English ale at 1.054 - bottle after 2 or 3 weeks?

Been brewing for about 2 years now so I don't mean this to sound like a noob question but would you bottle this at two weeks or would you still wait another? At this time it still has another week and a day or two in the fermenter so another week I'd think should be adequate "clean up" time but I'd like to get a consensus. I typically wait 3 weeks for most of my beers outside of hefe's but this beer will be at a week this Saturday and it already seems done. The Krausen has fallen and it's just some yeast on top at this point. Is this something you would bottle at two weeks or no? what do you guys think? Forgot to mention, I used a healthy starter if that makes any difference.

Rev.

Rev2010 said:

Been brewing for about 2 years now so I don't mean this to sound like a noob question but would you bottle this at two weeks or would you still wait another? At this time it still has another week and a day or two in the fermenter so another week I'd think should be adequate "clean up" time but I'd like to get a consensus. I typically wait 3 weeks for most of my beers outside of hefe's but this beer will be at a week this Saturday and it already seems done. The Krausen has fallen and it's just some yeast on top at this point. Is this something you would bottle at two weeks or no? what do you guys think?

Rev.

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I normally bottle at 10 days- 2 weeks, but I would only bottle beer that is clear. If it's still cloudy, I'd wait a bit. If it's clear, I'd bottle.

As long as the FG is steady--what Yooper said. If it's still cloudy you could also put the carboy in a fridge to help clarify if you have the room and you're in a hurry.

Yooper said:

I normally bottle at 10 days- 2 weeks, but I would only bottle beer that is clear. If it's still cloudy, I'd wait a bit. If it's clear, I'd bottle.

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I can't tell exactly since I user semi-clear/opaque Coopers fermenters, not my pic but here's an example, more commentary below:



Although I've read many people ask whether yeast starters speed fermentation and been told no I have to say ever since I started using a starter my beers do indeed seem to finish quicker. I'd think from a scientific standpoint that the more yeast to handle the job would certainly get the job done quicker but I've never tried a comparison of bottling the same beer at 2 weeks vs. 3 weeks so who knows for sure?


Rev.

What was the OG on this one? Did it have a few days of good bubbling?
I seem to recall a Belgian I brewed that appeared to stop after 6-7 days but after the yeast was stirred up a bit from racking to secondary it had a 2-3 more days of strong fermentation. - Just a thought

When I take a sample to test the gravity, I'll take the sample and put it in the fridge over night.
The next day if I see yeast on the bottom I know it needs more time for the yeast to drop out.

unionrdr said:

I have that same fermenter. A bit easier to see what's going on with it vs the ale pail. Mine usually need 3 weeks or so to finish & clean up/settle out clear. Give it the time it needs to do so,however long that may be.

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Yeah I have 3 of them, all currently filled Bottling my Pumpkin Ale today and brewing another batch of pumpkin tomorrow. I like these fermenters as they are extremely convenient. I can see through the top, it has a bottling spigot, is easy to clean, and it has plenty of headspace so in 2 years of brewing I've never once needed a blowoff tube, and as we all know those Hefe yeast can go insane heh.

I was just wondering about this one since it's not too high a gravity, should be 5% ABV or a hair under, and after not even a week it looks done. So I was thinking would another week be good enough "clean up" time. We'll see, maybe next weekend I'll take a hydro sample and see how it looks/tastes and decide from there whether to bottle at 2 or 3 weeks.


Rev.

Big starter + mid-gravity wort + right temp = no reason for the yeast to clean up. That's how the big boys go from grain to glass in a profitable amount of time.