final gravity

I brewed my first batch and its been 3 weeks in the carboy (as instructed in the kit). The kit instructions says the final gravity is 1.011 to 1.015. I checked it Sat. and it was 1.015 then checked it again today (Mon.) and it was 1.011. My question is: Does final gravity have to be exactly the same each day for bottling?

oldwinemaker said:

I brewed my first batch and its been 3 weeks in the carboy (as instructed in the kit). The kit instructions says the final gravity is 1.011 to 1.015. I checked it Sat. and it was 1.015 then checked it again today (Mon.) and it was 1.011. My question is: Does final gravity have to be exactly the same each day for bottling?

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Yes, it needs to be the same over at least three days. At 1.011, it's probably done but not necessarily. If it drops to, say, 1.009, in the bottle it can lead to overcarbonation so you don't want to consider bottling until it's stable.

That said, after three weeks I'm surprised it dropped .004 points in three days. It should have been done a long time ago. Normally, FG is reached in 5-7 days at the most. In any case, wait two more days and then check it again. If it's at 1.011, and it's clearing up, then it's fine to bottle.

^^^^^ what she said

Congrats on your first batch? What did you make?

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll check it Wed. or Thur. and see what I get.

Belian Stout from Brewers Best

ooops - Belgian

oldwinemaker said:

Belian Stout from Brewers Best

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Cool, I've got a stout fermenting right now - always try to make one in the winter!

My confidence level isn't real high. I got my doubts whether it'll turn out.

My confidence level is much higher. I'm pretty sure it will turn out.

Yep do not bottle until fermentation has finished. Bottling early is the fastest way to a big sticky smelly mess.

Well, I finally bottled my very first batch. I got a reading of 1.010 for 3 days in a row. I went through the trouble of building a homemade incubator out of a 1/2 of a plastic drum and a light bulb. I'm trying to keep the temp at a steady 68 degrees. According to the instructions, it needs to stay there for 2 weeks. So in 2 weeks we'll see.