Ready for bottling?

[ncoutroulis]

This is my first batch, so lots of questions, this being one:

my brew has been fermenting in the carboy now for 2 weeks today. It's 5 GAL, the recipe said to keep it in the carboy for 7-14 days. The OG was supposed to be 1.049, mine was about 1.060—probably not enough water on my part.

So, should I take a reading, and hope it's dropped to about 1.003 or so? then bottle? (not sure what the final gravity is supposed to be, as the recipe doesn't specify that)

And if the gravity reading isn't significant'y lower, what should I do?

Thanks in advance

 

[Jeffinn]

Take a hydrometer for three days in a row, if the gravity hasn't changed your beer is ready for bottling.

 

[flars]

You will need to take a couple of SG readings before you bottle. The first to check if the fermentation has gone as far as it should. The second reading to make sure final gravity has been reached, the two SG readings are the same. The SG readings should be several days apart to be able to notice a very slow fermentation continuing. Any fermentation that finishes off in the bottle is disastrous.
What your final gravity will be depends upon what you brewed and the yeast you have used. The difference between recipe OG and your measured OG may indicate a problem.
What did your brew? Was the recipe all grain, partial mash, or extract? What was the recipe volume? Have you marked your fermentor with gallon markings, by pouring in a carefully measured amount of water?

 

[McKnuckle]

After two weeks and little to no visible airlock activity, yes, take a reading. Since you know your OG, you can plug in the reading gravity and determine two things - the ABV% and the attenuation percentage.

Attenuation is the degree to which the yeast have consumed the available sugars in the wort. 100% would be the theoretical maximum, with no sugar at all left - this doesn't happen in practice. Usually it's between 65-85% depending on a variety of factors.

Look up the yeast type you used (if you know it), and see what the average attenuation is. That will help you determine if the yeast is likely to keep going or not. It's not foolproof, but after two weeks it's pretty safe.

ABV/Attenuation calculator is here

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I would take a gravity reading for a few days in a row. If the readings do not change, then you are ready to bottle. If you are at 1.020 or higher, you may want to raise the temperature a little bit to reactivate the yeast. If you bottle at 1.020, there will be fermentable sugars leftover that will be present, leading to a sweeter beer and the possibility of bottle bombs if you bottle then. You have fermentable sugars, then adding more at bottle time and then storing at a temperature for the yeast to continue to munch away.

Not sure what temperature that you are fermenting at. Look up the temperature range for your yeast and adjust the temperature up to about the 75% tolerance of the yeast.


For example; say the range is 64F to 74F, warm the batch up to 70-71F. If you have your wort fermenting in the lower range of your yeast's tolerance, you will have a slow fermentation. I typically try to ferment the first few days in the middle of the yeast's range, as the temperature can be 5F above the ambient temperature where you are fermenting. Also, invest in a fermomenter for your fermenting vessel. It will give you an idea of the actual temperature inside.

 

[ncoutroulis]

I would take a gravity reading for a few days in a row. If the readings do not change, then you are ready to bottle. If you are at 1.020 or higher, you may want to raise the temperature a little bit to reactivate the yeast. If you bottle at 1.020, there will be fermentable sugars leftover that will be present, leading to a sweeter beer and the possibility of bottle bombs if you bottle then. You have fermentable sugars, then adding more at bottle time and then storing at a temperature for the yeast to continue to munch away.

Not sure what temperature that you are fermenting at. Look up the temperature range for your yeast and adjust the temperature up to about the 75% tolerance of the yeast.


For example; say the range is 64F to 74F, warm the batch up to 70-71F. If you have your wort fermenting in the lower range of your yeast's tolerance, you will have a slow fermentation. I typically try to ferment the first few days in the middle of the yeast's range, as the temperature can be 5F above the ambient temperature where you are fermenting. Also, invest in a fermomenter for your fermenting vessel. It will give you an idea of the actual temperature inside.

Thanks everyone...

so i just took a reading and here's what i found.

My gravity now appears to be 1.010.
Brix is about 2.5%
ABV on the hydrometer says 1.0% (this is puzzling)

the brew smells great (it's a Belgian IPA, the sample i took smells just as one should)

What's the deal with figuring out the ABV? 1.0% seems awfully low, unless i'm supposed to subtract that from my OG ABV reading, which was 7.5%

The beer has been fermenting at room temperature, which is in accordance with Wyeast's recommendation (65-75 F). I've since moved it to a slightly warmer part of the house.

This was a partial mash kit if that makes any difference.

So, shall i take another reading tomorrow, and if it's the same, does that indicate fermentation is finished?

thanks

 

[unionrdr]

I was thinking if you do a partial boil & top off, you might not have gotten the two mixed well. That would give a false high reading if taking the sample from the bottom, as in using a spigot.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

Thanks everyone...

so i just took a reading and here's what i found.

My gravity now appears to be 1.010.
Brix is about 2.5%
ABV on the hydrometer says 1.0% (this is puzzling)

the brew smells great (it's a Belgian IPA, the sample i took smells just as one should)

What's the deal with figuring out the ABV? 1.0% seems awfully low, unless i'm supposed to subtract that from my OG ABV reading, which was 7.5%

The beer has been fermenting at room temperature, which is in accordance with Wyeast's recommendation (65-75 F). I've since moved it to a slightly warmer part of the house.

This was a partial mash kit if that makes any difference.

So, shall i take another reading tomorrow, and if it's the same, does that indicate fermentation is finished?

thanks

Take 3 readings over 3 days, if they are the same then bottle. It sounds like you are more than on track.

