What to do?

[lstewartff]

I bought a Tru Brew american bock kit on 11/13, I brewed it that night. I figured that it would be ready for bottles on 11/28. I keep it in a closet and the temp stays around 67 in the room. The closet is not heated or cooled and is on an outside wall so i have to adjust the temp by open or closing the door, usually I keep it cracked open and it keeps that temp. So last night i closed the door to try and get a little lower temp. This morning ( 11/22) I checked the temp on the thermometer i have sitting beside my fermenter and it showed 60 degrees I looked at my bubbler and it had fallen, no activity. The lock wasnt raised up at alll almost like there was not anything trying to escape from the fermenter. I figure this should have another 6 to 7 days before it should be ready. Should I just let it sit longer like it is? Should I try and raise the temp back up and see what happens? or is it done and ready for bottles? What would you do?

 

[MalFet]

What would I do? I'd take a gravity reading, of course.

 

[Bricks41]

It is fine with an ambient temp of 60F. Let it be, you can raise the temp of you like.

Actually an ambient temp of 60 would be good for fermentation because it probably would have an internal temp of mid to upper 60s during primary ferment which is great.

 

[MalFet]

It is fine with an ambient temp of 60F. Let it be, you can raise the temp of you like.

Actually an ambient temp of 60 would be good for fermentation because it probably would have an internal temp of mid to upper 60s during primary ferment which is great.

It sounds like the ambient was in the high-60s for the first week and then dropped to the low-60s after that. A week in, he's not likely getting much heat produced by fermentation.

 

[Revvy]

The only thing that can tell you anything, and that's including us, is like Malfet said, take a gravity reading.

 

[lstewartff]

It is fine with an ambient temp of 60F. Let it be, you can raise the temp of you like.

Actually an ambient temp of 60 would be good for fermentation because it probably would have an internal temp of mid to upper 60s during primary ferment which is great.

Thats what I was thinking. I usually have this happen with other beer but it happens after the two week period, and thats how i determine it is ready to go in bottles, but this time it has only been a little over a week.

If I do a gravity reading can i just put the hydrometer in the fermenter or do I need to draw the beer out. I usually dont check the gravity on other beer. I think I have only done it once before and that time I drew the beer off after i added yeast at the begining and secured a zip lock bag to the top of my vile and let it ferment along side my fermenter.

 

[Bricks41]

Is it in a carboy or bucket? You can as long as you sanitize the hydrometer.

 

[lstewartff]

Is it in a carboy or bucket? You can as long as you sanitize the hydrometer.

Its in a bucket. I figured just having to sanitizing my hydrometer would be easier than having to do my tubing and racking cane and also the hydrometer. I might try it later on tonight. I am going to get the room temp up some before I get home tonight and see if there is any activity first.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[lstewartff]

I checked the FG on this for a few days and it was on 1.022 every time (it was supposed to be between 1.012-1.014 FG), so I decided to go ahead and and bottle it yesterday. It tasted good so I hope it turns out great. (It was supposed to be done fermenting today - two week mark)