New and need advice

[kerryblue3]

Im making an IPA kit and for 8 days as directed I kept it at the correct temp and it was fermenting away on 8th day I added the hops inside a muslin bag after boiling in water,since then Ive noticed fermentation low down and bubbling in the airlock is far less frequent,is this ok and why is this happening?:fro:

 

[LLBeanJ]

Yes, it's okay. It's happening because fermentation is pretty much done. Did you take a gravity reading before adding the dry hops?

 

[TipsySaint]

What he said....

 

[kerryblue3]

Didn't take a gravity reading was told to do that three days after adding the hops ,thanks for the advice

 

[Calder]

Most people wait for all fermentation activity to finish before adding the dry hops. If the beer is still fermenting, it will tend to drive off some of the aromatics from the dry hops.

Kit instructions are created for the beginner to get a beer in the bottle as quick as possible. Often, they are not the best instructions for making the best beer, and taking a little more time can help considerably.

Don't worry you will still have good beer.

You didn't do anything wrong by not taking a gravity reading. However, gravity readings are the only real indication of what is happening to the beer. For beginners, gravity readings help with understanding what is going on, but many experienced brewers don't bother with them until it is time to package the beer. When you take the sample, drink it (it is beer). Drinking it helps with understanding how the beer is doing. If you return it to the fermenter, you risk contaminating the batch.