Forgot to Measure Original Gravity

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JCasey1992

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Hi all!

I just brewed a Belgian Dubbel and forgot to measure original gravity. Target OG was 1.079 and target ABV is 7.8%. With all this in mind, how can I be sure it is done brewing so I don't transfer it from the fermenter too early. About how long should I let it sit before I bottle it? Any help is appreciated.

If it helps to see the recipe, follow this link. Just click on the second picture and it should bring up the recipe sheet.

http://barleyhaven.com/dubbel-home-brew-kit-all-grain.html

Thanks,
Casey
 
leave it for three-four weeks. OG doesn't matter much unless you want to see how you did efficiency-wise, or if you want a good approximation of ABV. I mean, if you're new to all-grain it's good to see that the mash ACTUALLY extracted sugar, but if this isn't your first rodeo, I'd leave it for 3-4 weeks before bottling.
 
UPDATE: I don't know how much it would have fermented at this point but I just measured the gravity six and a half hours after pitching the yeast and it is pretty much exactly the target gravity with 1.074. Any thoughts?
 
A couple of stable SG readings with a hydrometer 3 to 5 days apart will let you know when the fermentation is done. Some yeasts can take a week to drop the final couple of gravity points with high ABV beers. Don't try to rush the beer. The recommendation to keep the beer in the primary for 3 to 4 weeks is good. Extra time in the primary will also give you a more sediment free beer to put into the bottles.
 
UPDATE: I don't know how much it would have fermented at this point but I just measured the gravity six and a half hours after pitching the yeast and it is pretty much exactly the target gravity with 1.074. Any thoughts?

Unless you are seeing a lot of yeast movement throughout the fermentor 1.074 is probably your OG or within one point.
 
Hi all!

I just brewed a Belgian Dubbel and forgot to measure original gravity. Target OG was 1.079 and target ABV is 7.8%. With all this in mind, how can I be sure it is done brewing so I don't transfer it from the fermenter too early. About how long should I let it sit before I bottle it? Any help is appreciated.

If it helps to see the recipe, follow this link. Just click on the second picture and it should bring up the recipe sheet.

http://barleyhaven.com/dubbel-home-brew-kit-all-grain.html

Thanks,
Casey

You always let it sit at least until all fermentation is done. You use your hydrometer to determine this. Putting a timeline on how long it will take to complete fermentation is like estimating the time from planting to harvest. You're at the mercy of the yeast.

Transfer from the fementer? You mean bottling bucket? I don't think this beer needs transferring until it's time to bottle.
 
Transfer from the fementer? I don't think this beer needs transferring until it's time to bottle.

Are you saying that this particular style won't need to be secondaried? I may be reading too much into this but I thought that was necessary for this particular style.
 
It might be beneficial to move that particular beer but it come with the chance of infection and/or oxidation. Many things are written about brewing and some of them are always true, some of them are sometimes true, and some are never true. It will be up to you to decide into which of these this set of instructions falls.
 
Whether you secondary is more of a choice than a necessity for any style. The only real need is if the beer is going to be aged in bulk for months, if you are going to add something that either won't fit in your primary or you would make it difficult in, for instance, in a carboy, something that would be hard to remove.
 
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