When to bottle - too soon?

[ConorO]

Hello all,

I am currently working on an oatmeal stout (my first brew). The OG was supposed to be around 1.05, and I ended up with 1.054. After a week of sitting in a primary (6.5 gallon carboy wrapped in a blanket) my slightly-less-than 5 gallon batch has reached 1.01. This is the intended FG. I took hydrometer readings yesterday (day 6) and today (day 7) and the hydrometer was right at 1.01. It may have been a titch off, today, but to such a small extent that it wasn't readily noticeable. The airlock is sending out a bubble every now and again, but nothing like it was for those first few days . . . After taking the readings, the beer definitely tastes like a dry stout . . . but I can imagine that it needs to age - it could be improved.

I was planning on waiting another week before bottling, but is it too early to bottle now? I don't mind waiting on my bottles to condition, I just worry that my large carboy and headspace may lead to too much oxidation. I don't plan on a secondary as I don't see much need for it.

What do you guys think?

 

[chuckthebutcher]

Let it age at least another week in the primary. Even though it is done fermenting the yeast are still at work, cleaning up fermentation by products and such.

You don't need to worry about oxidation unless you are planning on leaving it in there for over a month.

 

[Muckdog]

Take your time with stouts. The longer in the fermenter, longer in the bottles before you drink it is better. Though, I can attest, patience is hard to come by.

 

[ConorO]

Patience is indeed very difficult to come by . . . But I will heed your guys' advice. I will, at minimum, bottle next Saturday. In the meantime I am crafting an IPA recipe . . . That has me focused/excited so I am starting to understand what some of the veteran brewers mean when they mention a "pipeline." Thank you for the advice.

 

[Yooper]

If the SG is unchanging in another few days, it's safe to bottle. I like to let the sample sit, and then pour the beer off, and see if there is any sediment in the sample jar. If there is, I let it sit a bit longer. The more "stuff" that falls out now, and that you leave behind when you bottle, the less there will be in the bottle.

Normally, I package my non-lager beers at about day 14 or so, depending on what it is.

 

[ConorO]

I just had a little scare . . . I thought a batch of mold was starting to grow on the surface of my beer! However, upon closer inspection, I discovered the clump to actually be a cluster of petals from our crab apple tree that worked its way into the process at some point along the line. There was a spotty, thin white haze that was floating around it . . . I thought that might have been mold but it looks more liquid than anything. Perhaps it was pollen/dust from the petals?

Either way, I sucked the petals and some of the white film out with a baster. Hopefully we have no further frights.