Here is a formula to remember

(OG-FG) x 131 = ABV %

I would let it sit for a full 3 weeks if you can stand it irregardless of no change in your readings. It gives the yeast a chance to clean up off flavors and by products. Since I have made this my regimen I have been getting much better beer that everyone has noticed.

 

[flars]

1.010 might be a good final gravity, unless the yeast you used would normally take a beer lower. You may not be able to see small drops in SG taking readings one day apart. Some Belgian yeast drop very, very slowly going into the third week of fermentation.
I would suggest SG readings at least three days apart.
Was your last hydrometer sample clear of sediment. When the hydrometer sample is hazy with sediment, and you bottle, this is extra sediment that will be going into the bottle, reducing the amount you can pour into your glass.

 

[ncoutroulis]

1.010 might be a good final gravity, unless the yeast you used would normally take a beer lower. You may not be able to see small drops in SG taking readings one day apart. Some Belgian yeast drop very, very slowly going into the third week of fermentation.
I would suggest SG readings at least three days apart.
Was your last hydrometer sample clear of sediment. When the hydrometer sample is hazy with sediment, and you bottle, this is extra sediment that will be going into the bottle, reducing the amount you can pour into your glass.

Thanks. didn't notice a lot of sediment, at least floating. the beer wasn't totally clear, but certainly more so than when i started. I think this type of Belgian beer isn't supposed to be so clear though...

If i have to leave this in the fermenter an extra week (since ill be out of town), could that ruin the batch? just curious how long a window i have after fermentation is complete, before I need to bottle this brew

thanks

 

[HB_in_Subic]

Thanks. didn't notice a lot of sediment, at least floating. the beer wasn't totally clear, but certainly more so than when i started. I think this type of Belgian beer isn't supposed to be so clear though...

If i have to leave this in the fermenter an extra week (since ill be out of town), could that ruin the batch? just curious how long a window i have after fermentation is complete, before I need to bottle this brew

thanks

Not an issue. I left one in the fermenter for 8 weeks one time and it came out awesome!

 

[flars]

I don't bottle until the beer has been in the primary for at least three weeks, and the beer has cleared.

 

[McKnuckle]

Regardless of what other people do - which will be all over the map - did you look at the ABV calculator that I linked in my reply? You don't read your hydrometer for that.

If you started at 1.060 and you're now at 1.010, that's 83% attenuation and 6.5% ABV. Even if you mixed poorly and your OG was off, let's say it was really only 1.050, you're still at 79% attenuation and 5.25% ABV.

The beer is, for all intents and purposes, done.

Leave it to clarify before you bottle. That should now be your next practical step. I'd move it somewhere cold to settle it. Go out of town for a week and when you return, it'll be ready to bottle.

 

[ncoutroulis]

Regardless of what other people do - which will be all over the map - did you look at the ABV calculator that I linked in my reply? You don't read your hydrometer for that.

If you started at 1.060 and you're now at 1.010, that's 83% attenuation and 6.5% ABV. Even if you mixed poorly and your OG was off, let's say it was really only 1.050, you're still at 79% attenuation and 5.25% ABV.

The beer is, for all intents and purposes, done.

Leave it to clarify before you bottle. That should now be your next practical step. I'd move it somewhere cold to settle it. Go out of town for a week and when you return, it'll be ready to bottle.

thanks, i did look at that calculator. my calculations showed ABV to be 6.5% as well.

guess ill let it settle for another week or so, then bottle. should i add something to help clarify?

thanks

 

[McKnuckle]

Gelatin is effective and easy to use, but cold temps are the first step. I would cold crash it for a week and prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the result.

 

[ncoutroulis]

Gelatin is effective and easy to use, but cold temps are the first step. I would cold crash it for a week and prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the result.

thanks. When you say "cold crash" it, what temp and for about how long?

Think Wyeast said to keep it 65-75 degrees.

thanks

 

[McKnuckle]

Sure, moderate temps during fermentation are a given. You cold crash only when fermentation is completely done. That's also when you would fine with gelatin or perform any other clearing activity. Crashing is done close to freezing, basically as cold as you can make it without the risk of freezing.

 

[ncoutroulis]

Sure, moderate temps during fermentation are a given. You cold crash only when fermentation is completely done. That's also when you would fine with gelatin or perform any other clearing activity. Crashing is done close to freezing, basically as cold as you can make it without the risk of freezing.

So its been about a week now, and i've not been able to bottle yet, since i was out of town. Just walked in, and heard a "bubble" sound from the airlock. Haven't heard any activity at all in about 2 weeks!! I've only heard maybe 3-4 bubbles in 20 mins or so, but still.

So, is it normal to have a long period of NO activity, then it starts all of a sudden?

thanks

 

[flars]

It has been two weeks plus 10 days since the beginning of active fermentation?

I would say the bubbles you are seeing is CO2 coming out of solution. The CO2 suspends particles in the beer. When most of the CO2 has off gassed, the particles will drop into the trub/yeast layer.
I don't use finings or cold crash. Three weeks in the fermentor, or sometimes a little longer, clears the beer for bottling.

 

[ncoutroulis]

It has been two weeks plus 10 days since the beginning of active fermentation?

I would say the bubbles you are seeing is CO2 coming out of solution. The CO2 suspends particles in the beer. When most of the CO2 has off gassed, the particles will drop into the trub/yeast layer.
I don't use finings or cold crash. Three weeks in the fermentor, or sometimes a little longer, clears the beer for bottling.

Thanks

Jan 20 was when active fermentation started.

I did my first and only ABV reading last week, but haven't done a second one yet to see if the numbers have held.

This can't still be fermenting, right?

thanks

 

[unionrdr]

It's likely just off gassing at this point. Test it & see if the numbers match.