hydrometer vs airlock

[raf1919]

what do you use to decide when ready to bottle? cause my reading says its ready but the airlock will still bubble every now and than. i have the coppers kit w/ the S shaped airlock and i saw on vid that said the two bubbles should be even levels of water when its ready.

 

[mlanoue]

Assuming you've used your hydrometer correctly, trust that. The airlock could be bubbling for any number of other readings. It means nothing, really.

 

[HexKrak]

If the hydrometer has read the same thing for 3 or more days then you're ready to bottle. There's no other reliable way to tell than a specific gravity reading.

 

[Edcculus]

Don't trust the airlock. It lies. Dirty, dirty lies.

 

[dvdanny]

Half the time on my plastic fermenters the airlock never bubbles, my first batch of beer ever I trusted the airlock over my hydrometer... a mistake I will never make again (2% abv sweet beer was the result).

 

[Hang Glider]

Temperature/barometric changes will influence the level of liquid in the airlock, too.

Leave it for 3 weeks, then check the hydro readings -

 

[raf1919]

got it..

meter is showing about 1.010.. yesterday was about the same its hard to tell w/ those lil lines about the same.

 

[frazier]

You probably mean 1.010 - check again in two more days.

Usually, I use a calendar to tell me when to bottle. Since I leave it in the fermenter for 3 or 4 weeks, there's no point in knowing on what day two weeks ago it was done fermenting. I'll take a hydro reading once, on bottling day.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I usually use beer clarity to decide.

 

[Ichthy]

I usually use beer clarity to decide.

Good advice here, no one likes a yeast bomb...

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Good advice here, no one likes a yeast bomb...

Long primaries and the occasional cold crash for poorly flocculant or powdery yeast. Once it's bright it's ready to bottle or keg.

Pick up a slug of some yeast during the transfer with the cane for bottle fermentation and it's good to go. But I keg so.....

Over time, you learn to guage how long it should take for a beer to ferment out based on gravity generalities. If it looks to be clearing too soon, pull out the Hydro and see what is happening.

 

[Ichthy]

I went through a stage of trying to make quick beers because I lacked enough fermenters. If you aren't using gelatin or cold crashing and are trying to turn beer around fast, it takes a long time in the bottles for the yeast drop and taste suffers immensly until it clears.

 

[theonetrueruss]

ok.. the hydrometer reading definitely is what tells you if fermentation is done.. however if there is still bubbling I would wait until it finally stops to bottle...why? Because if it is releasing CO2 (that's the bubbles) that means you have no way of knowing what the current CO2 level in your beer is. You can't know for sure if you are going to over prime with your bottling sugar or not.. Sure you're probably going to be ok but if you always wait for the bubbling to stop you are always at a more consistent CO2 level int your beer before bottling and will get more consistent results.

Just my .02

 

[Pumbaa]

until you get it figured out and routine stick with the hydrometer . . . after that I go by taste and clarity

+1 to Gila