I'm new at this and want someone to verify my results please. I'm brewing small batches and only have a refractometer to check sg. I brewed a cream ale on Feb 1 which had an og of 12 Brix which using the calculator converts to 1.048. I just took another reading and got 6 Brix using the calculator on northern Brewer that gives an fg of 1.009. Is this correct and could I assume it is done fermenting? Thank you for your help.
Could somebody double check me
- Thread starter koontzjr
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Gnomebrewer
Well-Known Member
1.009 is about right (it will only ever be an estimate with a refractometer though). Unless you have a slow yeast strain, very high gravity (which you don't), or the yeast has been too cold or massively underpitched, it will be finished by now (17 days). The only way to be sure is to take another reading in a couple of days, if it is still 6 brix, then it has finished fermenting. I never bother with that though, I assume fermentation is finished within 14 days (except lagers).
You should start using your hydrometer or refractometer on all batches to make sure they are done. I just had a batch that dropped 15 points between week 2 and week 3 to hit the expected final gravity. Without checking it out and just bottling that would probably have made bottle bombs.
Gnomebrewer
Well-Known Member
There must have been something wrong with your pitching rate or fermentation control for that to happen. Look after your yeast and that won't happen (except for lagers, particular obscure yeast strains, or deliberately slow ferments).
