Fermenting Finished?

[poddy]

im breing my first batch of beer and its been fermenting for 5 days.
the yeast has almost completely subsided but there is still a little bit of
frothy whit substance floating on the top.
is this normal after 5 days and would you say it was ready to be
transfered to my pressure keg to begin carbonation?

 

[poddy]

come on guys im sure some1 knows the answer to my question on here.
its a blonde belgian beer and was brewed using a home brew kit
with everything already in the cans exept the yeast which was in a little sache.
i followed the recepie exactly right.
im just unsure weather im at the correct point to be syphoning into my
pressure keg now.

please help guys. :wha:

 

[Tony]

Most of my brews finish their initial fermentation in 4 to 5 days I'd say you were ok.

Some caution however... I transfer mine to a secondary to sit in for at least another week, where there is usually little or no yeast activity. As you're transferring yours to a keg I can't see any real problems as long as you've got a pressure release should you find that the initial fermentation hasn't finished. One sure-fire way to find out if it has completed is to take hydrometer readings every day. When it reads the same (somewhere around the 1010 - 1015 mark) for 2 days running, you're ready to transfer.

Hope that helps - and good luck! :

 

[poddy]

cheers for the advice tony.
i think im gunna get it transfered and leave it in the keg for a little longer
than i was originally going to just to make sure everything is as it should be.

my problem is i cant wait to drink it ha ha ha.
thanks again tony :

 

[Moley]

5 days is too soon, it sounds like it's quietening down but might not have completely finished. You should have an unchanged hydrometer reading for 2-3 days before you bottle or keg. I generally bottle anywhere between days 10 and 14. Don't be impatient, those extra few days make a hell of a difference to the finished brew.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

5 days is too soon, it sounds like it's quietening down but might not have completely finished. You should have an unchanged hydrometer reading for 2-3 days before you bottle or keg. I generally bottle anywhere between days 10 and 14. Don't be impatient, those extra few days make a hell of a difference to the finished brew.

I agree, normally I'd bottle between 7 - 10 depending on the yeast strain I'd used, 5 is risking exploding bottles.

BB

 

[corby_brewer]

mine always stay in the FV for anything between 10 - 14 days, then i transfer to a secondry for another 5 - 7 days, an then i either bottle of keg.

 

[GazOC]

5 days is too soon, it sounds like it's quietening down but might not have completely finished. You should have an unchanged hydrometer reading for 2-3 days before you bottle or keg. I generally bottle anywhere between days 10 and 14. Don't be impatient, those extra few days make a hell of a difference to the finished brew.

Does it Moley? Is it worth waiting an extra few days before bottling? I've been doing it as soon as I get a steady hydro reading, sometimes after only 6-7 days.

 

[tubby_shaw]

5 days is too soon, it sounds like it's quietening down but might not have completely finished. You should have an unchanged hydrometer reading for 2-3 days before you bottle or keg. I generally bottle anywhere between days 10 and 14. Don't be impatient, those extra few days make a hell of a difference to the finished brew.

Does it Moley? Is it worth waiting an extra few days before bottling? I've been doing it as soon as I get a steady hydro reading, sometimes after only 6-7 days.

I'm not Moley but I'm going to guess he would give you this answer,
Yes it makes a difference, even though the yeast have consumed the readily fermentable sugars they will continue working to consume some of the less pleasant esters and by products of fermentation that will result in a cleaner tasting beer, also more yeast will settle in the FV meaning that there will be less yeast sediment in the bottle/keg.

 

[GazOC]

Thanks Tubbs/ Moley!! :

 

[Moley]

I'm not Moley but I'm going to guess he would give you this answer,
Yes it makes a difference, even though the yeast have consumed the readily fermentable sugars they will continue working to consume some of the less pleasant esters and by products of fermentation that will result in a cleaner tasting beer, also more yeast will settle in the FV meaning that there will be less yeast sediment in the bottle/keg.

Thanks tubby_shaw, that's the sort of thing I was thinking about :thumb:
Other “less pleasant by products of fermentation” are aldehydes, which are more in keeping with a petrol refinery than a brewery, the yeasties need a little more time to clear those away.