Help - First Brew ready for bottling??

Hi Guys, Im new to all this. Doing my Very first brew and am mighty stumped. Ive looked through a few of the threads but cant find an answer. The brew has been in the fermenter now for colse to 2 weeks. Bubbling stopped about 3 days ago well almost there is still the occasional bubble. Its gone from 1 every 10 seconds to maybe 1 every 3 to 5 minutes. But when I take its SG it is still sitting at around 1.015. Everything ive read says not to bottle while still so high. But since it doesnt seem to be fermenting any more i am unsure what to do. Any help would be great. Cheers

what was the OG?

Have you checked it more than one day in a row? How many days has it been at 1.015?

First of all dont touch that beer yet!
I wouldnt even take a hydrometer reading for another week.

in a week take a hydrometer reading three days in a row, when you get three the same you can bottle. Still mighty early though. What is the recipe?

Dont have a an original SG from the start of brew, only bought the hydrometer the other day when I was getting worried that it was taking ages. It is a mix of 2 full coopers kits with no added sugar and one yeast sachet.

Unless it's a life or death situation and you have to bottle it now, I'd let it go a while longer. It'll only get better anyhow.

Dont have a an original SG from the start of brew

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That's not what I mean...You want to take readings three days in a row and make sure it stays the same for three days, like starting today or in a week or whatever. That's the only way to know for sure if it's ready to bottle.

+1 on waiting a few more days at least, or maybe a week, then start the readings and in three days you'll know when it's done.

Thanks hotbreakhotel, will take another reading soon so it is at the same time of day as yesterday. Yesterday was kind of the second reading but wasnt to confident with the first due to the container I used not quite being big enough and the hydrometer seemed to keep getting snagged on the edges. The first one seemed to average lower around 1.005 but really not confident with the reading. Will do it today and tomorrow and see what they read. I was assuming the question regarding OG reading was the original SG reading. Couldnt find anything in my book about OG though. Thanks for all the replies guys, not feeling quite so anxious anymore. Will post the second reading soon. Cheers

Ok I now have 3 readings.
Day 1 - 1.015
Day 2 - 1.014
Day 3 - 1.014
Im now even more confused. Should I be bottling or still leaving it for longer???

You did have a bit of movement which says your brew is still fermenting. Giving it another week would be good. We know how hard it is to wait when you are just starting but time really is your friend.
Let the yeast finish its job and your beer will taste much better. Also, gravity movement + bottling = bombs

MMmm yeh that is what I am afraid of. Dont want the whole batch blowing up on me. But man it is hard to wait, especially when the instructions say only a week in the fermenter then bottle.

To further elaborate - If your FG is stable at 1.014 for 3 days it should be safe to bottle. Some may consider that ready but what we're saying is that while it might be technically finished, it's still better in terms of flavor to wait another week - 2 different interpretations of being "ready". There is no reason you have to bottle as soon as it is finished - but you can if you want to. Kit instruction are notorious for telling folks to bottle within a week or as soon as the FG has been reached, but they do you a disservice by telling you that. They want you to buy another kit sooner.

It's not as important what the exact gravity is (as long as it's not crazy high), but rather that it's dropped as low as it can before you bottle, as verified by 3 consistent gravity readings. I've bottled lots of beers at 1.014 myself, some even higher. The other factor is how long it's been fermenting. Most of us have learned that longer is better, which is why you're being encouraged to wait another week. I usually let it go 3-4 weeks before bottling - it's usually "ready" (as in fully fermented) within 2 weeks, but I like the final product better if I give it more time. It is hard to wait, especially on your first 2-3 batches but it gets easier.

I say bottle it, but I'm an impatient newb too, so my advice ain't worth much. Add your priming sugar, bottle it, and let it sit for two weeks before you crack the first bottle.

The fact that you're getting a bubble in the airlock every few minutes clearly says "don't bottle" since bubbles = gas production = bombs. With movement on the SG, I would definitely wait. Don't worry that the instructions say one week, for two reasons:

(1) The instructions frequently are bad in kits, and try to make it sound quicker and easier than it really is, and
(2) The instructions can't possibly know exactly what temperature you're at, and how healthy the yeast were, etc.

I bottled an all extract batch after ten days and their are no bombs. I won't do it so early again, but it has allowed me to move on to another batch so I can get past the impatience. If you get after it too early you will at least learn why its better to wait.

wait until you get three days with the same reading mate, id recommend maybe giving it a few more days to a week at least, the reading is quite high and you dont want to risk losing your whole brew by been impatient, patience is the number one rule of home brewing

Thanks heaps for all the advice guys. Im gona wait a few more days and take another reading. See what it tells me then and hopefuly bottle it next weekend.

Well I managed to wait the week. Took another couple of readings and no change. Still sitting on 1.014. Descided to bottle yesterday and all went well. Did notice in the last couple of tests that it had cleared quite a bit since last weekend. Even after leaving it sit in a glass for a while there was absolutely no sediment, was noticably clearer and tasted quite alright. Onto the next batch now. Cheers for the help guys.

I dont think you will have any problems mate, it sounds about right and the change in clarity indicates that the brew should have aged nicely

No worries after 7+ days of consistent FG. Bottle up, and RDWHAHB.