8 days from bottling - Is it done fermenting?

[JWWard03]

Hi all. I am 8 days away from bottling a Mr. Beer Golden Ale kit and it looks like the yeast has already settled after just a week in the mini-keg. I'm doing a 3 wk fermentation period before bottling. Is there still fermentation going on even though the yeast has settled at the bottom? This will likely be my only Mr. Beer kit as I am moving to a Northern Brewer 5 gallon system moving forward and have a recipe kit coming this week.

 

[h22lude]

Why did you pick 3 weeks for fermentation? That is a long time. Ales are usually done fermenting before a week, unless you severely underpitched. The only way to know if it is done fermenting is to take a gravity reading.

 

[JWWard03]

No real science behind 3 weeks. I read some Mr Beer reviews that 2 weeks really wasn't long enough. Is it better to bottle after 1 1/2 weeks and then condition after? I don't have the equipment yet for a gravity reading.

 

[tracer bullet]

Generally speaking, if the yeast quits being active and then falls out of suspension, yes it's done.

Might want to take a gravity reading if you can. Might have one in the kit you are headed to, if that's an excuse to get it early.

 

[JWWard03]

I didn't get the equipment kit, but am putting together one myself. Guess it's time to add something else to the Amazon cart. I'll bottle on Wednesday and give it the two weeks of conditioning.

 

[h22lude]

No real science behind 3 weeks. I read some Mr Beer reviews that 2 weeks really wasn't long enough. Is it better to bottle after 1 1/2 weeks and then condition after? I don't have the equipment yet for a gravity reading.

If 2 weeks wasn't long enough that means fermentation didn't go well. Usually from not pitching enough healthy yeast and not aerating enough. An ale with the right pitch rate and aeration should finish in 5 days.

Without a way to take gravity readings, you don't know when to bottle. If you bottle too early, you can create bottle bombs. 1 1/2 weeks should be plenty of time but for safety, I'm not going to tell you it is time to bottle.

 

[odie]

I believe the "2 weeks" or "3 weeks" is probably because those kits don't provide a hydrometer. So depending on where you stash your fermenter it might take a while to complete. It's a safer call for Mr Beer to say a longer time period rather than risk multiple complaints and bad reviews about bottle bombs.

 

[Mtrhdltd]

Specific gravity readings are the only way to know. Get a hydrometer and flask and take reading. 2 days later take another reading. If they are the same you are ready to bottle. If the second reading is lower, wait a couple days and take another reading. This is the only way to know if the yeast are finished or not.

 

[JWWard03]

Makes sense. I'm keeping it in a 73 degree enclosed room. I'll bottle it up on Wednesday night and just see what happens. I'm not expecting too much out of it anyway. I ordered the hydrometer and it will be here before I brew the next batch.

 

[h22lude]

Makes sense. I'm keeping it in a 73 degree enclosed room. I'll bottle it up on Wednesday night and just see what happens. I'm not expecting too much out of it anyway. I ordered the hydrometer and it will be here before I brew the next batch.

Do you know what the yeast was? 73°F room is pretty hot for most ale yeasts. Fermentation is exothermic so the beer can be 10°F hotter than the room. 80°F fermentation temp is really hot

 

[JWWard03]

Do you know what the yeast was? 73°F room is pretty hot for most ale yeasts. Fermentation is exothermic so the beer can be 10°F hotter than the room. 80°F fermentation temp is really hot

It's whatever came with the Golden Ale kit. What temp should I be looking for during fermentation?

 

[jrgtr42]

It's probably done. However, I usually leave my beers in primary for 3 weeks. I seem to get better results leaving the extra week.
Usually for fermentation you want ambient temps in the mid - 60s. There will be extra heat generated in the fermentation, so with a 73 degree room, you likely had temps inside of 80-ish, if not a bit more.

 

[h22lude]

It's whatever came with the Golden Ale kit. What temp should I be looking for during fermentation?

Depends on the yeast strain. Can't find too much info on the Mr Beer kit but typically 62-68 is a good range for the beer temp. Since you don't have a reason for temp controller yet (you don't have a fermentation fridge), you can get a cheap temp probe unit that just tells you the temp with no control (something like a BBQ wired thermometer). Tape the probe end to the bucket and tape or bungie a face cloth or bubble wrap over it to insulate it from the ambient temp. That will give you an accurate reading of the beer.

