Another bottling at 1.020 question.

[spriggan486]

OK so I have 5 gallons of EDME Pilsner in my primary right now. It has been in for 10 days. It had an OG of 1.052 and it has been at 1.020 for the past 5 days, even after giving it a gentle swirling 2 days ago.

This would yield an ABV of about 4.5% which really isnt bad for a lighter beer such as this.

Should I go ahead and bottle?

 

[phidelt844]

That is ~61% attenuation. What type of yeast did you use and what is the ambient temperature?

I, personally, would leave it for another 10 days or so and fill out a full 3 weeks time. Bring it up to 70 degrees or close to it if possible. If you're still at 1.02 3 weeks in, bottle away. If it's dropped a bit, I would still bottle anyways at the 3 week mark...

 

[spriggan486]

i just used the yeast that came with the kit. it has been at 70 degrees on average give or take 1 or 2 degrees at times.

The reason that I want to bottle it this soon is that I only have 1 primary, and I am waiting to receive an AHS Kit in the mail. I want to bottle it now, so that I will have something to drink while I am patiently waiting for that batch to ferment and condition for a proper amount of time.

I just think that it will make it easier for me to be patient.

What do you think?

 

[Zenman]

My last batch of American brown had an OG of 1.52 and fermented down to 1.020. I had the same worry you did so let it sit on the cake for a full 3 weeks, swirled it at 10 days to try and wake up the yeasties, etc, FG still was 1.020 and stable I guess since it was 11 days between readings.

I went ahead and bottled, I'll put one in the fridge on Sat and give it a few days in the fridge and crack it open to see how it tastse. I have a feeling it is going to be sweet since it stopped at 1.020 (I think the yeasties went to sleep one night when it went into the low 50's in my house, but I tried waking them up and let it sit for over a week after that....)

If it is sweet, I'll just call it a Sweet Ass Brown. Maybe next time it will work differently, but it is fun learning, when learning means having to drink 2 cases of HB, to fully understand the beer you brewed's character. So I would say just bottle it if it is stable @ 1.020 and see what it is like, if no good, no matter what just relax, tell yourself your learning with each sip, gulp & chug.

 

[phidelt844]

I'm guessing your recipe is extract, then? I've done two extract recipes, and I don't think either one got below 1.020; it just attenuates less it seems. Warm it up if you can and give it a day, if you're still at 1.020 and you want to clear out that primary I think you should be fine.