Is My beer Done Fermenting?

[bgcoving]

Hello again from Amateurville (right down the road from New Guy City)...

My nut brown ale has been in the primary for a week and has slowed to one bubble every two-four minutes. I took a gravity reading, OG was 1.058, today's was 1.019, target gravity is 1.008-1.013...should I give the primary a good shake and let it sit for a few more days, or go ahead and run it into my secondary?

TIA...

Brother Ben

 

[blacklab]

I'd give it a few more days and see what happens. Avoid shaking it.

 

[Couevas]

RDWHAHB.

Leave that beer in the primary on the yeast cake for about 2 weeks. It will not be done until you see the same S.G. reading 3 days in a row. Also, you will be very pleased if you give it a few days after it hits F.G. for the yeastie beasties to "clean up" after themselves.

Just my $0.02.

 

[malkore]

swirl...maybe. shake....NO. you never shake it after the initial yeast pitching.

swirl = gently stirring action

once the yeast is going, treat the fermenting beer like a baby.

 

[findthefish]

swirl...maybe. shake....NO. you never shake it after the initial yeast pitching.

swirl = gently stirring action

once the yeast is going, treat the fermenting beer like a baby.

Wait.... you said don't shake it though. :cross:

 

[bgcoving]

swirl...maybe. shake....NO. you never shake it after the initial yeast pitching.

swirl = gently stirring action

once the yeast is going, treat the fermenting beer like a baby.

Okay, was just wondering if maybe a gentle swirl (my actual intent, I suppose I should have avoided the word 'shake') would recirculate any live yeasties in the cake, but I'll go ahead and leave it sit, for sure...Might give it a swirl in a day or so. As for testing it three days in a row, since I am using a plastic fermenter with no spigot I try to resist prying the top off as much as possible. I may be new, but I'm very hygenic...I cringe everytime I take the lid off. Better to leave it, I think, until I see NO activity and take a reading then.

Fr. Ben

 

[Yooper]

Okay, was just wondering if maybe a gentle swirl (my actual intent, I suppose I should have avoided the word 'shake') would recirculate any live yeasties in the cake, but I'll go ahead and leave it sit, for sure...Might give it a swirl in a day or so. As for testing it three days in a row, since I am using a plastic fermenter with no spigot I try to resist prying the top off as much as possible. I may be new, but I'm very hygenic...I cringe everytime I take the lid off. Better to leave it, I think, until I see NO activity and take a reading then.

Fr. Ben

That's what I do- wait about two weeks and I'm pretty sure it's done. Then, before racking, I check the SG to make sure that it really is where it's expected. After it reaches FG, it's ok to rack into the secondary (which really should be called a clearing tank, since there really isn't a secondary fermentation happening in there).

 

[WBC]

I my 36 years of brewing I have never had a brew that was not finished in 14 days. I just let every brew primary for 14 days regardless of lager or ale and then keg it.

 

[Hoosierbrewer]

what yeast did you use?

 

[z987k]

I my 36 years of brewing I have never had a brew that was not finished in 14 days. I just let every brew primary for 14 days regardless of lager or ale and then keg it.

don't do many high gravity brews?