Hydromter reading prior to racking to secondary

Hey all,

I'm relatively new and have done 4 extract batches thus far. My recent brew was a Robust Porter kit from Brewer's Best.

I had never used a hydrometer prior to this batch, so prior to pitching when I took my reading, it was around 1.051 or so, which is what it is supposed to be according to the kit which has a OG listed at 1.051 - 1.055.

The temperature on the fermentor was right around 70F-72F once I put it into the closet to begin fermentation. Airlock was pretty active and died down in three days or so, with the floating bubbler stagnant. I wanted to use the 1-2-3-method which appears to be pretty full proof, so I racked to the secondary today after 6.5 days as I am heading out of town and so moved it over a 1/2 day early.

I poured some beer into the test tube after successfully racking. The reading was ~1.030 and would clearly indicate that it is not done yet. I tasted a sample and it was very good, nice hop presence and I could taste the alcohol. The fermentation bucket had a very thick ring of Krausen and plenty of yeast rafts on the surface. There was tons of trub on the bottom. The air lock is now showing more CO2 again in my glass carboy I racked to, as the bubbler piece in my 3-piece airlock is now raised.

So my main question is:

Can I expect the gravity to hit the expected kit FG which is between 1.012 - 1.016 during 2 weeks more in the secondary? Is it abnormal to have the reading I do right now?

Any help appreciated!

Sounds like the batch is progressing as expected. Sit back and let the yeast do their job. Welcome to the forum. :rockin:

jstaas said:

Sounds like the batch is progressing as expected. Sit back and let the yeast do their job. Welcome to the forum. :rockin:

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Thanks for the reply! Since I've posted the question, I went and talked to an employee over at AIH where I got my kit. When I told him of my concerns, he said my yeast may have flocked and that the temps may have been too low .

He suggested gently shaking the carboy to see if that will arouse the yeast and see if the airlock picks up. Now, I know that the airlock is NOT a sign of fermentation. He also suggested I may need to repitch. He also mentioned how after a week that it should be near final gravity.

To play it safe, I went and picked up some yeast energizer and a new packet of Nottingham yeast (what came with the kit.)

I only added the energizer after gently swirling the carboy a couple of times. After doing so and for the last 5 hours, the airlock has been bubbling around 2 to 3 times within a minute or so.

I'm going to sit back and do nothing at this point. I already moved the carboy to a warmer location just under 70F as well, but am not going to pitch any new yeast unless anyone thinks it would be necessary. I cannot imagine that all the yeast flocked.

When should I take another gravity reading, if any? I plan to leave it in secondary for at least 2 more weeks.

Any other input appreciated. Still learning, still reading, etc.

Thanks!

First off - There was no need to move it to secondary. If the beer had cooled and the yeast flocked, all you did was remove the beer from the yeast that would have done the job for you.

For most beers there is no need to use a secondary. The beer is fine in primary for a month or two.

You need to be below 60 F for Notty to drop out. What temp was it at?

I would have expected Noty to have done it's job in a week, but it seems it didn't in this case. You should expect it to finish fairy quickly.

Change your process from 1-2-3 to 3-3.

I agree with Calder, I've all but quit using a secondary unless I need an extra primary for a new brew. Also, you said your temperature was around 70-72? From what I've read, that's on the high side for Nottingham. It seems to have a pretty good tolerance for lower Temps. I usually try to keep my fermentation around 62-64 for the first week, then slightly raise it (if I remember) the second week in primary. As a general rule of thumb, I leave all of my beers in the primary stage for a minimum of 2 weeks. It won't hurt anything to leave it longer.

With all of that being said, it sounds like you should be good! . In the end, you'll still have beer!

Calder said:

First off - There was no need to move it to secondary. If the beer had cooled and the yeast flocked, all you did was remove the beer from the yeast that would have done the job for you.

For most beers there is no need to use a secondary. The beer is fine in primary for a month or two.

You need to be below 60 F for Notty to drop out. What temp was it at?

I would have expected Noty to have done it's job in a week, but it seems it didn't in this case. You should expect it to finish fairy quickly.

Change your process from 1-2-3 to 3-3.

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My first week in primary or so was at 64F, but was high as 72F for the few days of high Krausen. Yes, I understand I didn't need to rack to secondary, but I had a new glass carboy and wanted to finish it there. Next time I'll probably just leave it for three weeks and then bottle condition. I appreciate the feedback. So many people seems to do 1-2-3 and others just don't bother. I'll do that latter next time.

FWIW, since I poured in some yeast energizer about 12 hours ago, there has been activity in the airlock, 1-2 times a minute give or take. Some is still floating on the surface.

When do you think I should take another reading? I'm thinking one week from today just to see if it dropped. Would that be a good idea or just check it in two more weeks prior to racking to the bottling bucket for priming?

Thanks for your input as well, I'm still learning and appreciate any feedback.

PLAY_DEAD said:

I agree with Calder, I've all but quit using a secondary unless I need an extra primary for a new brew. Also, you said your temperature was around 70-72? From what I've read, that's on the high side for Nottingham. It seems to have a pretty good tolerance for lower Temps. I usually try to keep my fermentation around 62-64 for the first week, then slightly raise it (if I remember) the second week in primary. As a general rule of thumb, I leave all of my beers in the primary stage for a minimum of 2 weeks. It won't hurt anything to leave it longer.

