Need help with my extract kit Altbier

I brewed and pitched an Altbier from Midwest Supplies on January 8. Instructions for the kit are here. My brew notes are here. Everything seems to be going fine so far, but I have a question about what steps I should take next with this beer. After doing a bit of searching and reading about this style, I think the kit instructions may be oversimplified.

The kit instructions say, "After 5-7 days of fermentation, transfer into a glass carboy. If you are using a single stage fermenting system, then leave the beer in the fermenter for two weeks total."

Well, for various reasons, including a broken hydrometer and waiting for a new one to arrive via UPS, it's been in the primary fermentation bucket for three weeks now. From what I've read here, that's not a bad thing, and is probably better than following the 5-7 day instructions that came with the kit. Right?

Temp of the beer has been fairly steady at about 59 F most of that time. That temp is at the low end of the range for the Fermentis Safale US-05 yeast I used. Initial gravity was 1.047 and is now 1.011. That seems to be on target according to the kit instructions. I'm pretty sure fermentation is done.

I've read in my online searches that once fermentation is done, this style of beer will benefit from spending additional time (4 weeks?) at around 50 F, or even cooler. What do you recommend I do next? Should I stash the bucket in an even colder place in my basement (I think I can get close to 50 F) for a few more weeks, and then bottle? Should I transfer first to my currently-empty 5 gal carboy and then store at cooler temps for a while before bottling? Or should I bottle now? Also, after bottling, at what temp should I store the bottles?

I'd like to be as true to the style as possible, given the limitations of the kit I used, but don't really know how to do that. Thanks in advance for your advice.

Edit:
I'll mention that when I took the hydrometer reading tonight, the beer looked and tasted good. It was also kind of cloudy. I assume that one of the reasons, if not the main reason, to store the beer at colder temps is to help it to clarify?

 

Never made an Altbier, but if you plan on cooling it for awhile, I would transfer it to a secondary vessel. Sounds like it's spent the right amount of time on the yeast and is done fermenting and cleaning up.

 

Thank you. I plan to rack to the carboy tomorrow and store at around 50 F for a while then.

 

I did the same brew, racked it to the second after 6 days though. I plan to leave it for 16 days. I added 1 extral lb of munich malt and 1 lb of local honey. Unfortunantly, becasue I live in Florida (no basement) I have to let it mature at 64F. I'm hoping I can condition mine in the bottle longer.

Good luck, and be grateful for that basement!

 

Thanks. It's a cold, cold winter in north/central Utah right now!