How to check fermentation has finished without hydrometer?

[Nathan666]

Hi guys just wondering if there is a way to tell if fermentation has finished without using a hydrometer my beer looks like this after 9 days




But on the seventh day it looked like this



I'm just wondering when to put it into my pressurised plastic keg and should i put it in that keg with about 50 carbonation drops?

 

[Yooper]

Once it's done, the krausen will fall back into the beer and a sample will show that the beer is clear. Once the beer is clear, it's almost certainly done.

 

[kh54s10]

Without a hydrometer you CAN NOT be certain that fermentation is finished. If you leave the beer in primary for 3-4 weeks, which is best for allowing the yeast to finish doing their cleanup, you will likely be finished.

Do not rush things. Most posts about why does my beer taste bad are only because the process was rushed.

 

[hamiltont]

Without a hydrometer you're sorta flyin' blind, but I have been in that situation when my hydrometer broke. (Now I have 3 ) When that happened I left the beer in the primary for 4 weeks and raised the temp to ~70F after the 2nd week just to make sure. I was bottling then so it was really important that the beer was done fermenting. Cheers!!!

 

[Nathan666]

Ok thanks so it's just time that makes beer clear? Because that is what I am wanting a clear clean looking beer and does 50 carb drops for 5 gallons sound about right??

 

[Jayhem]

If there is any foam on the surface it's likely not done. All my beer has gone flat on the surface, no foam or bubbles between 2-3 weeks in the fermenter and my hydrometer readings were all spot on at that point.

 

[atom]

any reason you're opposed to using a hydrometer?

 

[Revvy]

Sometimes Krausens don't fall even if fermentation has been complete for a few weeks. I get that with bottle conditioned hoegaarden yeast all the time. I've take a grav at 1 month, and it shows it's at terminal gravity and there's still a rocky head on it.

The ONLY thing that is an accurate indicator is a hydrometer, for anything else (Krausens/bubbles) there are always exceptions. So it's best to use the one true thing.

 

[tre9er]

When in doubt, leave it in the fermenter!

 

[GarageDweller]

Drink about 7 pints of it and if you're Then its probably somewhere close!
Actually, don't do that, spend 6 bucks and get a hydro for your next batch. You will most likely be done fermenting in 3-4wks. Enjoy! :rockin:

 

[TTB-J]

Sometimes Krausens don't fall even if fermentation has been complete for a few weeks. I get that with bottle conditioned hoegaarden yeast all the time. I've take a grav at 1 month, and it shows it's at terminal gravity and there's still a rocky head on it.

The ONLY thing that is an accurate indicator is a hydrometer, for anything else (Krausens/bubbles) there are always exceptions. So it's best to use the one true thing.

I too have had stubborn krausens before. Normally, cranking up the temperature by about 5 degress or so and giving it a gentle swirl is enough to cause it to collapse (maybe the amount of residual CO2 in the colder beer is keeping the krausen from falling?). Either way, I definitely agree with this statement, every single fermentation looks, smells, and acts differently (especially if you are using different yeasts each time). Only way you can be sure that the yeast isn't still working is to use your hydrometer.

 

[Nathan666]

Ok thanks guys an I've used my hydrometer but it had moved from 1.035 to 1.030 in 7 days so was worried but I cranked the temp up to 21 degrees Celsius and see what happens

 

[venquessa]

Without a hydrometer ... if you can measure (very accurately) 1 litre and weigh it (accurate to the gram), you should be able to work out it's density. Then just work out it's relative density to water (1kg/l) and that is basically the same thing as specific gravity.

You would expect a litre of beer with an SG of 1.024 to weigh 1024g as opposed to 1000g for water.

I think the only caveat is that water is only exactly 1000g/l at 4*C.

EDIT: In addition, to explain why a hydrometer works and can measure the density. Archimedes Law(?) says that a body will be bouyed up by the weight of the water (or fluid) it displaces. So if your hydrometer displaces 30ml of water, then it will be pushed upward with a force of 30g. But... if you put it into beer with a very high SG of 1.100 it will be bouyed up with a force of 33g and thus ride higher in the beer than in the water. Due to the shape of the device it is able to float in a wide (ish) range of density liquids. All you need to do to make a hydrometer is draw lines on it relating to various densities.

 

[GreenDragon]

Coopers carb drops? Those are supposed to be 1 per bottle and 5 gallons is around 52 beers so yeah 50 drops should be about right. Why not just use Co2 though?

 

[Nathan666]

Thankyou and because I didn't know what would be bette I have a pressurised barrel but Havnt got the co2 bullets and the holder for them but I have the coopers carb drops will they work the same?