Am i ready to bottle?

[Cauwels02]

So i took my first SG reading at the 10 day mark and got 1.018, didnt take one day 11 and just took another one day on day 12 and got a 1.020. Should i wait a little longer or do you think im good to bottle? Also do i take the FG after i bottle and open one for the first time or what? With that reading i just took that puts my potential alcohol at 2.5%, seems kind of low. The paper with my hydrometer is set for liquid at 60 degrees as where mine is at 70, it say to add 1, which b the diagram im guessing you put in the thousands decimal point? making it 1.021 right? Please help, thanks

 

[TyTanium]

What was your original gravity? 2.5% is pretty low, is this an extract batch and did you take your OG reading after topping off? If so, I bet your OG was actually higher b/c it wasn't thoroughly mixed.

Re: bottling, that's still a little high, but sometimes common for extract batches. How's it taste? Personally, I'd give it another week or so in a warmish spot to try to knock a few more points off. But there's a good chance it's done.

 

[Cauwels02]

i forgot to take an OG, its an extract batch 1/2 liquid 1/2 dry. I went onto hopville nad put in all my ingerdients and and projected the OG at 1.120 and a FG of 1.033. tastes ok

 

[TorribleBrew]

I went onto hopville nad put in all my ingerdients and and projected the OG at 1.120 and a FG of 1.033. tastes ok

Holy Big Beer Batman!

 

[TyTanium]

... projected the OG at 1.120 and a FG of 1.033

Holy Big Beer Batman!

What he said. Wow, that's a horse of a different color. You could very well be stable at 1.020. For that big of a beer time is your friend - don't rush it.

How did you calculate 2.5% ABV, by the way? Should be ~13% (120-20 = 100 x 1.3125)

 

[motleybrews]

My math may be off, but those numbers would suggest an abv of 11.6

 

[Cauwels02]

Thats what it said on hopville, projected 11.6 %, maybee i am reading my hydrometer wrong but when its floating at the 1.020 the projected alcohol is at 2.5%

 

[TyTanium]

Thats what it said on hopville, projected 11.6 %, maybee i am reading my hydrometer wrong but when its floating at the 1.020 the projected alcohol is at 2.5%

Ahh...there we go. Don't look at the %ABV on the hydrometer. Take the difference of your OG and FG and multiply by 1.3125 to get %ABV.
1.120-1.020 = .100 x 1.3125 = .13125 = 13.1%

EDIT: I think the %ABV numbers on the hydrometer is for an OG of 1.040

 

[TyTanium]

My math may be off, but those numbers would suggest an abv of 11.6

You're right - I was calculating based on his measured SG of 1.020 he mentioned above.

 

[motleybrews]

You're right - I was calculating based on his measured SG of 1.020 he mentioned above.

I wasn't trying to contradict you FYI. I ran the numbers and posted not seeing your post.

 

[Cauwels02]

oh i get it now, so the % alcohol is really going to be that high? Yikes, its tasted pretty good though, amber color smooth finish. So should i bottle it? Maybee wait till sunday and give it the full 2weeks?

 

[Cauwels02]

So the % alcohol is really going to be that high? Yikes, Like i said it tadtes pretty good. So should i wait the full 2 weeks or do you think im ready to bottle?

 

[davidr7283]

With a SG that high, I would probably wait 3 weeks before bottling. It doesn't hurt for it to sit a little longer before bottling. The only thing it hurts is you from staring at it everyday.

 

[atom]

something doesn't sound right... post your recipe.

 

[chickypad]

something doesn't sound right... post your recipe.

Just what I was going to say.

 

[saintdog327]

Yea I'm no expert but 1.120 sounds a bit off. You should try and remember the original recipe and really take time to think about your process. Sometimes I think I did something (either adding an ingredient or doing something else) and I really didn't. Just my two cents...Oh and also, a beer that large should be in the primary for AT LEAST three weeks, if not more.

Hope you figure it out!
Saintdog

 

[Cauwels02]

3lb plain amber malt extract, 4lbs can of pale malt extract, .5oz northern brewer hop pellet Alpha 12.3, 1oz cascade hop pellets Alpha 6.0, 1/2 cup of pure honey, 2gallon boil, white labs california ale liquid yeast

 

[Cauwels02]

you guys need to remember than i forgot to take my OG reading, the OG reading is from hopville that im using based on ingerdients. My actual OG may have been much lower im guessing

 

[DarthMalt]

was the amber malt dry or liquid?

 

[GinSlinger]

You boiled two gallons, but then did you add more water later? Or, is this total batch 2g?

 

[atom]

You boiled two gallons, but then did you add more water later? Or, is this total batch 2g?

yeah...that's my question... this recipe is for a 5 gallon batch, which would put the OG in the "normal" 1.055-1.060ish range...

 

[DarthMalt]

Regardless, I get an OG of around 1.058 from Beersmith with your recipe. Which means your ABV is 4.96% if FG is 1.020.

I think you're doing something wrong when you enter it into hopville.

 

[Cauwels02]

the amber was dry and the the boil was 2 gallons added to a total of 5gal batch

 

[DarthMalt]

the amber was dry and the the boil was 2 gallons added to a total of 5gal batch

Yea, I used dry for calculating the Amber. 1.058, ABV as stated above.

I knew something was up when you were saying an 11.6% ABV ale tasted "smooth" after 12 days.

 

[Cauwels02]

that sounds a little more reasonable, thanks

 

[DarthMalt]

np. That's assuming half cup of honey weighs 0.5lbs. which it should be close.

 

[Cauwels02]

so now that we figured out the problem hould i bee ok to bottle, i will probably wait till sunday anyway giving it two weeks exactly

 

[DarthMalt]

What kind of beer and what were your fermentation temps? I usually like to wait around 3 weeks, but it really depends on style and the conditions of the fermentation. I've bottled in as little as 2 and as many as 5.

 

[Cauwels02]

its a pale ale temp has been between 68-70

 

[DarthMalt]

1.018 and two days later 1.020 I find hard to believe. I don't think the beer could gain any gravity unless you added something to it, so it must be your hydrometer either sticking to the wall of your sample vessel, air bubbles and/or a temperature difference. It's probably done by now though. Take another reading for verification, if you want.

You can bottle now, but another week or so certainly wouldn't hurt. Is it mostly clear? It'll clear in the bottle, regardless, but you'll have less sediment if you wait until it clears before bottling.

To answer your other question, you take the FG before bottling and before adding any priming sugar.

 

[motleybrews]

So the % alcohol is really going to be that high? Yikes, Like i said it tadtes pretty good. So should i wait the full 2 weeks or do you think im ready to bottle?

Man, I'd sit on that beer at least 5 weeks before bottling. Just my opinion, but beers that big need to sit and ferment out for a while, and clean up. If you wait, youll have a better beer going into the bottles, and thus a better beer coming out of them

 

[motleybrews]

Man, I'd sit on that beer at least 5 weeks before bottling. Just my opinion, but beers that big need to sit and ferment out for a while, and clean up. If you wait, youll have a better beer going into the bottles, and thus a better beer coming out of them

Just read more of the thread saw there was a mistake. I'd still sit on it