Can I bottle now?

Bmbundy · Dec 18, 2011

I want to bottle my beer but I dont know if its ready. The airlock has slowed down a lot and its at 1.020°. The instructions say it has to be below 1.014°. Am I safe to go ahead and bottle?

adam_d_j · Dec 18, 2011

Take another gravity reading in a couple days. If there is no change, you're good to bottle.

OHIOSTEVE · Dec 18, 2011

Bmbundy said:
I want to bottle my beer but I dont know if its ready. The airlock has slowed down a lot and its at 1.020°. The instructions say it has to be below 1.014°. Am I safe to go ahead and bottle?

I would wager that your reading will be lower after a couple more days. The airlock is not a 100% indicator of activity but the fact that it is still bubbling...even slowly tells me that you still have some activity. I would NOT bottle it yet.

Bmbundy · Dec 18, 2011

I will wait a couple of days then. Thanks for the help

Wvbrewer77 · Dec 18, 2011

If it stays steady you will be fine to bottle.

RM-MN · Dec 18, 2011

Do you just want beer fast or do you want good beer? If you want beer fast there probably is a store within reasonable distance where you could buy some. Good beer takes a little more time and patience. Your beer isn't ready to bottle yet. I've done it and found out that after a while I ended up with beer that would pour 3/4 glass of foam and an inch of beer in the bottom and this is what you are setting yourself up for by bottling too soon. Let the yeast have the time they want to finish eating the sugars and cleaning up the off flavor compounds that they made early in the ferment before you bottle and you will have decent beer to drink.