Bottle or let it ride?

[Oyarsa]

I started a chocolate stout Brewer's Best kit. Seems like months ago, but really more like 2 weeks

Today I peaked in the fermenter and there appears to be a krausen still on top. At least I hope that's it and not an infection. It's thin, same color as the beer, and with some spaces/cracks.

I'm bottling a kit wine this weekend and am really tempted to bottle this, as well, but the krausen makes me think I should be patient and wait.

Bottle now, wait a week, or...?

And when I do, should I attempt a cold crash of sorts? I have a normal refrigerator with room to put the bucket in, but nothing special to control the temperature.

Thanks to everyone for your patience with my impatience

 

[homebrewer_99]

Wait. If it has a head on it, it's not done.

The only way to tell if it's done is by taking a gravity reading. Then another one in 3 days. If they are the same then you can rack it for clearing. But it's not ready to bottle yet.

 

[Oyarsa]

I'm not planning to rack to a secondary (though I could be convinced otherwise). Would you guess another week, or longer?

When I racked to the fermenter there was less than a gallon. Probably about 0.95 gallons. I didn't add water since the instructions said nothing about what to do in the case that happened. Should I rack to secondary and add water to 1 gallon in a gallon glass jug?

 

[homebrewer_99]

You made a 1 gal batch of beer?

There is no real way of telling if your batch is done unless you take a gravity reading.

You could wait 2 weeks and it may not be done. Not that it will take that long, but again, you never know.

What's the recipe? You can tell a lot from it.

 

[Oyarsa]

http://www.homebrewing.org/assets/images/PDF/Brewers_Best_One_Gallon_Kit_Chocolate_Stout_recipe.pdf

That's the recipe. The wife got it for my birthday She doesn't particularly like that I drink beer at all, much less have started this hobby, so even a 1 gallon kit is a pretty huge gift!

I'm avoiding taking a reading because I don't want to waste any since there's not much to start with. If I take a reading and replace the sample, I risk contamination. I suppose that's a low risk, though, if I am sure to sanitize the hydrometer and testing container. The fermenter isn't deep enough to get a reading in it.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

If you don’t want to take a hydrometer reading then you need to wait until the beer clears until at least you can see light through your jug, then bottle and prime.

 

[RM-MN]

Your stout really needs quite a bit of time to mature so bottling now won't save you any time and the maturing process can start right in the fermenter. It won't hurt your beer a bit to spend more time in the fermenter and since you aren't sure it is done, why not just wait. It could spend a couple months there if you have the patience for it and at that point you can be pretty certain that the fermentation has completed without taking a hydrometer sample.

 

[davidabcd]

This advice is for someone who is new to brewing. Less is more. Right now, you're just getting a feel for procedure. The beer will turn out surprisingly well without the added techniques (cold crashing and secondary).

If the beer was handled properly (fermented in the yeast's range), then let it go for a total of three weeks which is per the recipe and then bottle.
A beer like the one you're making will probably take longer than usual to carbonate. Waiting at this point (months even) will benefit the beer's flavor.

 

[Oyarsa]

Alright. I'll give it another week as the recipe suggests. Thanks!

 

[Jag75]

Patience is a virtue for sure. I always go a minimum of 3 weeks in my fermenter . Been a few times it's taken a tad over 3 weeks, but 3 weeks more times then not .

 

[kh54s10]

A Stout and other dark or high gravity beer is one that I usually primary longer. I aim for 3 weeks, often through procrastination, that gets a bit longer. Then, these beers benefit from aging. So, I would bottle them then try to wait at least a couple of months before drinking them. Some stronger dark beers might not peak in flavor for a couple of years.

 

[Oyarsa]

Heh. Seems like I keep picking things that require long wait times for my first experiments (a tamarind wine, this stout). I gave up waiting on my tamarind wine and found out it had turned to fingernail polish.

My impatience isn't so much for the ability to drink what I make, but to know if I did it right or if I should do something different next time...

 

[homebrewer_99]

Patience is a virtue for sure. I always go a minimum of 3 weeks in my fermenter . Been a few times it's taken a tad over 3 weeks, but 3 weeks more times then not .

Patience...the #1 reason why home brewers can't possibly be alcoholics.

 

[kh54s10]

Patience...the #1 reason why home brewers can't possibly be alcoholics.

Not if the homebrewer in question has no patience....

 

[fendersrule]

Yep. If you're not using a Hydrometer, then 3 weeks in the primary should give you a 95% confidence level that you'll be ready for bottling. If you're using a hydrometer, you can save time and possibly be able to bottle in 10-14 days.

My very limited experience with bottling is that the beer needs to remain in the bottle for 3 weeks before it goes into your mouth. There absolutely was a 50% improvement from 2 weeks to 3 weeks in taste with the amber ale (full extract) that I made.

When making beer, especially without a hydrometer, you should plan on it being a 6-week process. It's only slow at first...once you have a batch in bottles you can immediately start to brew again. After a few months, you'll never be "waiting" for a beer anymore and will always have beers of new varieties ready.

For example, I've made two double batches so far, and I've only had a chance to drink the first batch. There's no way I'll finish drinking the first batch before the second batch is ready. I'm about to make another batch this weekend. So yea...after a few months, if you brew once a month, you'll have a crap-load of beer in no time.

Once you get the hang of it, you should definitely step up to a 5 gallon carboy. That's where you'll really see what I'm talking about!

