should I bottle?

[bluedragoon85]

Hi,

I brewed a AHS Weizenbock extract kit about a month ago. I'm pretty sure it was the last Friday of September. I have left it in primary all this time to make sure it would ferment completely; being it's a higher gravity Ale in comparison to the ones I usually brew. On the instructions for the kit it says that the final gravity should be approximately 1.015. About a week and 1/2 ago I checked the gravity and it was 1.020, and today it is 1.018. It seems it is at a standstill and I was wondering if I should go ahead and bottle it since it was my plan to do so today; however, I want to do this right. Does 1.018 sound good for this type of Ale? or to off?

The ingredients for this Weizenbock were:
Specialty Grains: 1 lb. Caramunich, 1/4 lb. Caramel Wheat, 1/4 lb. Chocolate Malt, and 1/2 German Pilsner.
Malt Extract: 6 lbs. Wheat, and 3 lbs. Munich Extract.
Hops: 1 oz. Perle (bittering)
Yeast: Wyeast Weihenstephan Weizen 3068 - I had used this same yeast on 3 previous batches.

Fermentation Temp: it's been pretty constant between 68 - 70 F.

 

[Parker36]

What was the OG? 3068 has a 73-77% attenuation. I might be prone to give it another few days and take another reading. Although a drop from 1.020 to 1.018 might seem insignificant, when in bottles such a drop could create a messy situation.

 

[bluedragoon85]

What was the OG? 3068 has a 73-77% attenuation. I might be prone to give it another few days and take another reading. Although a drop from 1.020 to 1.018 might seem insignificant, when in bottles such a drop could create a messy situation.

I wasn't able to get an accurate OG. When I got a sample it was reading like 1.095 or something like that, and I guess it was because the wort wasn't properly mixed with the cooled water I added, and I didn't want to risk infection so I left it at that. OG should have been around 1.070 according to the AHS instructions. I'm not sure a couple of days will make all that difference. That's all I have done, is give it a lot of time for it to finish up and it looks like it has been a couple of weeks of being in a stand still. I cooled down the wort a bit to check the FG more accurately. I ended up with 1.020.


EDIT: Should I rouse the yeast and leave one more week before bottling?

 

[Kungpaodog]

It'll only get better if you wait longer to bottle, even if the gravity reading stays the same. SO give it a eek, check the FG again, and maybe bottle then. It'll clear up in the next week at the very least.

 

[Pelikan]

What temperature have you kept it at?

 

[DeathBrewer]

AHS lists the weizenbock OG @ 1.065

that means you have a over 70% attenuation, assuming you have the correct volume and used all the ingredients.

you could give it a swirl to rouse the yeast if you'd like, then give it another week. if it's the same then, i'd say go ahead and bottle.

 

[Pelikan]

Hmm, you have about 73% attenuation, which is the bottom of the range for 3068. Did you wash the yeast 3 times, or did you use three separate packages? I ask because three subsequent generations from the same pack may cause a loss of vigor.

Also, did you get a lot of blow out on this one? Wyeast describes 3068 as a true top-cropper, requiring about 30+ % headspace. A good portion of the active yeast could have blown off.

 

[Pelikan]

Also, this may sound stupid, but did you adjust your hydrometer readings for temperature?