Final ABV ?

Hi. I just racked my first brew to the secondary after 1 week. It is An American Amber Ale kit. Tho og was 1.042 and the fg was 1.015. if I'm right I think that calculates out to 3.4 abv. Will the alcohol content continue to increase in the secondary? hey it doesn't smell bad. I guess that's a plus. I also washed out the carboy with starsan. I did what everyone said and left the bubbles right in there and as the beer syphoned in it pushed most of the foam out. I'm guessing that's no problem? Thanks for all of your help. Hopefully after 2 weeks in the secondary and 2 more in bottles we'll be able to try some on our Christmas party on the 16th.

The FG should hit 1.010 to 1.008

I think that it should increase due to the fact that you still have yeast and unfermented sugars still in there, however, it isn't going to be much.

You should ALWAYS try to hit for 75% attenuation of your brews before bottling, unless you think it needs more time in the secondary to clear, age, mellow...

Your OG was 1.042. You should not have bottled until it hit 1.012. At this point in time you are risking bottle grenades because your brew was NOT DONE fermenting prior to bottling.

Check 1 BOTTLE in a week to see how it's progressing in the carbonation field. If it has a good carbonation level...bubbles in the brew, not just head, then it's time to place all the bottles in the fridge. If not, then wait another week until you try another bottle.

When they are ready, be sure you drink them within a 2 week period (IMHO as they won't taste good for a longer period). Don't try to save any as they will become cidery (sweet) since you bottled early.

If they are bitter to begin with then you may be able to save them for a longer period.

Good luck.

What is the formula for measuring attenuation? This thread has me worrying now about the bottles I just did yesterday...

jessefive said:

What is the formula for measuring attenuation? This thread has me worrying now about the bottles I just did yesterday...

Click to expand...

Just take 75% of your OG and subract it. Say your OG was 1.050. 75% of .050 is .037. 1.050 - .037= 1.012. The FG should read 1.012 for 75% attenuation.

As I said above, I havent bottled yet just racked to the secondary.