When is fermentation done?

[wshearer9]

Lol, now I'm in the right thread!!! Hi, I'm knew to home brewing and my kit says to wait 4-6 days and then wait another 48 hours with no bubbling the. It it is finished fermenting. When I look at some threads it says 2-3 weeks sometimes. I don't know how I could tell if it hasn't bubbled for 48 hours haha. So if you could help me out on when to take the beer out of the fermenter that would be great! Also should I put the beer in a secondary fermenter or just keep in in the primary?

 

[govner1]

What are you brewing? How are you managing ferm temps?
I usually wait 10 days minimum on primary fermentation. ( don't want to start the pro v. con of secondary).
I then move to 2° particularly if I'm dry hopping or adding other late additions. This can be 5-7 days. Then I package. In my case, keg.

 

[wshearer9]

I'm brewing a IPA and I'm not going to dry hop or add anything to my beer during or after fermentation. So is it even worth secondary fermentation?

 

[eadavis80]

You will need a hydrometer to know if your beer is done fermenting. If the gravity is the same over the course of a few days, the beer is done fermenting. Never bottle before fermentation is complete. Most will leave their beer in primary for at least a few days (if not weeks) after gravity is stable to allow the yeast to clean up after themselves. Many never put beers in secondary unless they are aging for a long time or adding fruit. Others rack nearly every beer. It's personal preference. To find your ABV, take your OG you might have taken on brew day, subtract your FG and multiply that difference by 131.5.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

There are dozens of threads about this.

For beginning brewers, don't use secondary. When you have more experience you can decide if you want to start using one.

Fermentation is finished when it's finished. Don't go by bubbling. It's done when SG is constant over a period of a few days. Most brewers leave their beers for two to three weeks.

 

[richl025]

Although it's still a little debated, most people agree you can skip the secondary for beers that you are not going to leave in the fermentor a long time (months).

I usually just leave my lighter beers alone for 2-3 weeks before kegging. Darker beers I try to let sit for 6 weeks or more. 2 weeks seems a little short the few times I've drank those beers - 3 weeks is about right.

 

[flars]

Information here on using a hydrometer. This is an older edition of Palmers'book, but most of the information is still good.
http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixA.html

 

[brewbama]

In the Joy of Brewing, Charlie Papazian says package between 7 and 14 days or when fermentation is complete. He says fermentation is complete when there is no more airlock activity and FG has fallen to 2/3 of OG. He also says at that point you should either package or rack to secondary because the yeast begin to breakdown and produce off flavors and of course he says: relax, don't worry, have a homebrew.

I have trouble waiting past 14 daze anyway so by default I agree.

Ready, Aim, Fire! Shoot the messenger! LOL

 

[flars]

In the Joy of Brewing, Charlie Papas Ian says between 7 and 14 days or when fermentation is complete. Fermentation is complete when FG has fallen to 2/3 of OG.

Fermentation is done when the specific gravity does not change over a period of time. The amount of time can also be dependent on the yeast used.