A few questions from a newbie!

[Garrettmacklin]

Hi guys, jut had a few questions I was hoping you could answer!
Is it okay to leave the beer for a few extra days after all the bubbling has stopped? It looks set to stop just as I start exams so don't want the haste of bottling and revising at the same time, but do t wavy the beer ruined!
Are empty standard beer bottles (like Heineken bottles) fine to bottle into or are they too weak?
Would clear bottles be okay if I keep them in the dark?
Thanks!
Garrett

 

[theck]

Yes your able to leave it. If your doing an extended period like 6 months I'd move it in a few weeks to a secondary. Just because the bubbling stopped doesn't mean it's done, you still should take a gravity reading. You can reuse bottle, but try to stay away from twist offs and green ones... I'm by far no expert but what I do. Personally I now started leaving my primary for a good 4 or more weeks before racking it to the keg.

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[Braufessor]

Yeah - don't get in a hurry with your beer. 2-3 weeks in primary is not only ok, it is good for your beer. A big mistake people make is to think their beer is "done" the second the bubbles stop - not true. The yeast is still working in there - so give it the time it needs.

Bottles - you "can" use green or clear bottles, but keep them in the dark - it does not take very much time at all in the light for beer to get "skunky" in green/clear bottles. Brown bottles are definitely best. Reusing bottles are a great way to go - just make sure you rinse and clean them well before sanitizing. Avoid twist offs.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Hi guys, jut had a few questions I was hoping you could answer!
Is it okay to leave the beer for a few extra days after all the bubbling has stopped? It looks set to stop just as I start exams so don't want the haste of bottling and revising at the same time, but do t wavy the beer ruined!

As long as you have an airlock of some form, and maintain a consistent temperature, you're good. Not only that, it is better to let it sit for a while so that the yeast can finish up fermentation by removing some of the byproducts of fermentation that can give beer off flavors.

Are empty standard beer bottles (like Heineken bottles) fine to bottle into or are they too weak?

Most "pop top" bottles are fine. Twist tops are harder to seal and can be thinner and might break. Experience talking here.

Would clear bottles be okay if I keep them in the dark?

Don't. Beer is so susceptible to skunking (a reaction from the hops to UV light) that in clear bottles even a few seconds can start creating the compounds - maybe not to a taste-able threshold, but I've tasted skunking after my beer has been in my glass in the direct sun. Just stick with brown, and keep THEM out of the light.

Thanks!
Garrett

You're welcome!

 

[layd0g]

The previous reply is correct, just because the bubbling stopped does not mean that the fermentation has stopped. It may continue for several days. If you can take a gravity reading every day or so... once it reads the same three times it is safe to say that the fermentation is complete. Most of my beers sit in primary for 2 weeks and then in secondary for at least a week. Some will say that a secondary isn't necessary, I personally like to use one for most of my beers.

You want to try to use the darkest bottles possible. Light has a very adverse effect on the taste of your beer. In the event that I am bottling a batch I use dark bottles and they site in a closet until a few days before they are needed. If you don't have an option but to use green bottles, clean and sanitize them well and keep them in the dark.

 

[roastquake]

Yes, clear and green bottles are fine if left in the dark, I use Heiney, Corona, Newcastle and even Mexi-Coke bottles all the time. Don't let beer get in the way of exams, just let it sit in primary. Don't even open it for a gravity reading until it's been at least a week, two weeks is ideal but it can sit in primary longer like Theck said, it can even be a month or more.

One more thing, be careful with those Heiney bottles if you use a wing capper. The mouth of the bottle is shaped different so it can be awkward but a wing capper will still seal them. Same goes for some other European and Mexican bottles.

 

[JimRausch]

Welcome Garrettm!
Yes, it's actually preferable to leave your beer alone for awhile after visible signs of fermentation is done. 1st point- the bubbling through an airlock is degassing of
CO2, so isn't really a good indication of fermentation. Yes, it's comforting to see that blurp,blurp, but if you look around you'll see plenty of posts where there was no bubbling noted but fermentation happened.
Second, and most important for your situation, when the yeast are done chomping on their main source of nutrition(simple sugars), they turn to the more complex waste products they produced during the first active part of fermentation. Thereby 'cleaning up' the beer and helping the flavor profile.
So the recommendation is to take a couple of specific gravity readings over several days period, and when the readings are stable, LEAVE the beer alone for at least another week. Longer wouldn't hurt, and may even be better.So, study hard, take those exams, then when you're relaxed bottle away.
Bottling can be done in any glass bottle, except avoid the 'twist off' types. They are weak and break more easily. Clear and Green glass don't block UV light, which can lead to 'skunky' beer, so make sure you store those out of sunlight. Even a couple minutes of sunlight can be enough to skunk.Good luck!

