First Time Bottling Day.... Maybe?

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johndeere

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I'm ready to bottle my first batch today. My OG started out about 1.05, according to instructions it shoud've been between 1.04-1.045. I think it started fermenting between 1-2 days and I left it in the fermenter for over 2 full weeks at 70 degrees air temp. It's been at least a week ago that bubbling completly quit.

I tested it the last two days and the FG reads 1.02 unchanged. The recommened FG was between 1.012-1.015. I should be able to bottle if it still reads 1.02 today again, right? Should it be acceptable to have a slightly higher FG then stated if I started out a little bit higher with my OG reading?

Regardless, I have my setup ready to go and I'm confident that this "tedious" bottling day will go very well.

On a side note, when racking from fermenter to bottling bucket...
Do you leave some beer behind on the bottom of the fermenter that has all the sediment? Do you start siphoning from the top of the fermenter and work your way down? The instructions haven't been very clear on that.
 
It's not uncommon for extract batches to finish at 1.020. If it hasn't changed, then you're safe to bottle!

When I siphon, I start from in the middle and gradually go to the bottom with the siphon. You can start right on the bottom, especially if you're gentle and won't stir the trub on the bottom up with moving the siphon, but I'm a bit clumsy so I start it in the middle.

The only important thing is to make sure the tip of tubing is at the very bottom of the bottling bucket so you don't splash into it. What I like to do is add my priming solution to the bucket, then gently rack the beer into that. I put the tubing in a circular pattern on the bottom, so that as the beer fills the bucket from the bottom, it gently "swirls" around to mix with the priming sugar.
 
Bottling day is complete, all went pretty well and I can't complain too much. The amber ale smelled great, tasted like ale flavored water, and it's now aging in my basement.

I'm really paranoid this being my first batch and how everyone warns of bottle bombs so...
Timeframe-wise, at what point would bottles or caps start to blow off if they were going to?

I think I'm fine, my FG is a little on the high side but it's been pretty stable for the last few days. I just cringe at the thought of seeing beer drip off my shelving unit next time I venture downstairs.
 

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