vickeryj
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- Jan 5, 2008
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Hi everyone. I started my first batch last week and everything went pretty smoothly. The batch went into the primary Sunday (the 3rd) and the airlock was going strong by Monday morning. By Wednesday all the airlock activity stopped so I figured I would take a gravity reading. Correcting for temperature, I got a reading of 1.021 (down from an OG of 1.052). Since then I've taken gravity readings daily and they have remained at 1.021. On Friday (the 8th) I gave the bucket a swirl thinking the yeast might need to be "roused." No change on the gravity yesterday (the 9th), so I gave it another swirl, and still no change today (the 10th).
The kit lists the Beginning Gravity at 1.049 - 1.051 and the Final Gravity at 1.012 - 1.014.
So, my question is what should I do now? Should I wait a while? Should I give it another swirl? Should I pitch more yeast? Should I go ahead and rack to the secondary?
My two concerns at this point are that they yeast is worn out and won't carbonate after I bottle, and that fermentation hasn't really finished and I'll make bottle grenades. My dad was a homebrewer when I was growing up and I still remember bottles blowing up in the back of the station wagon on a road trip, so I'm a little bit paranoid about that.
The beer is from a True Brew Nut Brown Ale kit consisting of 1 can Hopped Light Malt Extract, 1 lb Light Dried Malt Extract, 1 lb Amber Dried Malt Extract, 1 lb Dark Brown Sugar, Chocolate, Dark Crystal and Roasted Barley specialty grains, 1 oz of Fuggles hop pellets and 1 packet of Muntons dry yeast.
I re-hydrated and proofed the yeast (with 1 tsp sugar) prior to pitching, and it foamed a bit, but didn't go crazy.
The bucket has been in a room that has varied from 64° to 68° F, and the stick-on thermometer on the bucket has ranged from 72° to 66°.
The kit lists the Beginning Gravity at 1.049 - 1.051 and the Final Gravity at 1.012 - 1.014.
So, my question is what should I do now? Should I wait a while? Should I give it another swirl? Should I pitch more yeast? Should I go ahead and rack to the secondary?
My two concerns at this point are that they yeast is worn out and won't carbonate after I bottle, and that fermentation hasn't really finished and I'll make bottle grenades. My dad was a homebrewer when I was growing up and I still remember bottles blowing up in the back of the station wagon on a road trip, so I'm a little bit paranoid about that.
The beer is from a True Brew Nut Brown Ale kit consisting of 1 can Hopped Light Malt Extract, 1 lb Light Dried Malt Extract, 1 lb Amber Dried Malt Extract, 1 lb Dark Brown Sugar, Chocolate, Dark Crystal and Roasted Barley specialty grains, 1 oz of Fuggles hop pellets and 1 packet of Muntons dry yeast.
I re-hydrated and proofed the yeast (with 1 tsp sugar) prior to pitching, and it foamed a bit, but didn't go crazy.
The bucket has been in a room that has varied from 64° to 68° F, and the stick-on thermometer on the bucket has ranged from 72° to 66°.