So i am on night 4. I have been constantly looking over my new baby (1st time pale ale) and have been wondering when it is time to bottle it up. I am doing the bucket approach and tonight i see no more bubbles in the airlock. Should i wait a couple more days to see if any more activity happens? Also how would i take a reading with the bucket approach?
cheers
STEP BACK FROM THE BUCKET!
IGNORE IT. (Really, if you want to be a yeast voyeur, get a glass carboy.)
If you are not doing a secondary, leave it at least for three weeks in the bucket.
I just did a light Ed's House ale, and the yeast was a little/lot slow. It did not finish fermentation for 2+ weeks with WLP001. (I have seen a lot of post on it being slower lately.)
In short, the yeast are the workers, they will be done with the job when they are done.
Your job is to make them as happy as possible with oxygen to start with, nutrients to grow and multiply, and then ideal temperatures to do what they do sooo well. ( I can't turn water into wine but they can ).
To finalize, if your not doing a secondary, wait at least 3 weeks, then take a hydrometer sample. Do not put it back in, taste it. If your happy with the final gravity, FG. And you thing you have a great, but green and flat beer. Your ready to bottle.
If not wait another three weeks.
Best of luck, there are so many threads here on this topic, please review them to make yourself feel better and learn to wait.