Is my beer ready to hit the bottles?

[tlass]

Hi there,

My friends gave me a brewing kit for my birthday earlier this month and last Thursday evening (It's Wednesday noon now) I decided to make my first gallon batch in a demijohn.

It is one of those quick-beers, which is apparently supposed to take 4 to 7 days to brew. It's been almost 6 days now. It's an IPA (Any thoughts on it?)

The first few days, the activity was pretty violent. Perhaps a bubble every 2 seconds or so. For the past three days it has become increasingly passive. Last night, there was a bubble in the airlock every 30 seconds and now it's gone to about one bubble every 65 seconds. I can see some activity through the glass, but the bubbles are very small indeed.

Should I bottle it? :fro:

EDIT: Also, I do not have a hydrometer

 

[peecan52]

You probably could bottle it now and be fine. However, it will taste much better if you wait a couple more weeks before you do anything to it. My first two batches, I was excited and couldn't wait. They tasted fine after bottle conditioning but it took a few more weeks after first taste before I really enjoyed them. My third batch, I left in the primary for 4 weeks and in bottles for another 3 weeks. The first one I had tasted great. I would say wait and your patience will be rewarded.

 

[Cybershadow]

Leave it In the fermenter two weeks then bottle.

 

[tlass]

Leave it In the fermenter two weeks then bottle.

While I would agree with this if it was something else, it does say on the label of the beer that "ready to drink in 10 days" and fermentation is supposed to take place in 5 days on average. Should I go ahead and bottle it, taking that into account?

 

[Alleydude]

While I would agree with this if it was something else, it does say on the label of the beer that "ready to drink in 10 days" and fermentation is supposed to take place in 5 days on average. Should I go ahead and bottle it, taking that into account?

Listen to the experience, wait at least two weeks before bottling and two to three (at least) weeks before sampling.

If you're in a hurry, get some commercial beer to tide you over. Beef making, I have learned, is not a quick hobby, and cutting corners or rushing the process only leads to crappy or less than perfect beer. Be patient, pop open a cold one, and let it sit for a while.

 

[tlass]

Thanks for the advice guys and I appreciate and respect your experience. I am in a bit of a rush though, because I will be leaving university in less than a week and would like to have it all consumed by that time.

I guess the question is whether it's safe to bottle it, rather than whether it is preferable.

 

[BrewStooge]

Even that's hard to say without a hydrometer. If it's really a must do now, I'd stay use plastic bottles at least. Then about the worst you could get is over carbed rather than broken.

 

[tlass]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I think I will wait one more day and see what it's like, because I think I can afford to wait another day or two.

 

[LKABrewer]

When the instructions say 'ready to drink in 10 days', that means you can drink beer after 10 days. It will be warm, green beer, but it will be beer. For best results, though, you should wait 2-4 weeks before bottling. After you bottle it (with priming sugar added), it will take 3 weeks for proper carbonization, and another couple of days of refrigeration for it to be cold, carbonated, and tasty.

 

[nos33]

let your hydrometer tell you when to bottle.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Thanks for the advice guys and I appreciate and respect your experience. I am in a bit of a rush though, because I will be leaving university in less than a week and would like to have it all consumed by that time.

Even if you bottled it yesterday, it takes three weeks at room temp and another few days in the fridge before it's ready to drink.
I'd wait another week, bottle, take the bottles home with you, wait three weeks, throw one in the fridge, wait 48 hours and try it.
One thing I learned very early on is good beer takes good time. You'll be much happier with your final product if you exercise patient grasshopper.