1st brew too

[court12b]

Quick question. After a week of fermenting my Irish stout has a gravity of 1.02. The page that came with it says it should be 1.01-1.012 when it's done. I failed to take an original gravity reading but after 1 day I took a reading of 1.03. Is it safe to assume it's pretty much done fermenting? should I just go ahead and bottle?

Thanks in advance (the taste is marvelous by the way)

 

[ajf]

I'd leave it least 1 more week, and preferably 2 or 3. If the gravity has only dropped to 1.020, it still has a way to go, and the best way to spoil a great brew is to rush things.

-a.

 

[sdhucks7]

+1 I am still a noob myself but I still try to leave my brews in the primary for at least 3 weeks to a month, and so far they have all turned out good.


SD

 

[Nurmey]

+ 2 on what was said above (2 or 3 more weeks). Let the yeast finish it's job and clean up your beer in both taste and clarity. It's really hard on the first batch to be patient but it's worth it to have good beer. Congratulations on your first batch!

 

[court12b]

an update. thanks for the advice guys. I bottled that first brew last weekend and the hyrdo reading was perfect(and I'm very pleased with the taste).

I just cooked up a batch of Midwest Supply's Liberty Cream ale tonight but the wort tasted bitter as HELL. I'm guessing that's a really bad sign. I even used slightly less hops to try to keep it from getting bitter. I don't THINK i scorched the malt extract, didn't see anything burnt stuck to the pot or anything.

What are the odds I've got 5 gallons of garbage in my fermenter?

 

[Pete08]

Time will tell. Most likely you will be fine. I learn over and over that time works wonders!

 

[court12b]

Ok batch #2 has been in the fermenter for 2 weeks now and the airlock is still bubbling like mad (4 times a minute). I took a reading and it was at 1.013(instructions say the FG is 1.010-1.012. I'm worried that all this activity is from an infection? I thought I'd give it another week in the fermenter to see what happens.

any suggestions?

 

[eddie]

Leaving it in the fermenter can only do good for your beer. Chances are, the bubbling you're seeing is from residual gasses coming out of solution and not from fermentation. The only way to really know is to take three hydrometer readings over five days. If the gravity remains stable, fermentation is complete. If it changes by even one point, leave it for at least another week and check it again.