, it will happen at that temp, but pretty slowly, you wanna find somewhere that is closer to 70F.

Thanks guys for the input. Do I want to store the bottled beer in a dark place?

as long as its in brown glass it doesnt need to be dark, but it never hurts.

I currently have the very same extract brew...Liberty Cream Ale from MW...in my "bright tank." I plan on bottling next week Friday. Mine, too, looks and smells really, REALLY good!

glenn514

yup, Brown Glass or Dark Place.

don't want to skunk your new batch of BEER!