Hydrometer reading question

[iamkj]

My brew has been in the fermenter for 18 days. I took a reading with my hydrometer two days ago and another today to ensure I am ready to bottle and fermentation is not still happening. My reading on Monday was 1.012 (I think) and my reading tonight is 1.011 (which I'm more certain of). Would this 1/100 of a point be reason to not go ahead and bottle?

Follow up question: this is only my second batch, and my first batch seems like its not carbing up in the bottles even after three weeks. I'm concerned I did something wrong and don't want to repeat the mistake. Do my bottles need to be filled to a certain fullness to carb the beer properly? I was trying to prevent bottle bombs.

 

[MachineShopBrewing]

With the beer in the fermentor yet, I would let it go maybe til the weekend and take another reading. If it is the same, then go ahead and package it.


As to the bottled batch, what kind of ambient temp do you have the bottles stored at now? What style of beer is it?

 

[NorthRiverS]

I would wait until it is stable for at least three days. I have had some of my beers take a month to get to their finishing gravity. If you bottle before it's done, you risk over-carbonation or bottle bombs. Neither is worth rushing.

NRS

 

[iamkj]

With the beer in the fermentor yet, I would let it go maybe til the weekend and take another reading. If it is the same, then go ahead and package it.

As to the bottled batch, what kind of ambient temp do you have the bottles stored at now? What style of beer is it?

It was in the 62-65 range. It's an amber ale.

 

[MachineShopBrewing]

Try to find somewhere you can put the bottles where it might be a little warmer. If you could get them up to 75 or so, that should help quite a bit. Yeast work very slow in the 62-65 range, especially in an already fermented beer with alcohol in it. I have put them in a closet before with a small thermostat controlled space heater and that worked well. Just make sure you don't get them too hot(80+)