Is this OK to bottle?

[Breweski15]

Ok, IM sure everyone's getting tired of all the questions. I"ve had my amber ale in the secondary for roughly 10-12 days now and I"ve noticed that the hydrometer is still reporting a 1.020 the same as what it did when I put it in the secondary to begin w/ I was wondering if it would be ok to bottle right now..if so what would be the results? if not...how long should I wait? sorry again and thanks!

 

[Yooper]

Well, it might be finished. Or maybe not quite finished yet. If you can post your recipe, and the expected FG and the yeast you used, I bet we could give you some good advice.

 

[Breweski15]

yes..yes that might help lol I just had one of those basic beer recipe that I got from a kit. Its as follows:

2-3.3 lb cans Amber malt extract
1 lb crystal malt
1 and a half oz hop pellets
1 pkg water salts
yeast ( 2 of those packets i can't remember the name of them and it just says that on the instructions)

basically did the typical brewing of it...it started out w/ a 1.040 reading on the hydrometer. I left it in the primary for abou a week then it tranfered it to a glass carboy. At the time it read 1.020 which is what it's supposed to read. I left it in the carboy for about 10-12 days in which I read the reading again and it said 1.020. It's supposed to produce 48 bottles.

Any more info just let me know. Thanks again!

 

[Reno Homebrewer]

What temp was the wort when you took your OG reading? And 1.020 seems a little high. If you took your OG reading with the wort around 80F, then you need to add .002 to the reading, which would be about what I would expect from 6.6lbs of LME. Did you get exactly 5 gallons? Did the recipe actually say that the FG would be around 1.020?

 

[Newfermenter1]

Maybe a stuck fermentation? What was the temp you maintained while fermenting?

 

[Breweski15]

When I took the first reading it was roughly 77 or so degrees. It was around there. On the instructions it says " after 3-4 days check if it has fallen to half your original reading put it in the carboy. It says that the finished reading should be between 1.008 and 1.012. It came out to exactly 5 gallons but I only have 4.5 or so in the carboy. Hopefully this helped

 

[Breweski15]

Temps about roughly 65-70

 

[Breweski15]

anyone have any ideas?

 

[homebrewer_99]

The instructions are wrong.

After you take your OG reading divide it by 4. The answer should be very close to your FG. When the brew in the primary reaches the FG reading then it's time to rack to the secondary for clearing.

Sounds like you have a stuck fermentation. You probably racked it off of the viable yeast too soon.

Do you have any yeast on the bottom of the fermenter? If so, you can rouse it by stirring it once or twice to get it back into suspension. Take another reading in a day or two. If there's no change then you'll probably have to add more yeast.

 

[Breweski15]

I went to look at it a day or two after I last checked the reading and I notice that it now has a white looking substance on top. Im guessing its mold or something. For the secondary is it supposed to produce any kind of film or ? I can take pictures if needed. Thanks

 

[Ryanh1801]

I went to look at it a day or two after I last checked the reading and I notice that it now has a white looking substance on top. Im guessing its mold or something. For the secondary is it supposed to produce any kind of film or ? I can take pictures if needed. Thanks

Sounds like it is starting to ferment again.. A picture would help.

 

[Breweski15]

here's a picture of it. Hopefully it comes out alright and gives you a good idea of whats happening. THanks again everyone for your help

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Looks like fermenting beer to me! I'd just put it away and leave it for another week, or two. In the future, don't be in a hurry to rack into secondary...leaving it on the yeast cake in primary three weeks will virtually guarantee that fermentation is completed, and won't harm your beer at all. In fact, these days I'm going 3-5 weeks in primary and skipping the secondary altogether.

 

[Breweski15]

hi thanks for the reply. Yea these wonderful "basic instructions' that i received w/ the kit ive been told are horrible and are incorrect. It makes me happy to hear that it actually can turn out lol nothing like being new and not knowing whats going on. I'll keep an eye on it and post any other "issues"

 

[KD5LEF]

When in doubt.. Leave it another week.

 

[LaneStreet]

Hi, I think I started with the same kit for my first beer. Mine has been in the secondary for 6 days now I haven't checked it since I put it in there. My directions were the same, I agree they were awful. I probably moved to the secondary too soon also. Hopefully both of our beers turn out great!

Lane

 

[Breweski15]

Its nice to hear that others had the same problem. I noticed it a lot too when you read those instructions compared to on here or on the book. Just amazes me how something so "basic" can be so wrong lol. Yes definatly let us know how yours turns out also

 

[BlindLemonLars]

When in doubt.. Leave it another week.

That's my mantra...when in doubt, wait! When it comes to homebrew, waiting generally helps.

73 de KC6WOG.

 

[Breweski15]

well I waited a week and its down to the correct reading of 1.011 or 1.012. I'm getting ready to bottle it. I also noticed that after it fermentated for the 2nd time that the stuff on top is now just about obsolete...is it supposed to be like that or did something happen to it? thanks

 

[Blender]

well I waited a week and its down to the correct reading of 1.011 or 1.012. I'm getting ready to bottle it. I also noticed that after it fermentated for the 2nd time that the stuff on top is now just about obsolete...is it supposed to be like that or did something happen to it? thanks

Generally when the yeast have done their work they will drop to the bottom of the carboy. It sounds like you are good to go and make sure to take a sip or 4 when bottling so you get a sense of how it develops.

 

[Breweski15]

Just to let everyone know who helped out (or cared lol) the beer turned out great and the way its supposed to (so I think) Not bad for a first brew! Thanks everyone for the ideas. Anyone have any exciting ideas for a second one?

 

[Revvy]

Congrats!!!!


In the future, don't move you beer to secondary until after the hydrometer has stayed the same for 3 days...The secondary is a clearing tank ...