I have a newbe question: I have made a few beers using kits, they have come out well. I currently have a batch in the primary of a beer that I have brewed from a recipe using individual ingredients. The kits fermented quickly and were finished, at FG within 1 week. The recipe version i have has been in the fermenter for 10 days and still bubbling quite vigoursly. My question is; is this normal? How long should I expect for the bubbling to continue? I was expecting to leave it in the fermenter for three to four weeks?
Beer Kits vs Recipes
- Thread starter bruceb07
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sounds good...
sure does. kits are just recipes with all the ingredients in one box. as far as how long till the bubbling airlock stops, who knows, could just keep on bubbling. it's just a vent for co2. you're hydrometer will tell you when the beer's done fermenting. leave it be for several days or longer after you have stable FG readings.
I'm newbier than you, but I think slow fermentation doesn't mean bad or that it will quit later.
Here is a long story why:
My first "Brew House" kit (still in the fermentor)- Red Ale mixed to 5 US gal (instead of 6 by sloppy SG reading) was somewhat activly bubbling for 6 days and then slowing down. a bit At day12 it went to 1.016 (1.06 OG) and I think it is still finishing. wyeast 1272 liquid pack with no starter and probably poor aeration. Tastes great though. Temperatures 64F for 7 days and then 68F for the second beer in the room
Second batch - Prairie Wheat from "Brew House" started bubbling in < 1 hour and slowed down after 2 days going from 1.062 to 1.02 (I know that 1.062 is way too high, but I wanted to have some headroom in a carboy). Temps - 68F to 77F in a day and then cooled to 72F by water bath when I saw it. After active fermentation slowed it stays at 68F. T58 dry yeast and as good aeration as I could get by shaking.
So first one went slower, but got into the proper range for the yeast (tastes clean too). The second one I hope will get there too (and clean up some off-tastes).
Guess I need separate temp controls (or at least one) to control different beers, but this time it worked out close to what I wanted 64-66F for the Red Ale and 72-75F for wheat.
Here is a long story why:
My first "Brew House" kit (still in the fermentor)- Red Ale mixed to 5 US gal (instead of 6 by sloppy SG reading) was somewhat activly bubbling for 6 days and then slowing down. a bit At day12 it went to 1.016 (1.06 OG) and I think it is still finishing. wyeast 1272 liquid pack with no starter and probably poor aeration. Tastes great though. Temperatures 64F for 7 days and then 68F for the second beer in the room
Second batch - Prairie Wheat from "Brew House" started bubbling in < 1 hour and slowed down after 2 days going from 1.062 to 1.02 (I know that 1.062 is way too high, but I wanted to have some headroom in a carboy). Temps - 68F to 77F in a day and then cooled to 72F by water bath when I saw it. After active fermentation slowed it stays at 68F. T58 dry yeast and as good aeration as I could get by shaking.
So first one went slower, but got into the proper range for the yeast (tastes clean too). The second one I hope will get there too (and clean up some off-tastes).
Guess I need separate temp controls (or at least one) to control different beers, but this time it worked out close to what I wanted 64-66F for the Red Ale and 72-75F for wheat.
My first beer fermented out completely in 1 week. My second beer took 3 weeks to reach Final Gravity! No clue why, same temperatures and yeast but the darker beers seem to take longer from what I've witnessed and read.
Grinder12000
Well-Known Member
Very very few beers will ferment completely in one week. I would say MAYBE. 1% but that could be high.
I have never had one done in one week and will wait 3 weeks at the very least.
The recipes in kits are HORRABLY wrong for the most part. They are made for people in a hurry. Any beer will taste much better if after its done ( normally 2 weeks) it's allowed to clean up its own waste for at least w a week.
Just because a beer is done fermenting does not mean it is done processing the favors. Yeast will clean up their waste after they are finished making alchole.
I have never had one done in one week and will wait 3 weeks at the very least.
The recipes in kits are HORRABLY wrong for the most part. They are made for people in a hurry. Any beer will taste much better if after its done ( normally 2 weeks) it's allowed to clean up its own waste for at least w a week.
Just because a beer is done fermenting does not mean it is done processing the favors. Yeast will clean up their waste after they are finished making alchole.
beergolf
Well-Known Member
Everyfermentation is different. Some justtake off quickly and reach FG in a few days. Some just chug along for weeks.
Let it sit for 3-4 weeks and you are good to go.
Let it sit for 3-4 weeks and you are good to go.
i quite often reach FG in under a week. it all depends on a lot of things, but a healthy fermentation should reach FG in 5-7 days. leaving it in primary longer is to aide in clearing and conditioning, not because fermentation takes that long. mind you, some beers will take a couple weeks to come to FG, but the avg ale should be at FG within a week or so.
acuenca
Well-Known Member
NordeastBrewer77 said:
Yup me too... 5 days for most of my 1.04~1.07 brews....doesn't mean I don't leave it alone for 2~4.weeks....
TaylorInOK
Well-Known Member
What Grinder said.
3 Phases of fermentation and the last is the conditioning phase which starts just after the krausen drops. So many people here have said "Don't trust your eyes so much." and they're right. The yeasties still have work to do even though you can't see it as well as when the krausen starts going all "look at me i'm a krausen!"
I give all beers two weeks at a minimum (because i havnt started using secondary fermenters yet) to make sure all three phases are either complete, or close to it before i bottle.
Hope that helps and good luck!
TaylorInOK
Well-Known Member
Waiting is definitely the hardest part. There's hope for us yet though. Once we get two or three batches going in cycles it won't be so difficult to wait. Opening up and tasting a new batch every one or two weeks... Then it won't be "So" bad i guess 
Also, i read somewhere on HBT to always leave several bottles in conditioning and open one every week to take notes on how well the beer ages. Helps out with the "hourly peeking into the fermenter" syndrome and edges us closer to the elusive "Perfect Brew".
Also, i read somewhere on HBT to always leave several bottles in conditioning and open one every week to take notes on how well the beer ages. Helps out with the "hourly peeking into the fermenter" syndrome and edges us closer to the elusive "Perfect Brew".
i agree with you to some extent. after FG is reached, the yeast will clean up a bit. this clean-up will happen within several days of FG, usually 3-5. i also give most of my ales 2-3 weeks total in primary (or primary/secondary on the occasions i use them). the main reason i do this is for clarifying my brews before packaging. generally speaking, the fermentation and clean up phases should be complete within a week to 10 days in a properly pitched, aerated and fermented batch.
basically what i'm getting at is that, yes, it's good practice to leave your beer in primary for a couple/few weeks, but it doesn't mean that fermentation takes that long.
TaylorInOK
Well-Known Member
Right on. So for the beginning brewer, ten days should be fine for properly pitched/aerated batch?
Clarity is important to me, but lets say we're making three two gal tasting batches. There shouldnt be any more (very noticable) taste changes after that 10 days in the primary? That would be good news to me
Right on. So for the beginning brewer, ten days should be fine for properly pitched/aerated batch?
Clarity is important to me, but lets say we're making three two gal tasting batches. There shouldnt be any more (very noticable) taste changes after that 10 days in the primary? That would be good news to me
i'd always say go more than ten days. i still do two weeks minimum unless i'm trying to push it and turn a beer around fast, but when i do that, i keg the beer so i can cold crash and force carb to cut time too. otherwise i go two-three weeks in the fermenter or secondary, then bottle when the beer's nice and clear.
TaylorInOK
Well-Known Member
Good info. Thanks much! 
well its been 2 weeks and I opened up the fermenter to check Sg. A heavy layer of krausening? was on top bubbling away. The Sg was at the posted FG 1.012. I buttoned it back up and the air lock started bubbling away. Will this Krausen layer sink or will I have to rack to secondary to allow the beer to clear up?
usually a krausen will drop back and sink given enough time. i have had some stubborn ones before, and once decided to rack from under the krausen into secondary to clear the beer. just make sure that FG is stable over a few days before racking. and really, most krausens will be long gone by 3-4 weeks, so you could leave it. the reason i did that the one time is i needed the beer to be ready, and i didn't want to wait out the yeast.
Thanks, I will be checking again in a few days to see how things are progressing. My plans are to bottle in 3-4 weeks if ready. If the krausening hasent settled I will rack to secondary first, settle for awhile then bottle.
Grinder12000
Well-Known Member
Waiting is why people make more then one beer at once.
I typically have 3 in one stage or another.
I typically have 3 in one stage or another.
