Took a FG reading today...

[03rangerxlt]

Ok, we took a Final Gravity reading today on this recipe:

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/recipe/42345095/shoultzmeyer-brewery-dont-call-me-hefe

Shoultz-Meyer Brewery Don't call me Hefe
Weizen/Weissbier - Extract

Ingredients:
Briess Bavarian Wheat Liquid Extract 6 lbs, 8 oz

Saaz, Czech Pellets 1 oz @ 60 mins

Danstar Munich 1 ea

Recipe Specifications.

OG
1.044 - 1.052

FG
1.010 - 1.014

IBU
8 - 15

SRM
2 - 8

ABV
4.30 - 5.60

When we took our Original Gravity reading, it was high at 1.060. After 7 days in the fermenter, we are at 1.021. We were told this beer ferments kinda fast at 7 to 10 days, and thats why we started with this one.

Given our numbers, what kind of FG should we be looking at. When do we know when the beer is ready to be bottled? I assume when the FG readings don't change and are consistant?

We each tried a sip of our beer today after we took the hydrometer readings, and it was surprsingly good! It kinda tasted like flat beer, a little lighter on flavor than I thought, with a hint of citrus and bannana flavor. I liked it!

Once we get it bottled, how long are we looking at before its drinkable/carbonated? We are hoping to be able to serve it at our superbowl party. Like I said earlier, this beer was picked because of its relatively fast fermentation period. We've been told maybe 3 weeks for carbonation. At this point we are just crossing our fingers on a completed batch for the superbowl party.

Thanks guys!

 

[unionrdr]

Leave it in primary till you get a stable FG over three days. Then give it 2-3 weeks in the bottle. wheat beers can get ready pretty quick.

 

[born3z]

Leave it in primary till you get a stable FG over three days. Then give it 2-3 weeks in the bottle. wheat beers can get ready pretty quick.

+1 Having a consistent reading over a few days is the only way to know your beer is finished.

 

[DogTail]

Have you calibrated your hydrometer? If your hydrometer is properly calibrated, it should read 1.000 when floating in pure water. Since both your original and final gravity are both high and it seems you hit the ABV you were shooting for I would highly recommend this. I have a hydrometer that consistently reads high, knowing this going in I can adjust and act accordingly.

 

[03rangerxlt]

Yep, we calibrated the hydrometer and it read correctly.

What can cause the high OG and FG? I take it there was something during the prep for fermentation that may have caused the higher OG/FG.

I am wondering... We actually used 3.5 lbs of powdered extract and half a container of liquid extract.

 

[downtown3641]

I am wondering... We actually used 3.5 lbs of powdered extract and half a container of liquid extract.

that's the problem. Dry and liquid extract don't convert one to one by weight. My estimate of the combination you used would give you a OG of about 1.055, with some variation if you eyeballed half the LME.

 

[03rangerxlt]

that's the problem. Dry and liquid extract don't convert one to one by weight. My estimate of the combination you used would give you a OG of about 1.055, with some variation if you eyeballed half the LME.

Well mystery (a mystery to me anyways) explained!

 

[03rangerxlt]

aight guys, total newb-ness here again. we've just taken the second hydrometer reading on day 8 of brewing our fast fermentating beer recipe. Just wondering if we are seeing a consistant enough FG to procede with bottling. There is still airlock activity; its just a steady stream of small bubbles working up through the star-san in the airlock.

The beer smells very good! Has a nice color to it too. Its a little cloudy, but it's no longer foaming ridiculously. We are trying to be patient, but also get this carbonated in time for our superbowl/engagement/housewarming/birthdayx2 party.

 

[H-ost]

By not foaming up as much do you mean the krausen has not totally fallen yet? It is probably still cleaning up.

I have bottled 2 brews at 1.020 when they were supposed to drop lower and I did not have any issues with bottle bombs so if you really only care about your deadline you could probably bottle and be safe. If you wait another week or so in primary your beer will most likely be a little more refined.

 

[unionrdr]

Looks like it dropped to 1.020 to me. It might still be creeping down to a stable FG. Ferments can take a while to knock off the last few points sometimes.

 

[03rangerxlt]

just a couple more pics and a quick vid of the airlock activity...

tempurature has fallen

if you peer into the bung hole, the foam is totally fallen and there is just some foam and junk on the surface of the beer.

and a quick 40 sec vid of airlock activity:
[ame=http://youtu.be/EhQhTIzGW_Y]VIDEO1373.mp4 - YouTube[/ame]

So I think we are going to keep an eye on the FG and hopefully bottle this Friday. (???????)

Is 2 weeks in the bottle enough. I've heard anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks. Seems like this is a lot of hit or miss.

Thanks guys!

 

[Calder]

Looks like it dropped a degree between the pictures.

Superbowl is Feb 5. That's 3 weeks. If you have somewhere you can keep the bottles above 70 F (even pushing 80 F), they will probably be decently carb'd in 2 weeks or less (no guarantees). The key to speeding up carbonation is to keep them warm. At higher temperatures the yeast work quicker, at lower temperatures the yeast slow down; below 60, and it might not carb at all. It may seem obvious, but I've got to say it ....... too high a temperature and you can kill the yeast; that's probably around 100 F, but I would keep the bottles below 80 F.

The longer you leave the beer in the fermenter on the yeast, the cleaner the taste will be, and there will be less sediment in the bottle.

I strongly recommend leaving the beer in the fermenter for another week. To help ensure the beer finishes, move it to a warm location, at least 70 F. The beer is almost finished, so higher temperatures will not hurt it.

 

[Calder]

I just watched your video. It is still going. When you don't get any airlock activity for a couple of minutes at a time is when you should start taking gravity readings.