Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ColoradoBrewMeister]

Okay...

So, my ale has been in the primary for 11 days now, 8 with the airlock. There has seemed to be no bubbly activity with the airlock for probably 5-6 days now. I decided to take a hydrometer reading tonight and I have a couple of questions...

When I took the rubber lid off there the top of the carboy was full with sediment. So I pushed the thief through the sediment and most of it fell into the beer. Is this okay? (I probably should have asked before I did that...Hah!)

Secondly, the hydrometer reading was at about 1.011-1.013. I can wait longer before bottling...in fact...my plan was to wait until Monday, transfer to a secondary. Then, wait another week, and then bottle.

What do you think I should do?? Is my beer ruined because I pushed some sediment down into the carboy to get a reading?

 

[bob1852]

You are fine....

It looks like your beer is finished (based on your hydro readings).

If I were you, I would wait another week without transferring to you secondary; and bottle after that.

 

[ShakerD]

RDWHAHB

You're fine and you gravity sounds good.

If I were you I would just leave the beer in the primary for 3 -4 weeks then bottle.

Cheers and Congrats you Made Beer!

 

[kicknbrew]

Wait, so there was sediment on TOP of the brew? It sounds like you are saying you had a layer of something on top of the beer that you had to break through to get TO the beer... am I reading that right?

 

[TheBrewAbides]

Your beer is not ruined, at least not from the sediment. Hopefully the theif was sanitized though...if not, it still may be fine. What was you're OG? Typically FGs are around what you measured.

What are you brewing?

 

[starrfish]

How much "stuff" on top? if a lot let it ride. What was OG? What yeast? What recipe?

Sounds like there was a chunky Krausen IF you needed to "punch" through it.

That much Krausen on top leads me to think you have a bit more to go. Didn't hurt anything by taking sample with sanitized thief or by pushing it down.... just amy need more time OG recipe and a target final (with yeast selection) would really help.

 

[ColoradoBrewMeister]

Thanks for the help!

I messed up initially by not taking a reading of the wort, so I'm not sure what the OG was. I am brewing an abbey ale.

I did sanitize the thief before inserting it into the carboy. So hopefully I'll be fine with that.

So, some of you suggest waiting before bottling, some suggest not transferring, some suggest bottling now...what the heck should I do???

 

[passedpawn]

Give it another week or so and bottle. No secondary fermentor necessary. Probably the crud at the top was some floating krausen junk. Don't worry.

Go ahead and give your fermenter a few taps, and maybe a spin or to, to get all the crud on the top and sides to fall to bottom. Shaking, though, would be too much. Don't do that.

 

[starrfish]

It's an abbey it may drop lower, NO secondary needed on an abbey. abbeys can run long and drop as low as 1.000. just let it ride. Out of curiosity what yeast. If it's what I would have used it's a slow worker at the end and maintains a high krausen until it's just about done, and may benefit from few extra days after that! It's a slow worker. But worth it in the long run! I use a french saiason yeast that starts hard and runs long... 10 days plus at above 80° room temp and makes a beast of a beer that tastes like a 6% but it's usually way over 8%... those belgian and french yeasts can be very weird.

hope this helps (you may have a very nice solid double or close to a triple on your hands!!) ENJOY post your tasting notes! and the recipe! We can figure OG by the recipe, or at least close. (you can too at tastybrew.com but you need to put in the attenuation potential of the yeast go high if it's what I think you used)

 

[wetzie]

On my fermentor the krausen will rise to the top and some will dry out before i falls back to the beer. I would think the dry stuff you had to break was dried krausen. It would seem the beer is fine based on the hydro readings.

 

[jbug440]

I think while inserting the thief he might have scraped some crude that was in the neck of the carboy. That's how I read it anyway. If that's the case he's fine. Let it go another week I'm primary, transfer to bottling bucket, and bottle. Gratz on the beer!!

 

[starrfish]

Wish you had a pic and yeast strain seems like it may have some time to go. most times if that much is still on top it's got more time needed. usually if I see just a few chunks it's just about there or done depending on yeast. sounds like you wern't seeing any uncarbed young beer... If this is the case you need more time... like I said belgians and saisons can run longer and lower than expected FG....