Should I bottle it or keep it in the fermenter?

[DrinkinSurfer]

My first brew is currently sitting in the primary right now. It is a Belgian Ale and is 8 days old. My OG was 1.063 and my current SG is 1.014. I wouldn't dare bottling until I make sure that this is in fact my FG. I was wondering if it would be better to: A) leave it in the primary for an extra week. B) Stick it in a secondary for a little while. or C) Bottle age it and make room for batch #2.

Will bottle aging get the same results in terms of taste as leaving it in the fermenters? I am not concerned with the clarity or appearance necessarily. I just want a tasty homebrew.

Ingredients incase you were wondering:

• 7 ½ lbs Pale Liquid Malt Extract
• ¾ lb Crystal 40 Malt
• ¼ lb Belgian Special B Malt
• 1 lb Belgian Dark Candi Sugar
• 1 ½ oz Fuggle Pellet Hops (Bittering)
• ½ oz Fuggle Pellet Hops (Aroma)
• 1 Vial of White Labs 500 Trappist Ale Yeast

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[eppo]

Leave it in the fermenter for another week. Let the yeast clean up their byproducts. They are still working after the SG is at your FG.

 

[Justibone]

+1 to what eppo said.

Before reading your post, just from the title, my suggestion would be "Leave it."

After reading your post, my thought is, "Leave it, just a little while longer."

I don't think you should rack it off to secondary if you might bottle it in a week or so. The main reason to go to secondary is to get if off the yeast sediment; if you don't need to get it off its sediment ("lees" or "trub", sorry if you knew those terms already!) then there is a risk of oxidation going to secondary that is just not necessary. Belgians *very rarely* need to get off their own lees that fast, IMO.

If you really are that impatient to start the next batch, just ferment it in your secondary.

 

[DrinkinSurfer]

Thanks for the input. I was planning on leaving it in the primary a little longer but was reading about some of the guys and gals on here haulin' butt through the process and having drinkable beer in a fast, take no prisoners sorta way. And as a Marine, the fast, take no prisoners method is always appealing... And it means I drink a lot.

 

[BadKarma]

Just keep in mind that this is my own opinion, but I would go to secondary fort a week then bottle. This is just my way of insuring that I never have to deal with yeast bite. I do this with almost all of my brews and have had no issues. It also insures that you have much less gunk to deal with on the bottom of the carboy/bucket.

Nice recipe, sounds tasty.

 

[Daybis]

I would either let it sit in the primary for another week, or secondary for a week. I either let mine sit three weeks in the primary, or one week in the primary then another two weeks in the secondary.

I also agree that it sounds like a tasty recipe.

 

[DrinkinSurfer]

I ended up racking it to a secondary. My SG is still at 1.014. ABV ~ 6.4%. The color is a little lighter than I expected. Somewhere in the neighborhood of a light Dubbel or dark Tripel. It has good potential. Still has some yeast bite, but its just over a week old. My first impression of the recipe is to keep the Fuggles as the aroma but change the bittering to something a little more mild. We'll see in another week how it matures. Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[DrinkinSurfer]

I racked to the secondary yesterday. I guess this resuspended some yeast because there is now a bit of activity in the airlock again. Any guess as to how much this could lower my SG? My apparent attenuation was 77% and the yeast is typically rated for 75-80%. Think it will get to 80%? Just wondering. Thanks

 

[Justibone]

I'd be surprised if it moved more than a few points. If it does move more than just a couple, then that might mean you had sugars layering out somehow, which would throw off your gravity readings.

As for brewing faster, low ABV beers can finish really quickly. Anything above 4%, just to give a number, is going to benefit from some extra time. Also, IMO force-carbing is pretty much a necessity to be able to go from primary to your stomach in under two weeks. I don't know if you have a keg set-up, but if you do, then you can try the super-speed-brew I guess. :cross: