Fermentation time for a Mild

[Bassman]

I'm going to brew an English Mild with OG of 1.036. Do I need/want to leave it in the fermenter for 3 weeks or is 2 weeks enough since it is a lower gravity ale?

 

[Yooper]

It should finish up pretty darn quickly.

A couple of years ago, we did a mild swap. The goal was to brew the beer, keg it, carb it up, and ship it out in exactly 10 days. We all did that, and it was great! I have to admit that my mild was better after about 3 weeks, though.

If you pitch the correct amount of yeast (consult mrmalty's pitching calculator) and keep it at the optimum fermentation temperature, two weeks is more than sufficient as long as the FG readings are stable.

 

[mr_bell]

I don't think you can go wrong with 3 weeks. I personally like 3-4 weeks for all my beers, giving the yeast time to clean up by-products of fermentation. The important thing is stable hydrometer readings 3 days in a row, assuming you've also gotten the attenuation you expected.

 

[damdaman]

I recently made an ordinary bitter with an OG of 1.038. It hit FG in 7 days. I bottled after 12 days. It's tasty.

 

[Bassman]

I was going to pitch 1 Activator pack of Wyeast 1968. That is is what Jamil recommends in Brewing Classic Styles, I'm using his recipe. I'll leave it for 3 weeks in the bottle, minimum. But I figured that a lower gravity ale can be bottled quicker.