 

[JWWard03]

I took a small sip of it last night and it tasted pretty good. I'll bottle it up tonight and let it sit for a couple weeks. Is the 73 degree room ok for bottle conditioning? I'll find a cooler place for the fermentation period on the next batch.

 

[VikeMan]

Is the 73 degree room ok for bottle conditioning?

73F is ok for carbonating.

 

[MrPhyr]

I took a small sip of it last night and it tasted pretty good. I'll bottle it up tonight and let it sit for a couple weeks. Is the 73 degree room ok for bottle conditioning? I'll find a cooler place for the fermentation period on the next batch.

Maybe I am in the minority on this one, but if you don't have a hydrometer to take a measurement there is nothing wrong with keeping it on yeast for the extra week like you originally planned.

You can certainly bottle safely once your beer reaches final gravity, but there is a line of thinking that keeping a beer on yeast for a week or two can help clean up the beer.

 

[ChiknNutz]

Just for a point of comparison, I brewed an American Stout on Dec 31 using US-05 yeast. It had slowed down considerably yesterday morning (Jan 4) as witnessed by anemic airlock activity. I transferred to the serving keg last night with hopes of natural carbonation via spunding valve, letting the final bits of fermentation create the necessary CO2. Well as of this morning, ZERO activity via the airlock or increased gauge pressure. I also took a hydrometer reading which indicated FG had been reached. Admittedly this is a bit anecdotal, but the point being that fermentation tends to finish sooner than you might otherwise think. Still, there is nothing wrong with leaving it for a few weeks if you really want to.

 

[VikeMan]

Well as of this morning, ZERO activity via the airlock or increased gauge pressure.

You're using an airlock and spunding valve at the same time?

 

[JWWard03]

Whether I bottle it today or Sunday, what is the shelf life of home brewed beer? I'm trying to get on a schedule where I don't have to buy much commercial beer anymore, but I don't want to bottle more than I can drink in a couple months. I always assumed there were preservatives in the commercial stuff to make it last longer on the shelf.

 

[ChiknNutz]

You're using an airlock and spunding valve at the same time?

From a previous batch...

 

[VikeMan]

Whether I bottle it today or Sunday, what is the shelf life of home brewed beer? I'm trying to get on a schedule where I don't have to buy much commercial beer anymore, but I don't want to bottle more than I can drink in a couple months. I always assumed there were preservatives in the commercial stuff to make it last longer on the shelf.

There's no simple answer that will give you some number of weeks/months/years. The shelf life (time before staling becomes noticeable) will largely depend on how much oxygen was allowed (or not) to get in during bottling. But there are also many other ingredient/style and process factors.

You can maximize your shelf life by keeping the beer as cold as possible.

(Also, commercial beers don't have preservatives added.)

 

[VikeMan]

From a previous batch...

Ah, I see. I though you meant separately. There's really no need for an "airlock" on the end of the spunding valve, except as a visual indicator, i.e. it's not needed to keep air out.

 

[ChiknNutz]

Ah, I see. I though you meant separately. There's really no need for an "airlock" on the end of the spunding valve, except as a visual indicator, i.e. it's not needed to keep air out.

Agreed. Only using as a visual indicator to see if/when the desired pressure is reached.

 

[JWWard03]

There's no simple answer that will give you some number of weeks/months/years. The shelf life (time before staling becomes noticeable) will largely depend on how much oxygen was allowed (or not) to get in during bottling. But there are also many other ingredient/style and process factors.

You can maximize your shelf life by keeping the beer as cold as possible.

(Also, commercial beers don't have preservatives added.)

That's good to know. Thanks.

 

[NGD]

From a previous batch...
View attachment 713159

Thats pretty neat. I’m going to jump on the spunding train and would appreciate an audible/visual way to monitor fermentation. I usually don’t even bother looking most of the time since I can hear the bubbling through the fermentation chamber.

@jjward03 When I first started brewing I did 2/2 timing. Two weeks fermentation/two weeks bottle conditioning. Granted you can check how carbonation is coming along by trying a bottle after 5 days. Its for science!

Once you can check gravity you’ll find you’ll vary fermentation times depending on yeast, temp and style of beer.