Confused when beer is ready to bottle

[ndeer44]

I have read about the different stages of fermentation taking several weeks to complete. On the other hand people say to bottle once the SG has stabilized for a couple days. My recipe for emma's brown ale from NB states 1-2 weeks in primary and 2 weeks in secondary before 2 weeks in bottles. After a week my SG was at target and stayed for another 4 days.

So, do I bottle or continue to wait another week and a half before I bottle? What do you base the decision on?

 

[Snowblind258]

After fermentation settles down there can still be some cleaning up to do by the yeast

 

[llvllayhem]

Three weeks in primary, and if you have the means, cold crash for a few days. Probably no need to secondary, just more of a chance to contaminate the brew and another vessel to clean.

 

[Yooper]

When the beer is done fermenting, for about 24 hours after that the yeast is still active, and will even digest some of its own waste products- that is what is meant when people say "the yeast will clean up after itself". After that, the beer will start to clear. That's when it's good to bottle- when the beer is clear, or clearing.

Generally, fermentation takes about 5-7 days or so and then the clean up process happens in the next 24 hours. Once the beer is at final gravity, and been there for at least three days (some go much longer), then it's safe to bottle.

If you wait a bit until the beer is fairly clear before bottling, there will be less crud and sediment in your bottles so it's worth waiting for a bit.

I generally bottle at about day 14 or so.

 

[boydster]

Must be time for another round of "Good idea, bad idea"

 

[jtratcliff]

3 2 1

Loose rule of thumb.. 3 weeks in the fermenter, 2 weeks in the bottle @70F, 1 week in the fridge.

Some folks go shorter in the fermenter, longer in the bottle, etc. PLay with it to find what works for you.

I usually start sampling after a week in the bottle to see how the flavor changes with bottle conditioning (yeah, it's not impatience... it's experimentation )

 

[jtratcliff]

although it's also never a bad idea to listen to Yooper

 

[unionrdr]

I agree with yooper. I experimented pretty early on to find out just how long it takes the beer,after FG is reached,to clean up by-products of fermentation & Settle out clear or slightly misty. I found it to be 3-7 days,depending on the yeast used & the style of beer. Then rack to bottling bucket & bulk prime. After a couple of days in the bottles,I found that they generally settle out crystal clear. Leave'em at around 70F for a minimum of 3 weeks to carbonate & condition before sampling.