Fermentation Question (again)

Before the I get assaulted with the usual "Fermentation can take up to 72 hours" barrage, I want to ask a question about the finish of fermentation...

If my AHS blue moon clone has a consistent hydro reading for 3 consecutive days, can I bottle on that third day or do I need to give the brew a rest of a few days to let the yeast "clean up" or even cold crash it? Part of me thinks that the yeast will clean up just fine in the bottle and cold crashing for clarity is not all that important due to the style, but I am not 100% confident. I don't want to end up with an odd taste to the beer because I bottle too soon, but I do want to get it in the bottles so that it ready for Christmas.

I know, RDWHAHB...

You can bottle on that third day and your beer should be great, but waiting won't hurt and will likely improve your beer. Letting your beer sit on the cake for a few days or weeks is not the same as letting it sit in bottles the for the same amount of time.

I agree your beer will be fine. But when ever I am confronted with a question of whether or not to wait the answer is always wait. Patience is a virtue! But again, your beer will be fine if you really want it ready to go in a certain time frame.

rjwhite41 said:

I agree your beer will be fine. But when ever I am confronted with a question of whether or not to wait the answer is always wait. Patience is a virtue! But again, your beer will be fine if you really want it ready to go in a certain time frame.

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+1. Youre always going to subconsciously error on the side of drinking your beer sooner.. so when in doubt, distract yourself with another home project and wait until next weekend. I havent come across anything that indicates a situation where another week is going to hurt ANYTHING.

You are correct in not wanting clarity in a BM clone too. The longer you can let it sit, the more sediment you'll get out of it. I'd wait a few extra days. As long as you bottle by Thanksgiving, the beer should easily be ready by Christmas.