My first brew

[emmanuec]

Hello everyone. New to the forum. I did my first batch this past Sunday. A bavarian hefeweizen from extracts. OG was of 1.042 in primary. Took a reading yesterday and it was of 1.014.

I am planning to take another reading tomorrow. If it stays at 1.014, should I leave it there for a couple more weeks as indicated by the recipe? What are the advantages/disadvantages of bottling now or waiting a few more weeks?

Thanks all for your feedback.

 

[Travestian]

If FG is the same after consecutive readings you should be good to bottle. The only things you might gain from waiting is a cleaner tasting beer as it won't be as young in the bottle, or a slightly clearer beer as things settle down to the bottom. The taste will come regardless of if it is in the bottle or not. And bottles will pour clear beer if they sit long enough too.

Personally I'd bottle and try your first beer after a few weeks in the bottle.

And welcome to the habit! I mean hobby!

 

[emmanuec]

Thanks for your feedback Travestian. I am excited and already looking on which one to make next.

 

[AttenuatingCircumstances]

I like to wait a minimum of 2 weeks, but usually do 3 just to be on the safe side, for primary fermentation before bottling or kegging. I bottled my first beer after only 10 days and it had a very "green" flavor to it. Since then, I've all of mine for 3 weeks and then in the bottle for 2-4 weeks. You'll also see a big advantage to leaving your bottles in the refrigerator for at least a week (but even better after 2+) before you drink them. This allows the beer to get cold which helps the CO2 settle down into the beer instead of hanging out in the headspace. A beer opened at 24 hours of refrigeration has a much different carbonation level than one at 1-2 weeks. Refrigerating for 1-2 weeks will also help the yeast to form a solid yeast cake at the bottom of the bottle which will make pouring easier. Also realize that when you put the bottles in the refrigerator that you will slow down the aging process. I like to chill some and keep the others at room temperature until I'm ready to replace the ones that I've already drank. You'll notice flavor differences between the very first and very last bottles that you drink. Make sure and take notes of how long you've let everything ferment/carbonate/age/chill and the tastes/carbonation that you get so you'll know for next time what the optimum times and flavors are.

 

[ncbrewer]

Congrats on your first brew.
I usually let my "normal" beers ferment for 3 weeks and condition for 3 weeks, but hefeweizen is normally best when young. I ferment it for 2 weeks max (assuming the gravity is stable) and condition it for 10 days. YMMV

 

[emmanuec]

Thanks for your replies. I took reading on friday and sunday and the gravity was stable, so I decided to bottle on Monday. We"ll see how it goes. Definitely will take your advice on taking notes of time and how it tastes for next time I brew it. Also next time will leave it at least a week more in fermenter to see differences in flavor. Thanks all.