Is my batch healty?

[vimicoma]

Hi all,
On 8/5/12 I started my peach ale batch, it look like it was going fine, on day three there was foam building up on the top of the worth but it cleared out by next day and it looks like there is no activity at all. Original gravity was 1041, the gravity now is 1007 on 8/11/12. Is this normal? Is there a way to boost up the alcohol by volume on this batch at this point.

Thanks in advance for any help/input I can get, cheers.

PS- there is a settlement on the bottom, I attached pics to show how it looks.

 

[theveganbrewer]

It's pretty much done. Leave it a week for the remaining yeast to clean up. Nothing to do now to boost ABV.

 

[DrawTap88]

You're fine. You can, but I wouldn't, try to boost the alcohol content now because you risk oxidizing your beer. If you want to boost the ABV for the next batch, either add more malt or some sucrose (at high krausen). I wouldn't on this one, because your healthy yeast has already attenuated (gotten through as much of the wort as it can). If you add another .010 or .020 gravity points to your beer, the remaining yeast that has not yet dropped out may not be able to consume all of the osygen that is added. They most likely will not be able to get rid of the oxygen because they beer already has enough CO2 and alcohol in solution to make them become overwhelmed. In that case you will wind up with a beer that is overly sweet, hot from all of the alcohol, or taste like cardboard. Your best bet is to shoot for a higher OG next time.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

That looks and sounds like a completely normal fermentation. The tan layer on the bottom is just yeast that has fallen out of suspension after fermentation finished. Ignore the beer for at least one more week for cleaner tasting beer, bottle and enjoy!

 

[vimicoma]

It's pretty much done. Leave it a week for the remaining yeast to clean up. Nothing to do now to boost ABV.

Nothing to do to boost the alcohol? Darn it...
Thank you very much, cheers!

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

Nothing to do to boost the alcohol? Darn it...
Thank you very much, cheers!

Boosting the alcohol needs to happen BEFORE you ferment the beer. This can be done by adding extra malt, adding sugar (like belgian candi sugar) or adding other fermentables like honey.

Basically, anything with sugar in it you add to the wort before fermentation will result in higher alcohol percentage. Your gravity readings indicate that your beer will be about 4.5% alcohol by volume. That is a good strength for a brew this early in your brewing career, since higher alcohol percentage generally means longer fermentation times and more difficulty in the brewing process. It should turn out to be a good first beer.

Cheers!

 

[chickypad]

Nothing to do to boost the alcohol? Darn it...
Thank you very much, cheers!

Well, most beers aren't going to finish much lower than 1.007 unless you're doing a saison or something. If you want more alcohol you need to start with a recipe with a higher OG. Looks like you've got about 4.4%. It's possible to add fermentables after fermentation has started (and not uncommon for some styles like Belgian tripels) but I agree with DrawTap. It's done, let it be and next time pick a different recipe if that's what you're after.

 

[vimicoma]

Thanks everyone! This is really good information, it will definitely help me on my next batch. I'll let this batch how it it's now.
Does any one has an idea/estimate of how log will it be ready if I'm bottling? I'm looking for about 4-5 weeks or so.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

Thanks everyone! This is really good information, it will definitely help me on my next batch. I'll let this batch how it it's now.
Does any one has an idea/estimate of how log will it be ready if I'm bottling? I'm looking for about 4-5 weeks or so.

If I were brewing this beer, I would let it sit in that fermenter for one more week before bottling. Then I would let the bottles sit at room temperature for AT LEAST 2 weeks (3 would be better).

It sounds like your 4 to 5 week timeline is very realistic. Good for you on having the patience to wait that long!

 

[chickypad]

Check another gravity in a few days to a week. If it's stable you can bottle. 3 wks at 70 deg is the average wisdom for bottle conditioning around here, then then you can chill one or two to try and see if it's carbed.

Edit: Drummer and I keep posting at the same time. At least it's fairly consistent advice!

 

[agcorry00]

A 4.5% peach ale actually sounds wonderful for this hot weather. As for how long to wait, much of the advice here is to ferment in the primary for three weeks, then condition in the bottle for three weeks.