 

[RM-MN]

I use a variety of bottles for my beer but I keep them in the dark until I'm ready to drink them and I never take them out into the direct sunlight. Your clear bottles and green bottles will not keep out the UV light which is what skunks the beer so keep them indoors. Heinekin and Corona bottles work OK but if you use a wing capper that lip that the capper needs to latch onto for crimping is so tiny that the capper likes to slip off which makes capping these bottles much slower than the standard brown bottles and tends to lead to swearing while capping.

There isn't a rush to bottle your beer, it will be fine in the primary fermenter for months if your schedule gets in the way. Just check it every now and then to make sure your airlock hasn't gone dry. I suspect your desire for beer will get you bottling way before that happens though.

 

[Garrettmacklin]

Great thanks for the help, I dont have an airlock yet, just a plastic lid, im guessing that should still be fine?
Ill leave it then, and find me some more brown bottles!

 

[theck]

Great thanks for the help, I dont have an airlock yet, just a plastic lid, im guessing that should still be fine?
Ill leave it then, and find me some more brown bottles!

Hold on? How is the co2 escaping? Where are you seeing bubbles? Can you take a pict of your bucket?

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[unionrdr]

I wait till the 2 week mark to take an FG sample to see where the fermentation is at. When you see the rapid airlock bubbling slow or stop,usually only initial fermentation is done. It'll then slowly,uneventfully creep down to a stable FG. Then,if it looks to be in range,I wait till the 3rd day to check it again. If the numbers match,I wait another 3-7 days for the beer to clean up & settle out clear or slightly misty before bulk priming & bottling. The beer usually goes crystal clear in a couple of days.

 

[Dan]

Great thanks for the help, I dont have an airlock yet, just a plastic lid, im guessing that should still be fine?
Ill leave it then, and find me some more brown bottles!

That's interesting. How long has your beer been fermenting? Is your brew bucket one of those that have a floating lid?

The common pale ale lids usually seal up pretty well, I'd be suprised if cover didn't pop off without a release vavle.

 

[Garrettmacklin]

http://www.quaysidehomebrew.co.uk/fermenting
its the 25 litre fermenting bucket with lid
Im presuming it just hisses out under the edges when the pressure gets high enough?
if i shine a torch down the lid you can see a few bubbles joining the krausen at the top, though not very clearly.
Didnt realise an airlock was important! the man at my LHBS didnt mention it haha!

 

[theck]

I think if it's sealed tight after a while it would carbonate in there as well? Maybe the bucket doesn't need one?

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[Garrettmacklin]

lovely, well i think ill leave it in there till 20th or so which would be 16 days or so, then transfer to my bottles and leave them in the dark.
I think its quite airtight (enough to stop anything coming in), but not enough to carbonate, as the gas does hiss out.
Would you advise an airlock? can you fit them to plastic buckets? I think ill need to invest i a hydrometer as well!

 

[theck]

lovely, well i think ill leave it in there till 20th or so which would be 16 days or so, then transfer to my bottles and leave them in the dark.
I think its quite airtight (enough to stop anything coming in), but not enough to carbonate, as the gas does hiss out.
Would you advise an airlock? can you fit them to plastic buckets? I think ill need to invest i a hydrometer as well!

hydrometer is needed for sure, and yes an airlock. You need a lid with a hole/grommet or you can create your own hole and shove in some tubing so it's snug and run that to a jar of water/star san.

 

[Garrettmacklin]

Thanks for the help

 

[Dan]

As long as the CO2 has a way to escape you should be fine without an airlock. If the lid starts bulging or pops off, just rest it on top the bucket for the rest of the fermentation and get a lid with a hole in it and an airlock for the next brew. Yes definitely invest in a hydrometer. It is the only true way to track the fermentation process.

 

[Garrettmacklin]

If you dont want air to contact the beer, how do you get samples for the hydrometer? surely you have to open the fermenter to get the sample, letting air in?

 

[theck]

If you dont want air to contact the beer, how do you get samples for the hydrometer? surely you have to open the fermenter to get the sample, letting air in?

Ya just open and extract it. I use a wine thief with my hydo inside, sterilized. Put the lid back on when done.

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[unionrdr]

As long as you're not rough about it,stirin up the air,the co2 blanket will stay on top of the beer.