Can my beer make it? (FG reading)

[Paradigm]

I have a beer that's been in primary fermentation for a little over a week now. The target FG is 1.014, and the OG was 1.072. We did a reading on Saturday and the specific gravity was at 1.025. The fermenter has been rock solid at 62 the entire time, and bubbler activity stopped on Thursday or Friday. The way I've been judging if fermentation is still happening is that, while there are no bubbles, there is a perceivable pressure build up in the fementer (very gentle pressure causes bubbles). We're going to take a reading today after work.

We originally pitched two low-viability dry packs of safbrew t-58. Mr Malty said one was ~65% viable and the other at ~80, we got a little screwed with old yeast.

How long should we wait before transferring to our secondary? Should we wait for the FG to stabilize?

 

[m1batt1]

Yes wait for your gravity to stabilize. If you bottle we the fermentables still in there you'll run the risk of bottle bombs.

Since the most active part of fermentation is done it'll be safe to raise the temp. I would say raise it to 66-68 and see if that doesn't speed things up.

I would give it a minimum of another week before you do anything with it. Is there any particular reason you are going to secondary instead of bottling?

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[JimRausch]

I agree that after one week at 62*, it's time to warm things up abit. You're beyond the time where you have to worry about heat-induced off-flavors. I like the general thought of starting cool and finishing warm.
I'm curious about your T-58 packets. Were they outdated? I was under the impression that dry yeast, stored in the fridge should last quite a long time without a decrease in viability. I suppose they have to die off sometime, but I've figured I can keep them for a couple years anyways. I'm interested because I tend to keep a packet of US-05, S-04, and 34/70 for backup just-in-case.

 

[Paradigm]

We went off the expiration date on the bottom of the packet, which was some time this week. We use that to figure out out it's rough production date, which was March of last year. Maybe we're off, I'll let you know when we drink it to see if we over pitched.

As for why we're secondary-ing instead of just bottling. I like to secondary all my beers for a couple weeks just to prevent sediment in the bottom, as well as a slightly cleaner, smoother, beer. And I was talking about secondary-ing before the FG has been reached, not bottling.

 

[m1batt1]

I still suggest leaving where it is until FG is reached. It could stall it if not.

And as suggested bump the temp up a bit. It won't hurt anything now.

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[masonsjax]

Secondary doesn't reduce the amount of sediment in the bottle. You should leave it in the primary vessel until bottling. I agree with the recommendations to raise the temp to get it finished.

 

[Paradigm]

We're going to put it in a 66F warm water bath (temperature controlled with a 20 gallon aquarium heater) when I get home. Thanks for all of the input. What would be the downside to secondary-ing after the FG has been achieved?

 

[m1batt1]

Potentially introducing contaminants and definitely introducing oxygen. At this point oxygen is more of a concern as it will oxidize the beer over time and lead to off flavors. So the less its moved and splashed the better off you are.

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[Paradigm]

I'm not worried about contaminants, but off flavors are always bad. I've traditionally always secondaried, if it leads to off flavors why would anyone ever secondary? Only for dry-hopping?

 

[masonsjax]

You can dry hop in the primary, but some prefer to do it in a secondary vessel especially if they're looking to reuse the yeast or the hops. Other reasons would be bulk aging, adding wood or fruit, or freeing up a fermenter and/or the yeast it contains. Many people secondary because it is recommended on a lot of instruction sheets that come with kits, but that is a hold over from very old processes that were based on what large breweries need to do.

 

[Paradigm]

Thanks for clarifying. I've been trying to nail down some of my off-flavors. I'll try bumping the temp and leaving it in the primary for another week. I'll see if that, mixed with more stable temps, will fix my problem. Could I avoid oxygen exposure if I did the same thing kegs do a fill the secondary with C02 before transferring to the secondary? My next brew is going to have some oaking

 

[Jahvon09]

After a week, I do a taste test to see. If the beer tastes flat with no sweetness, it is then ready to bottle. If it still tastes sweet, then I let it go a day or two more before bottling it.