so i wanted to through this noob question out.
without using a hydrometer, how can you visually tell when your homebrew is done fermenting?? mine is in a glass carboy. so what should i look for???
the only sure way is using a hydrometer.
that said -visually you should not see any bubbles in your air lock and the krausen has dropped and the beer should be clearing.
time wise - wait 2 weeks for a normal gravity beer(1.050)
Keep in mind, the cooler the fermenter temp. the longer this will take, so if you having cool whether, and dont have a regulated temp. this might take you a little longer.
But in general that is a safe time. If you would like to be safe, wait till the 12-14 day mark. Will not hurt to let it take more time.
If you don't have a hydrometer, then definitely wait 12-14 days. The airlock is a bastard and can lie about the fermentation being done. If you do have a hydrometer, or get one, test the brew after about 10 days, and when the reading is consistent for 3 days, rack it to a secondary, or bottle it... and prepare to wait again.