First batch questions...

[travbo24]

Hi all,
New to brewing and forums so bear with me. I'm brewing my first batch of beer and I have a few questions. I'm brewing a dunkelweizen from Brewer's Best, and it's in a 5 gal. carboy for secondary. I was instructed to transfer to secondary when the airlock bubbles were about 6 seconds apart. I did that, but it was only about 3 days after I brewed. The yeast was just a dry packet sprinkled on top and stirred in...started bubbling the next morning.

The bubbling has stopped for the most part now. I got a bubble every 45 seconds this morning. I took a gravity reading and it was only down to 1.022 from my OG of 1.051.

Is something wrong here? Will it finish to a proper FG over time if left in the secondary or do I need to take other action. I was planning on bottling this week, but maybe not now...it doesn't seem right. The foam on top of the beer is gone, and it seems pretty inactive.

Any advice?

Thanks!!

 

[rwinzing]

I would have waited more than three days to transfer from your primary to secondary. I normally wait a min. of 10 days and more likely 2-3 weeks then let it sit for another 2 weeks in your secondary.

Time is your beers best friend. The longer you wait normally the better beer your going to get.

I would not bottle it until you take a gravity reading for three days and it stays the same. Your gravity is currently 1.022 what was your target FG?

 

[travbo24]

I realize now that I probably should have waited...but just followed the advice from the local brew shop. I'm not sure about my target FG, but I would think it needs to get down to about 1.012. My OG was 1.051 and the beer recipe shows that it should end up between 4.75 and 5.25% ABV. The 1.051 OG was right within the recipe's range of 1.049-1.053.

Should I just let it sit in the secondary until it gets down to where it needs to be? Will it make it?

Thanks for the help! I appreciate it.

 

[sgrcltpunk]

brother you did exactly what i did i had a brewers best oktoberfest kit and stupidly followed instructions. i mean the beer is good its just weak, my og was 1.052 and now my fg was 1.018 and that means im only at like 4.5 abv% . it will not go down much further so youll have good, low alcohol beer but dont dump it. airlocks are not (as i have been told here) an indicator of the fermentation process. just take specific gravity readings and when it comes close to target youll be good to put in secondary. the secondary is more for clearing than fermenting .

 

[Hopheader]

DO NOT BELIEVE BUBBLES! (except to believe they are a sign of gas, urrrrp!)

Take SG readings a day apart and if, over a couple days, it is unchanging, fermentation is complete. And then leave it an extra day to make sure.

You are correct in wanting to get it out of a plastic primary 'bucket' and into a glass secondary carboy. Fermentation time varies, instructions are guidelines. I've had ales finish totally fermenting in three days, and lagers take weeks/months.

Very temperature and yeast dependant process. If you happen to see a bubble blurp in your airlock, it could be fermentation, it could be from shifting the fermentation vessel (thereby releasing air); but always trust (first SANITIZE, then trust!) your hyrdrometer. It can take a few days to drop a point or two if ferm. is slowing and temps are cool.

Personally, I'm also a 7-14 day in primary ferm guy (but I use glass carboys all 'round). You want to get it out of 'open' fermentation (air headspace) when the krausen (active bubbling/foaming of the yeast) has left you enough space where you can transfer to a carboy with airlock without having it blow over. Doesn't need to finish fermenting for that. So I'd say you were correct in moving it over when you did.

Yeast is microscopic in nature within the wort/beer and will continue to work even if you take it off the 'sludge'/trub at the bottom of your primary. That's mostly dead/dormant yeast and sugar anyway. Ick.

Good luck and ride it out! Should be all good!