Is my beer fermenting too cold?

[passive]

This is my second batch, please excuse any misunderstandings.

So my basement is hovering around 14-17 Celsius this winter, and I've got a Red Ale from a Brew House kit that's been on for 19 days. 5 days in the primary, 14 in the secondary, and according to the instructions, I should rack and bottle it tomorrow.

However, I'm just wondering if perhaps the low temperatures mean it should stay all together for longer? My understanding is that lagers ferment at lower temperatures for longer periods, but I assume that simply leaving my Red Ale for longer won't turn it into a lager?

Any concerns? Am I worrying about nothing?

(Oh, and I'm in Halifax, NS, not VA. I needed to put a state in, and Alexendria was my last house in the US)

 

[jbdujka]

Take a gravity reading and see if its done

 

[Legin]

What jbdujka said. No way of knowing if it's done without a reading. Also, what temperature is your beer fermenting at? Ambient temperature and beer temperature can be very different--beer temperature being much higher during the most active stage of fermentation.

About the secondary: most people don't use them anymore. But if your red ale had lots of hop additions or dry hopping, I would recommend letting the beer ferment in the primary until it has reached close to it's FG. It's just my concern about moving beer during an active fermentation, especially to a container that may be much cooler. 5 days seems a little soon, is all.

 

[arturo7]

Which yeast did you use and what is it's recommended temp range?

 

[DaveMcPhee]

5 days in the primary, 14 in the secondary, and according to the instructions, I should rack and bottle it tomorrow.

Any concerns?

Yes, forget the instructions. 4 weeks in primary MINIMUM, then bottle. Quote my post and agree to do this before revvy comes in here and explains in roughly 3000 words why you should ignore those kit instruction because they based on 40 year old incorrect understanding

 

[Legin]

Yes, forget the instructions. 4 weeks in primary MINIMUM, then bottle. Quote my post and agree to do this before revvy comes in here and explains in roughly 3000 words why you should ignore those kit instruction because they based on 40 year old incorrect understanding

lol. Was thinking the same thing.

 

[Nurmey]

Welcome to HBT!
The guys are right, take a reading. Yeast can't read a calendar so doing something for X amount of days means nothing to it. Toss any instructions that to do something on a given day with brewing. I have been brewing for about six years and have never had the same fermentation with any of them.

Your temperatures are fine and since it is in secondary, you could leave it for as long as you like. Time is your friend and a few more weeks will only make it better.

Unless you used lager yeast, it's going to be an ale no matter how long you keep it.

 

[passive]

Ok, excellent. I will take a reading tonight and report back. Sounds like there will definitely be some changes to the way I do my next batch.

Thanks!

 

[passive]

Ok, so I just checked the specific gravity, but I think I'm probably doing it wrong. Is there a certain amount of beer that should be put into the hydrometer?

Anyway, I got 1.020, which is the same thing I wrote down 15 days ago, though I recall at the time I was rounding it for some reason, so I think it was more like 1.023 (I find it difficult to read, so far).

Oh, and the beer tastes pretty good.

 

[passive]

Ok, I was doing it wrong.

Putting in just enough beer to get the hydrometer to float, I'm reading 0.990. From what I understand, this means it should be safe for bottling.

 

[Runyanka]

Ok, I was doing it wrong.

Putting in just enough beer to get the hydrometer to float, I'm reading 0.990. From what I understand, this means it should be safe for bottling.

That's a really low FG for the style of beer you brewed. What temp was the beer when you cheked the reading?

 

[Yooper]

Ok, I was doing it wrong.

Putting in just enough beer to get the hydrometer to float, I'm reading 0.990. From what I understand, this means it should be safe for bottling.

That isn't correct. Try adding a bit more beer so it floats freely, and then spin it gently to keep it away from the sides of the jar. It has to be right in the middle of the test jar, not touching the sides.