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Your stout really needs quite a bit of time to mature so bottling now won't save you any time and the maturing process can start right in the fermenter. It won't hurt your beer a bit to spend more time in the fermenter and since you aren't sure it is done, why not just wait. It could spend a couple months there if you have the patience for it and at that point you can be pretty certain that the fermentation has completed without taking a hydrometer sample.

Could it safely spend months sitting on top of the yeast cake, or is it time to rack it? Racking was all the rage in the mid 80's when I started brewing. Then I took about an 18 year sabatical from brewing and came back to it only a couple years ago. When I came back everyone questioned my sanity for wanting to rack beer off of its yeast cake....

 

[fendersrule]

It seems that most people I talk to (including this forum) believe that secondaries are for the most part a waste of time/effort/money in brewing. I think in the past it was seen as something to do. Plus, more transferring of liquid increases the risk of infection and beer going flat.

Secondaries in my mind are only useful if you have a beer that you are purposely aging such as sours and other novelty beers. They are also useful for some people that "don't get around" to bottling for months.

What I've read too is that you can leave wort/beer in the primary for 4 weeks with no problem. Some say even 6 weeks won't be a problem. After that, I think people start to feel uneasy.

People, feel free to correct me if I misspoke for "most" people.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Not if the homebrewer in question has no patience....

Then they go down to the corner and buy their beer...

My point was alcoholics NEED it NOW.

 

[kh54s10]

How long a beer can sit on the yeast is up for debate. I have often procrastinated and gone for a couple of months. Once, while renovating my house one was on the yeast for over 9 months. It was still pretty good. 6 weeks? IMO, easily.

As to secondary, it is only for making the beer more clear. The difference to me is insignificant. The risks while small outweigh any advantage.

I only secondary when adding something that I either don't want in primary (almost nothing) or won't fit.

At to a 5 gallon carboy, don't waste your money. Get 6 gallon better bottles. 6.5 to 7 Gallon buckets. or other larger fermenters.

If you read my posts you will know my feelings on glass carboys. WAY TO DANGEROUS. And yes you might never break one but if you do it might only take once to significantly change you life. Severed tendons is one result.

 

[Mitch S]

If you read my posts you will know my feelings on glass carboys. WAY TO DANGEROUS. And yes you might never break one but if you do it might only take once to significantly change you life. Severed tendons is one result.

I am slowly starting to come around to going away from glass.

 

[Mitch S]

Alright. I'll give it another week as the recipe suggests. Thanks!

I am slowly starting to come around to going away from glass.

Hit the wrong button before finishing (long day at the office). I've used a kit from the same company as Oyarsa, and let it ride for 4-5 weeks, no problem. I actually just pulled a few bottles out from where I left them to condition. Popped a few open and they may have over-carbed. The pop was pretty loud. Still drinkable though.

As to glass and secondary, I have stopped going to secondary based on comments and I'm looking at other options then carboys. I like my current glass carboys mainly for ease of cleaning (serious about that too) and being able to observe the process. But, the inherent danger kh54s10 is talking about is real. One must always take care with any glass they use in brewing, including bottles.

 

[RM-MN]

Could it safely spend months sitting on top of the yeast cake, or it it time to rack it? Racking was all the rage in the mid 80's when I started brewing. Then I took about an 18 year sabatical from brewing and came back to it only a couple years ago. When I came back everyone questioned my sanity for wanting to rack beer off of its yeast cake....

A lot of what we know or think we know as homebrewers comes from the professional brewers. With conicals holding huge quantities of beer their processes must differ from ours. They cannot let the beer sit on the yeast of they get yeast autolysis. We don't have that problem because our quantities are so much smaller. I've only let one beer sit for over 2 months but it turned out really good. My usual is 3 or 4 weeks.

 

[Oyarsa]

I'm thinking I'll only use my glass carboy for wine making and I don't think I'll be doing much of that yet. Too long to age and find out if you need to change your method or recipe. Until I'm more confident in my technique...

 

[homebrewer_99]

It's not the glass...it's the handler. I've been using glass carboys since 1994. I have over 20 of them (3, 5 and 7 gals). I've NEVER banged or broke one.

It might be important to mention that I never move full ones unless they are placed in a milk crate first.

I've been "thinking about" experimenting (lifting/moving) with an WET empty carboy while wearing those nitrile dipped work gloves (also wet) to see what might happen.

 

[fendersrule]

I just ordered straps for my two glass carboys. I love being able to see the fermentation, as well as the ease of cleaning.

I bear-hugged my last two brews, but with straps it should help keep it safe.

 

[Oyarsa]

So what are people doing that causes them to break? Is it the neck that breaks?

 

[fendersrule]

Dropping them with wet hands. Tripping over them. Holding them by the spout (which seems like a stupid thing to even attempt).

 

[jrgtr42]

as far as the original question - though it's already been answered - Let it go.
Impatience is the number two cause of bad beer (bad sanitation practices is number one)
There is no beer that improves by not waiting. I've gotten in the habit (since about my third batch) of not even touching it until 2 1/2 - 3 weeks post brew. I'll check in on it a few times in the first few days to make sure things are happening, and every few days thereafter to make sure it's OK. But I won't consider opeining for a gravity check till 18 days or more have passed.
For the second part, there are a lot of pros for using glass carboys, and a lot of cons. Pros include ease of cleaning / sanitizing and being impervious to oxygen, among others. For cons, well, there's a thread somewhere with pics of carboy injuries.