Do I need to bottle Wilko Cerveza now or can it wait a few days?

[Bootcutboy]

Hi all, just a quick question about my kit I am brewing. My Wilko Cerveza kit is now at a constant 1.005, is it best to bottle it ASAP or will it be ok to sit around in the beer fridge for a few days at 1.005?
Just asking as I will struggle to find time until the weekend, but also it’s good to know for future brews!

thanks chaps!

 

[WierdFish]

It won't do it any harm to leave it a few days.

 

[Pavros]

How long ago did you start fermenting it?
If it has been in the fermenter for less than 14 days, I would leave it until the weekend anyway. I usually ferment for a minimum of 14 days before bottling. It shouldn't spoil unless you keep peering in and exposing it to the elements.

 

[Bootcutboy]

How long ago did you start fermenting it?
If it has been in the fermenter for less than 14 days, I would leave it until the weekend anyway. I usually ferment for a minimum of 14 days before bottling. It shouldn't spoil unless you keep peering in and exposing it to the elements.

Would you ferment for 2 weeks even if it was a 7 days kit, like this one states. I started it on the 23rd Feb and it has been in brew fridge chugging along nicely at 19degrees since then. Ive only opened fermenter every other day to take a quick syringe sample to check the gravity so it should be absolutely spot on. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

 

[The Baron]

Yes I would ferment for 14 days as a general rule, the reason is the kit makers try to tell you it will be ready in a quicker time than it really is (a selling point) unfortunately they do not explain that depending on temp and FV vessel type it can range differently also the yeast may have fermented all the sugar/fermentables but it also needs to clean up after itself to give a cleaner tasting beer with no yeasty aftertaste. The beer will under normal situations be fermented after 5 days but this also depends on yeast type but sometimes it can take longer anyway to cut a long story short leave it for 14 days then bottle and then leave a further 7 to 10 days to secondary carb the bottles up so they are fizzy after that put somewhere cold for storage to condition a little more so 28 days in total is what I would say as a minimum and in a ideal world another 2 weeks further conditioning would let the beer blend into a better tasting brew

 

[Bootcutboy]

Yes I would ferment for 14 days as a general rule, the reason is the kit makers try to tell you it will be ready in a quicker time than it really is (a selling point) unfortunately they do not explain that depending on temp and FV vessel type it can range differently also the yeast may have fermented all the sugar/fermentables but it also needs to clean up after itself to give a cleaner tasting beer with no yeasty aftertaste. The beer will under normal situations be fermented after 5 days but this also depends on yeast type but sometimes it can take longer anyway to cut a long story short leave it for 14 days then bottle and then leave a further 7 to 10 days to secondary carb the bottles up so they are fizzy after that put somewhere cold for storage to condition a little more so 28 days in total is what I would say as a minimum and in a ideal world another 2 weeks further conditioning would let the beer blend into a better tasting brew

Brilliant info and advice Thanks Baron, indeed a reply worthy of your username!

 

[Pavros]

Would you ferment for 2 weeks even if it was a 7 days kit, like this one states. I started it on the 23rd Feb and it has been in brew fridge chugging along nicely at 19degrees since then. Ive only opened fermenter every other day to take a quick syringe sample to check the gravity so it should be absolutely spot on. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

There is no such thing as a 7 day beer kit!! The manufacturers state that your brew will be ready in 7-10 days as a marketing gimmick. OK - I suppose you could ferment for 7 days and then bottle and start drinking it 3 days later BUT it wouldn't taste very good.

You are far better off realising that the kit instructions are very optimistic and that patience is the homebrewer's best friend. Whilst most of the fermentation can be complete within 7 days, if you leave it for a further week or so, the yeast will clean up some off flavours and drop to the bottom of the fermenter. This results in less trub/sediment being transferred when you bottle and hopefully a clearer final product.

I usually leave my brews for at least 14 days as it is easier to brew and bottle at weekends. I don't start testing my FG with a hydrometer until about 10 days in and then look to dry hop at that time. However, some kits (eg Youngs American series) take 3-4 weeks to fully ferment and some take longer if the temperature is lower. I therefore view it as ready to bottle when my hydrometer readings are constant over 3 days, regardless of how long it has been in the fermenter.

As for conditioning once bottled, I am a bit more relaxed with this than the baron! I start sampling a bottle after about a week and judge from that how much longer it needs. I find hoppy pale ales and IPAs are best within 2 months from bottling and fade after that but some darker ales aren't even ready by then. The Brewferm Belgian kits seem to take between 6 and 12 months to be at their best. However, this is all a matter of personal taste as I have found 6 bottles of a Chinook and Simcoe IPA kit which I bottled about 2 years ago and they still taste nice and hoppy.

 

[labrewski]

Ive left beer in for 28 days before bottling no problems only tasty beer longer the better i say

 

[RichardM]

Ive only opened fermenter every other day

That's not a good thing to do. Every time you open the fermenter you are giving nasty things in the air a chance to get in.