So far on the batches I have made I bottle the beer out of the primary as soon as the airlock stops bubbling. Last time the hydrometer reading seemed kind of high but it looks like the fermentation is done so I bottle anyways and just keep the reading for my notes. Anyways this usually means my beer ferments from 3-7 days before bottling. My questions are: Is there more yeast action getting done that you don't see on the surface? and if it looks done do I really need to check over a three day period with hydrometer readings?
Wait they say, but do I look like a waiter?!
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El Pistolero
Well-Known Member
IMHO, three days (or even seven) is usually not enough. If you're going single stage, and you don't want to take SG readings, then I'd leave it in the primary for two weeks to give it enough time to ferment completely out and settle a little.Fudd said:
Fermentation gets slower and slower as is progresses, but you shouldn't bottle until the gravity stops changing. That's so when you prime & bottle, you have a good idea of how much carbonation will form in the ale. People joke about homebrew exploding, but it does happen. More often, it will just foam all over the place when you open a bottle, which is a real waste.
SteveM
Well-Known Member
I've always gone with two weeks in the primary - if extra time there is doing some harm, I see no evidence of it. I would advise not rushing it.
Shambolic
Well-Known Member
I made the mistake of rushing to bottle a couple of brews, because I was having some flavour issues and thought that bottling quickly might be the way to go.
The result was two batches of bottles with thick, unattractive, bad-tasting sediment in the bottom.
Let your brew sit for a while before bottling.
The result was two batches of bottles with thick, unattractive, bad-tasting sediment in the bottom.
Let your brew sit for a while before bottling.
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