With all of that being said, it sounds like you should be good! . In the end, you'll still have beer!

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It was only at 72F for two days because the wort was still in that temp range, and then dropped down to the 64F-65F in my closet where it's pretty cool for the rest of that ~ first 6.5 days (my house is set at 70F.) I now have the carboy in my living room on a laminate floor and wrapped in a towel. The wort temp is reading right at 66f on the dot.

kommi1974 said:

It was only at 72F for two days because the wort was still in that temp range, and then dropped down to the 64F-65F in my closet where it's pretty cool for the rest of that ~ first 6.5 days (my house is set at 70F.) I now have the carboy in my living room on a laminate floor and wrapped in a towel. The wort temp is reading right at 66f on the dot.

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Letting the temp drop after fermentation has slowed (especially as much as 6F) can cause the yeast to drop out prematurely.

Just giving everyone a heads up, My beer hit final gravity this AM. :rockin:All I did was add some yeast energizer and I'm not even sure I needed it. This morning's reading was 1.012, right where it's supposed to be. Tasted smooth as heck. I learned a few things doing this:

1. I'm not bothering racking, even if didn't cause any issues. It's undue stress I'm not going to mess with. The whole time I kept worrying about a stalled fermentation and it was just me taking a reading when it wasn't done. I do like watching fermentation though, so I'm probably going to ferment right into my carboy next batch.

2. My temps have always had no issues and they don't seem to have any issues with this last batch. Thankfully I didn't repitch. As stated above, I'm pretty sure the YE didn't even contribute, but it was a $4 piece of insurance even if it did.

3. Patience. I'm not bothering checking the gravity until after at least 9 or 10 days into fermentation. This batch took exactly 9 days to hit FG, and it possible hit it Sunday, who knows.

One final question: Is it even possible to ferment a 5 gallon batch in a 5 gallon fermenter? I'm guessing no, but there is headspace in my carboy even after 5 gallons are filled. If not, I'm picking up a 6.5 gallon carboy...

Definitely get the larger carboy. I just had a 5 gallon batch explode on me when the airlock got clogged in my 6.5 gallon carboy. A 5 gallon carboy won't even give you a chance. The batch turned out great though, from 1.080 to 1.012 in 6 days, 9% abv. I've racked to a secondary to dry hop, and then I'll put it into my keg in another week to 10 days. If I'm not dry hopping I don't use a secondary.

The real answer though is time isn't the indicator, the hydrometer is. It is ok to check after 5-6 days if it looks like all activity has stopped, but that doesn't mean that it is ready. Take a reading, wait a day, take another reading. If they are the same you should be ok to go, unless they are both too high.

Yeah, I would NOT use a 5 gallon carboy as a primary for a 5-gallon batch. I have 2 6.5 gallon buckets and a 6.5 gallon Big Mouth Bubbler. If I only have 1 beer in the primary I always use the Bubbler because I can SEE fermentation happening and it reduces FA (fermentation anxiety). My buckets are now about 2 years old and there are probably a few hairline leaks in them, which allow the CO2 to escape - thus sometimes I'll have a full fermentation without the airlock moving. With the Bubbler (plastic as I prefer plastic over glass - lighter and safer) I can SEE the yeast doing their thing. The Bubbler is a few more dollars than the bucket, but I think it's money well spent. Good luck on all future brews! Every batch you learn from is a success!

Just a thought....any chance that either your hydro was goofed up on that first reading or perhaps it was a case of the extract not being mixed well and your first sample happened to pick up some unmixed LME/DME and your second sample didn't? I've heard of this when folks are checking OG but not FG so this is a shot in the dark. I've only done 1 extract so I'm just taking a stab. It just seems odd that after a week it would have July dropped to 030....and the suddenly down to 012. Doesn't really matter now since you got to 012 so just a thought for future consideration ... Congrats on your beer!

kommi1974 said:

Just giving everyone a heads up, My beer hit final gravity this AM. :rockin:All I did was add some yeast energizer and I'm not even sure I needed it. This morning's reading was 1.012, right where it's supposed to be. Tasted smooth as heck. I learned a few things doing this:

1. I'm not bothering racking, even if didn't cause any issues. It's undue stress I'm not going to mess with. The whole time I kept worrying about a stalled fermentation and it was just me taking a reading when it wasn't done. I do like watching fermentation though, so I'm probably going to ferment right into my carboy next batch.

2. My temps have always had no issues and they don't seem to have any issues with this last batch. Thankfully I didn't repitch. As stated above, I'm pretty sure the YE didn't even contribute, but it was a $4 piece of insurance even if it did.

3. Patience. I'm not bothering checking the gravity until after at least 9 or 10 days into fermentation. This batch took exactly 9 days to hit FG, and it possible hit it Sunday, who knows.

One final question: Is it even possible to ferment a 5 gallon batch in a 5 gallon fermenter? I'm guessing no, but there is headspace in my carboy even after 5 gallons are filled. If not, I'm picking up a 6.5 gallon carboy...

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Skip the carboy and get another 2 buckets for about the same cost. Carboys are heavy, slippery, and can send you to the hospital if they break at the wrong time which they can do for no reason.

Buckets have handles for easy carrying, won't break if you bump them, have wide openings for easy cleaning or adding hops, are much lighter than carboys, and are cheap to replace if you feel the need.:rockin: