To Bottle Now or Wait?

[DuhokBrewer]

I've got my first batch fermenting now. It's been in there 9 days at 62-66F. The airlock has slowed to bubbling about once every 2 minutes (1:50 last time I timed it.) I'm an impatient man, but willing to wait if needed. So, should I bottle it tonight, or keep waiting? If it makes a difference, I'll be bottling in swingtop bottles from Flensburger using carbonation drops.

 

[RM-MN]

Bubbles in the airlock are only to be used to entertain the brewer. Use a hydrometer to find out if the beer has completed fermentation, taking two samples at least a day apart and only bottling if the two samples match and are near the expected final gravity.

 

[DuhokBrewer]

Bubbles in the airlock are only to be used to entertain the brewer. Use a hydrometer to find out if the beer has completed fermentation, taking two samples at least a day apart and only bottling if the two samples match and are near the expected final gravity.

What do you do if you don't have a hydrometer and live in a place where you can't easily get one?

 

[DBhomebrew]

What do you do if you don't have a hydrometer and live in a place where you can't easily get one?

Wait. There is no imperative to bottle sooner than later. Patience will reward you in the pursuit of fermented beverages.

10days in the fermenter may be finished fermenting and safe* to bottle. 2wks more likely. 3wks almost definitely. As an added benefit, 3 weeks will be much more likely to be safe and it will likely have cleared more. Clearing in the fermenter means less particulate in the bottle. Additionally, the yeast will have had more time to clean up after itself.

*Safe. This is no joke. Bottle too early and you risk bottle bombs. This is no hyperbole. Literal explosions of glass.

Agreed with RM-MN, airlocks are not a measure of fermentation. But, yours hasn't even stopped! A bubble every few minutes means fermentation is probably still active. Airlocks often give false negatives, but seldom false positives.

 

[pvtpublic]

I always keep ales in primary for 3 weeks, I've noticed a huge improvement in my beers since I started that. I highly suggest the same for you just as the others have said.

*Bottle bombs are not to be taken lightly.*

 

[DuhokBrewer]

Thanks! I'll keep waiting then. If I'm still interested after the first couple of batches , I'll get a hydrometer (and probably another fermenter). I should have the opportunity in October/November.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I agree with the others, wait to bottle. I leave mine in the fermenter for 4 weeks. 2 weeks should be your minimum. And I highly recommend getting a hydrometer. As RM-MN said, two readings with the same results is the only way to know for certain that fermentation is complete. Although, I prefer to wait two days between readings.

And remember, the most important ingredient in brewing is patience.

 

[AlexKay]

Good advice here. The underlying idea is that even if fermentation is done insofar as all of the fermentable sugars have been broken down into alcohol, the yeast are still alive and metabolizing, and part of what they're doing is processing bad-tasting into better-tasting compounds.

 

[Jeroen79]

You can also use a refractometer instead, that way yo don't have to waste 200ml with each measurement.

Also its beter to always wait at least 4 weeks.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

You can also use a refractometer instead, that way yo don't have to waste 200ml with each measurement.

Also its beter to always wait at least 4 weeks.

A refractometer is not very accurate when alcohol is present. Sure, you can use it to see if there's any change in the number to see if fermentation is done, but I don't recommend it if you're calculating the ABV. And, if the OP can't easily buy a hydrometer, a refractometer is probably even harder to obtain. Plus, considerably more expensive.

 

[AlexKay]

A refractometer is not very accurate when alcohol is present. Sure, you can use it to see if there's any change in the number to see if fermentation is done, but I don't recommend it if you're calculating the ABV. And, if the OP can't easily buy a hydrometer, a refractometer is probably even harder to obtain. Plus, considerably more expensive.

With a refractometer, you must use a calculator where you input starting and ending Brix. If you do this, you'll get an ABV that is more than accurate enough for any homebrewer. With a hydrometer, you also need a calculator, and you also need to enter starting and ending SG in order to get an accurate ABV. And the refractometer saves you beer and doesn't break nearly as easily.

The OP can figure which will be easier to obtain, and which has more plausible deniability if someone finds it and asks them why they have it.

If you can't get either, I bet a small volumetric flask and an accurate scale will give you a good enough density reading.

 

[DuhokBrewer]

I'll probably get a hydrometer next time I travel. It's not a big deal to have. Alcohol is legal in this part of Iraq, but I don't know where you'd get brewing supplies here. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

What do you do if you don't have a hydrometer and live in a place where you can't easily get one?

Can you order things from Amazon? Get a refractometer, you'll want one with a 0 to 30 brix range, like this one...

https://www.amazon.com/Brix-Refract...92029340&s=industrial&sr=1-23&ts_id=393272011
Looks like that one has an "OG" chart built in, but to take subsequent gravity readings once fermenting has started, you'll want to use something like this software:
Refractometer Calculator - Brewer's Friend (specifically, the "Part II" section)

 

[hotbeer]

Understand that a hydrometer just tells you when it's finished fermenting. It doesn't tell you when to bottle or keg it.

 

[DuhokBrewer]

I was thinking about why I was in a hurry this morning. Other than being eager to try my first brew, the only factor I could think of was that I'm having to run the AC constantly to keep a proper temperature in the room I'm storing my fermenter in. Highs here have been consistently over 110F lately. So, (since it's only a gallon) I broke out the cooler, added some ice packs and put in my carboy. I've rigged it up with a thermometer that I can read without opening it. So far it seems to keep it in the 60s. Now I can wait and save some money on the electric bill

 

[DuhokBrewer]

I might have put too many ice packs in. Cooler got into the mid-50s or maybe lower as I wasn't checking in it. Fermentation seems to have stopped as there is no noticeable activity now. This could be because it is finished (it was getting close already) or because I got it too cold. Any recommendations to make sure it is done? I guess in some ways it doesn't matter as I'm planning on waiting til 3 weeks anyway.

 

[hotbeer]

Again, don't judge fermentation by bubbles. There are other reasons your beer will bubble. One of them being that warmer beer temps won't let it hold as much CO2. So it gasses off the excess as... bubbles.

Fermentation is only when yeast are converting the sugars to alcohol. For many of us that is all over and done with by day 4 after pitching yeast if not sooner. Yeast don't just stop doing stuff after fermentation is over, so that is why many of us leave the beer in the FV longer. At least 2 weeks if not more.

I and others keep our FV's inside the house where it's airconditioned and easier to keep temps stable. A bathroom exhaust fan lets you get rid of any smells that might annoy the spouse if you have a spare 1/2 bath.

Once the yeast have finished fermenting you probably don't have to worry as much about high temps. There's a good chance your yeast finished fermenting days ago. But we won't know for sure without knowing the SG 3 days apart.

If it is still fermenting then it very possible something wild got in the FV. Either poor sanitation or opening it up to peek or get a sample.

 

[SFC Rudy]

Wait at least 14 days.

Home brewing is a hobby of patience. Be patient and you will be rewarded. Be impatient and you will have mediocre results.

 

[JP_BeerFan]

When you can, buy a hydrometer. There's the Herculometer, made of plastic and unbreakable, probably a good choice when you're bringing it home packed in a suitcase, or getting it shipped from far away... (not to mention protecting yourself from butterfinger moments)

You can also use a refractometer instead, that way yo don't have to waste 200ml with each measurement.

I stumbled across a nice, 100ml plastic graduated cylinder... it's not too narrow, and tall enough to float (at least my glass one) a hydrometer in about 80ml of sample liquid. EISCO 100ml cylinder Good for the low volume brewer... or anyone else who's unhappy with with pouring out a lot with each SG reading.

(Edit... Havent got a Herculometer yet, so I don't know if it's wider, needs more fluid to float, etc... compared with my (?)Brewers Friend glass one, and thereby might not work with the 100ml EISCO cylinder)

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

(Edit... Havent got a Herculometer yet, so I don't know if it's wider, needs more fluid to float, etc... compared with my (?)Brewers Friend glass one, and thereby might not work with the 100ml EISCO cylinder)

My herculometer looks like it is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter, maybe a tiny bit less. I'll update this with a picture later tonight, if I can find my stupid tape-measure!

 

[JP_BeerFan]

Ah... the cylinder is supposed to be 28mm inside diameter, which is about 1.1". Sounds like it will have lots of room. Other question is, how much height does it need for 1.000 (or a bit less?) Try measuring the length to the 1.000 mark, and I'll get some measurements off my glass one.

 

[RM-MN]

My glass hydrometer came in a plastic tube to protect it. That tube is the perfect size for taking a sample with minimal amount of beer. I pull the cap off one end to put the beer in with the hydrometer, take the reading, remove the hydrometer from the tube and drink the beer remaining as a quick quality control.

 

[DuhokBrewer]

Wait at least 14 days.

Home brewing is a hobby of patience. Be patient and you will be rewarded. Be impatient and you will have mediocre results.

Tomorrow will be day 14 and I'm still waiting. I think the solution if I keep doing this is to get another carboy so I can do more than one batch at a time on a rotating schedule.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Welcome to the obsession. Get your second fermenter, and soon you'll have three. That's just the start, you'll be upgrading your brewing equipment soon too. I call this hobby "the most expensive way to get cheap beer".

And all this talk of dumping the hydrometer sample is just alcohol abuse. Like RM-MN, I drink the sample for quality control.

 

[RM-MN]

Tomorrow will be day 14 and I'm still waiting. I think the solution if I keep doing this is to get another carboy so I can do more than one batch at a time on a rotating schedule.

You spelled plastic bucked incorrectly as carboy. Carboys are wonderful so you can see the activity right up until the time they break spilling your beer and possibly sending you to the hospital with glass cuts. White plastic buckets are HDPE plastic and won't harm your beer. They have handles for carrying, have large opening for cleaning, and will bounce if you drop then a short distance.

 

[tracer bullet]

You spelled plastic bucked incorrectly as carboy.

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/col...big-mouth-bubbler-evo-2-siphonless-6-5-gallon

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

...big-mouth-bubbler-evo-2-siphonless-6-5-gallon...

The best thing about a glass fermenter is that you can see what's going on with the ferment. But that same benefit also means light will get in and damage your beer unless you keep it in the dark!

/team cheap-plastic-bucket

 

[mac_1103]

Umm, you guys do know that they make carboys out of PET too, right? Even big mouth bubblers.

 

[DuhokBrewer]

You spelled plastic bucked incorrectly as carboy. Carboys are wonderful so you can see the activity right up until the time they break spilling your beer and possibly sending you to the hospital with glass cuts. White plastic buckets are HDPE plastic and won't harm your beer. They have handles for carrying, have large opening for cleaning, and will bounce if you drop then a short distance.

I'm open to plastic. Right now I'm sticking with small batches (currently a gallon). So glass shouldn't be as big an issue as with larger batches.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

One gallon glass carboys (jugs) are easy to move around, but they're still glass. Broken glass can cause severe injury, no matter how small the vessel. I broke a carboy in 2009, severing a nerve and tendon in my wrist. The tendon was repaired by surgery and is now fine, but the severed nerve still leaves my right hand without feeling.

/team anti-glass

 

[impact.walter]

My glass hydrometer came in a plastic tube to protect it. That tube is the perfect size for taking a sample with minimal amount of beer. I pull the cap off one end to put the beer in with the hydrometer, take the reading, remove the hydrometer from the tube and drink the beer remaining as a quick quality control.

Same here. But, you might keep a finger under the bottom cap. No need to ask why I now always do this…

 

[mac_1103]

you might keep a finger under the bottom cap. No need to ask why I now always do this

Mine only has a cap on one end.

 

[DuhokBrewer]

Any recommendations for medium size plastic fermenters? If I get a plastic bucket or one of the plastic big mouth bubblers, is there any downside to getting one that is too big? I anticipate probably making mostly 1 gallon batches, maybe 2 gallon but probably not bigger. Does that mean a 5 gallon would leave too much headspace?

 

[mac_1103]

I wouldn't ferment one gallon in a five gallon bucket. Your should be able to find 2 gallon food grade HDPE buckets at big box or online retailers. The little big mouth bubbler is 1.4 gallons, which is a good amount of headspace for a one gallon batch. A 3 gallon BMB FerMonster is just about perfect for 2 gallon batches.

 

[jsphlynch]

Any recommendations for medium size plastic fermenters? If I get a plastic bucket or one of the plastic big mouth bubblers, is there any downside to getting one that is too big? I anticipate probably making mostly 1 gallon batches, maybe 2 gallon but probably not bigger. Does that mean a 5 gallon would leave too much headspace?

Speidel makes a 12 L plastic fermenter. Seems like that ought to be about perfect for 2ish gallon ferment. I don't have any experience with their products, but I've only heard good things about them.

 

[redrocker652002]

I have read most of the posts here and can only add what has been said. Number 1, get a hydrometer. They are cheap and definitely needed to judge when fermentation is done. Also, in calculating ABV you will need it. I have a refractometer that I just started using. There are calculators in Brewfather and other sites to help convert the numbers once the wort is fermented. I want to get better with the refractometer as it wastes way less beer. A few drops versus more than that. LOL. Also, and I am guilty of this as well, patience is a virtue. Either way, enjoy the hobby, and keep reading here. These folks have some great info and are not afraid to share it with anybody and everybody. Good luck.

 

[DuhokBrewer]

Well I got tired of waiting so I bottled it and waited 2 more weeks. We had a friend over and opened the first ones yesterday. I'll have to say, it was pretty pleasing to drink a hefeweizen I made myself. Was it the best I've ever had? Maybe not. But it was genuinely good. At least on par with a good commercial version.

My friend and I are trying to work out a day to brew batch #2 (an Oktoberfest). We're okay waiting til after October to drink it because it is still over 100F her every day. I'm hoping to leave this one in the fermenter 4 weeks.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Not to rain on your parade, but Oktoberfest is traditionally a lager. You'll need cooler temps for fermentation to do a lager. However, you can do an Oktoberfest as an ale. It may not be exactly like a traditional Oktoberfest, but it will be close. And who says that Oktoberfest needs to be drunk in October? It's always beer o'clock somewhere.

 

[DuhokBrewer]

Not to rain on your parade, but Oktoberfest is traditionally a lager. You'll need cooler temps for fermentation to do a lager. However, you can do an Oktoberfest as an ale. It may not be exactly like a traditional Oktoberfest, but it will be close. And who says that Oktoberfest needs to be drunk in October? It's always beer o'clock somewhere.

Yeah, it's an Oktoberfest Ale recipe kit. So not quite the same.