Yet another "how long should i ferment" question

[wawawrx]

So i searched, and this is kind of kit specific (well, beer specific) in my case, so i just figured i'd check out what you guys thought...
kit recommends the standard 1-2-3 for this. It's a Dubbel, honestly i can't remember where i got it from, extract kit with a partial mash. i used an Irish Moss tablet, a starter with liquid yeast, and the yeast accelerator from AHB. I brewed 10 days ago and it has been fermenting in my bottling bucket with only an air lock and about 1oz. of leak that has since subsided. I was thinking i have a few options, but i'm not sure what's best.

1: leave it in there for 3 full weeks and go right to bottle
2: rack it to a carboy tonight and let sit for another 2 weeks, then bottle
3: *insert opinion here*

i yet again forgot to take my initial hydro readings, but in time i will learn

 

[smmcdermott]

If you are planning on only waiting three weeks, then just leave it in the primary for the full three weeks, IMO. But you could also leave it longer. I normally leave it for a minimum of four weeks then three in the bottle. If I am doing the four weeks, I generally rack to a secondary after 2 (if fermentation is complete). Definitely trust your hydro reading and rack/bottle AFTER it is complete. The longer you wait, the better it gets.

 

[wawawrx]

If you are planning on only waiting three weeks, then just leave it in the primary for the full three weeks, IMO. But you could also leave it longer. I normally leave it for a minimum of four weeks then three in the bottle. If I am doing the four weeks, I generally rack to a secondary after 2 (if fermentation is complete). Definitely trust your hydro reading and rack/bottle AFTER it is complete. The longer you wait, the better it gets.

i was thinking that i need to get it off the yeast cake before bottling though... but i guess not? with my last batch i got to leave all the trub/stuff behind in the carboy because i let it sit in the carboy. this time i was feeling lazy so i left it in the bottling bucket instead of fermenting in the carboy

(i wasn't being lazy, there is just more headroom in the bucket and i didn't want to blow off anything on this Dubbel)

 

[smmcdermott]

So you don't have another bucket to bottle in?

If that is the case, I would rack to secondary and leave there for two weeks or so and then bottle after letting it clear.

 

[RedGlass]

Also, even if you didn't take an initial hydro reading, you can still take readings for a few days to make sure fermentation is over. Most folks recommend taking a reading for 3 days in a row to ensure that fermentation is complete. If fermentation is still going (even if the airlock isn't bubbling) then it should not be racked.

 

[wawawrx]

Also, even if you didn't take an initial hydro reading, you can still take readings for a few days to make sure fermentation is over. Most folks recommend taking a reading for 3 days in a row to ensure that fermentation is complete. If fermentation is still going (even if the airlock isn't bubbling) then it should not be racked.

gotcha. unfortunately i'm going out of town for 5 days, so if i don't rack tonight i'll lose some time. not really a bad thing i guess... i just won't be able to put it into a secondary until next monday.

no, i don't have another bottling bucket. i'll be sure not to do this next time

 

[funkapottomous]

yeah seriously, get a hydrometer. I got one off of amazon for 12 bucks total (with shipping) and It's a breeze to figure out when your beer's done. having had no experience with hydrometers, I didn't know what to expect, but it's super easy to check the gravity of the beer.

steal some beer, drop hydrometer in, spin it, read where it's floating. done.

 

[RedGlass]

gotcha. unfortunately i'm going out of town for 5 days, so if i don't rack tonight i'll lose some time. not really a bad thing i guess... i just won't be able to put it into a secondary until next monday

There's no downside to letting it sit for a few more days...except everything in the schedule will be pushed back a few days and it'll be 5 days longer than expected until you get to drink your beer!

 

[wawawrx]

There's no downside to letting it sit for a few more days...except everything in the schedule will be pushed back a few days and it'll be 5 days longer than expected until you get to drink your beer!

better safe than sorry, right?

oh well :sigh: