My first brew

[MIKETHEBEERMEISTER]

Pay no attention to my name I am a rookie. I have been fermenting my first brew which is a summer ale. I bought the box kit from Brewers Best so it gives me all the instructions. Now it has been fermenting for 5 days I just checked the SG and it was 1.010 it says it should be 1.042-1.046 so I put the cap back on and the air lock back on can it really go up in SG that much in two days? It said it will take 4-6 days of fermenting.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

The instructions probably read that your Original or Starting gravity should be between 1.042 and 1.046... The reading you just took after five days would be concidered your FG or Final Gravity....or close to it anyways. Gravity goes down as fermentation continues. I woud say your beer is about done fermenting, but I would let it sit for another few weeks to help improve the beer. It will help clean up any off flavors that may have been created during primary fermentation.

I realize it's hard to wait on your first beer, but trust me when I say you'll be glad you waited.

 

[JetSmooth]

1.042-1.046 should be your "Original Gravity" or OG. You should have taken a gravity measurement before fermentation started to get that. What you're reading now is your "Final Gravity" or FG. Well, actually, you should check it every other day and see if the level holds steady for three days. THEN it will be your FG. This is how you can estimate how much sugar was converted to alcohol. Most lighter ales ferment out to about 1.010, so you may be done. But don't trust my word or lack of bubbles in the airlock. The ONLY way to know when it's done is by watching the gravity readings.

So, you basically missed all the fun.

Good news is, you get to do it again!

Welcome! Do a lot of reading around here and you're going to have wicked fun with this hobby!

 

[MIKETHEBEERMEISTER]

Thanks for the help looking forward to more batches I love this. I have racked the beer and will leave it in second stage fermentation for at least a week.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Another thing...secondary isn't really needed for most beers. I know most starter books and recipe instructions will tell you to use it...but it's not needed. The beer actually does better if you let it condition in the primary for a month instead of 1 week and 3 weeks in the secondary. Beside...secondary allows you more chances to introduce oxygen.

The only time I secondary is when I'm adding something to the beer (dryhops, coffee, whiskey, vanilla, fruit, etc..) or when it's a high gravity beer above 1.080. Otherwise...I let it do all of it's aging in the kegs or bottles.

 

[Germelli1]

Keep in mind also that many brewing kits are made by people looking to make money. Thus they cut down on the time in the fermentor on the instructions in order to get you to buy a new kit sooner. Most beers are done fermenting within a week but the yeast need time to go back and clean up their by-products further improving the quality of your beer.