Help Required

[OliverT]

Hi all,

I hope someone can help me with my dilemma. I am brewing some Beer for the first time(dry hopped American IPA).

All is going well, has been fermenting for 18 days and I added the hops in yesterday.

My problem is, the gravity is currently at 1.010 but I am going on Holiday on Sunday for 10 days, so I am worried it wont have finished fermenting in time. The packet says ideally it should be at 1.007

So what is the best thing to do?

A. leave it in the fermenter , hops and all, for the next couple of weeks until I get back.
B. Syphon it into the bottling bucket (minus priming sugar) and bottle when I get back.
C. Just bottle it before I go as its almost finished fermenting anyway.
D. Something else.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[AdeDunn]

Check the SG for the next couple of days, if it hasn't changed, it's probably finished. Instructions don't mean much when it comes to FG, yeast is a living thing end of the day, so attenuation can and does vary from batch to batch even with the same yeast strain. If it isn't finished, can you remove the dry hops at all? I wouldn't want to leave them in for that length of time. CO2 from fermentation will protect your beer, but drying hopping for that length of time, well I wouldn't drink the product. lol

 

[terrym]

The best thing to do is to bottle it when it has finished fermenting. Not nearly finished, actually finished. When that will be no one really knows.
So for me I would go for option B to get your beer off the hops but I would add about 20g sugar to generate some CO2 to purge out the bucket headspace whilst you are away.
And its always a good idea to plan ahead when you brew beer, to manage out the uncertainties you have been presented with.

 

[-Bezza-]

As I just said in the other thread, I would go for Option A.

I think this is better than Option B as moving to a second bucket would increase the risk of infection and/or oxidisation. Your current FV is likely to have a nice protective layer of CO2 over the top and any infection in the FV would have already been passed onto your beer if it was going to.

There is talk about dead yeast cakes influencing the flavour of the beer but previous consensus on here seems to be that that is only an issue after a few months rather than a couple of weeks.

 

[terrym]

I think this is better than Option B as moving to a second bucket would increase the risk of infection and/or oxidisation. Your current FV is likely to have a nice protective layer of CO2 over the top and any infection in the FV would have already been passed onto your beer if it was going to.

Congratulations.
He is a first time brewer and you have now introduced him to the two biggest things new brewers worry about when they don't really need to.

 

[OliverT]

The best thing to do is to bottle it when it has finished fermenting. Not nearly finished, actually finished. When that will be no one really knows.
So for me I would go for option B to get your beer off the hops but I would add about 20g sugar to generate some CO2 to purge out the bucket headspace whilst you are away.
And its always a good idea to plan ahead when you brew beer, to manage out the uncertainties you have been presented with.

Yeah, the instructions said it should take about 15 days and I thought I was safe adding a week on. I'll know next time.

I don't exactly know what "purge out the headspace" means, can you elaborate? sorry, I'm a complete noob.

Thanks for your help.

 

[AdeDunn]

Purge out= replace any air in there with CO2 from fermentation.

What we are all saying is, if it is staying in the bucket, get it off the hops before you leave. They're the 1 thing guaranteed to mess up your beer if left.

 

[OliverT]

Purge out= replace any air in there with CO2 from fermentation.

What we are all saying is, if it is staying in the bucket, get it off the hops before you leave. They're the 1 thing guaranteed to mess up your beer if left.

Ah , got it, that makes sense. Thank you.

Yes, the hops is what I was worried about, I wish I hadn't added them yet.

 

[Mrhandsome]

Check the gravity the day before you're going away, if it's still stable at 1.010 then go ahead and bottle. If not then transfer to secondary with 20g of sugar as @terrym said.

Best to get it off the hops if you're leaving it for that amount of time, and if anything it'll condition and clear up whilst you're away. I've bulk conditioned beers for months in secondary with great success, just make sure everything is thoroughly sanitised.

 

[OliverT]

Check the gravity the day before you're going away, if it's still stable at 1.010 then go ahead and bottle. If not then transfer to secondary with 20g of sugar as @terrym said.

Best to get it off the hops if you're leaving it for that amount of time, and if anything it'll condition and clear up whilst you're away. I've bulk conditioned beers for months in secondary with great success, just make sure everything is thoroughly sanitised.

Sounds like a good plan.

Thanks for the help everyone, great advice.

 

[terrym]

@OliverT
Be aware that the Youngs American IPA can go down as low as 1.006, so you may still have some way to go, since the last few points can sometimes take the longest time.

 

[OliverT]

@OliverT
Be aware that the Youngs American IPA can go down as low as 1.006, so you may still have some way to go, since the last few points can sometimes take the longest time.

Ok,,so would you suggest not bottling if its still 1.010 before I leave, to be on the safe side? Is it likely to explode?

 

[terrym]

Ok,,so would you suggest not bottling if its still 1.010 before I leave, to be on the safe side? Is it likely to explode?

I am saying what I said earlier. You only bottle your beer when you know it is finished, not nearly finished. Only you will know what that is by taking SG readings. If you bottle too early you could end up with gushers or worse bottle bombs.
Your beer will be finished fermenting when its finished. And there isn't much you can do about it other than wait. If I were you I would be doing what I suggested earlier, it will do it no harm to finish off and rest whilst you are away and then you can sort it out properly on your return.
Remember 'Patience is the Friend of the Homebrewer'

 

[AdeDunn]

It's what we're all saying Terry. You don't know your beer is done fermenting by airlock activity, or by if the SG has hit the same numbers on instructions, you know by checking the sg over a number of days and looking to see if it continues to go down. If it does, it's not finish. If nothing over 3 days or so, it's pretty likely finished, but not guaranteed even then, as some yeasts are sods for pausing, then getting roused when you move the fermenting beer, only to go even lower.

Every batch of yeast is different though. For example, the one time I did a Youngs American IPA kit, it finished at an FG of 1.010, and went no lower. This was back in 2017, but I keep locks of every brew I do. It started at an OG of 1.057, dropped to 1.010 and finished there. Just because mine did that though, doesn't mean somebody else's would stop there. Checking the SG and making sure it's finished is very important.

As to instructions though, yeah, at best they're a guide. lol

 

[OliverT]

I am saying what I said earlier. You only bottle your beer when you know it is finished, not nearly finished. Only you will know what that is by taking SG readings. If you bottle too early you could end up with gushers or worse bottle bombs.
Your beer will be finished fermenting when its finished. And there isn't much you can do about it other than wait. If I were you I would be doing what I suggested earlier, it will do it no harm to finish off and rest whilst you are away and then you can sort it out properly on your return.
Remember 'Patience is the Friend of the Homebrewer'

It's what we're all saying Terry. You don't know your beer is done fermenting by airlock activity, or by if the SG has hit the same numbers on instructions, you know by checking the sg over a number of days and looking to see if it continues to go down. If it does, it's not finish. If nothing over 3 days or so, it's pretty likely finished, but not guaranteed even then, as some yeasts are sods for pausing, then getting roused when you move the fermenting beer, only to go even lower.

Every batch of yeast is different though. For example, the one time I did a Youngs American IPA kit, it finished at an FG of 1.010, and went no lower. This was back in 2017, but I keep locks of every brew I do. It started at an OG of 1.057, dropped to 1.010 and finished there. Just because mine did that though, doesn't mean somebody else's would stop there. Checking the SG and making sure it's finished is very important.

As to instructions though, yeah, at best they're a guide. lol

Yeah I get what you guys are saying. I guess I'm just indecisive as the instructions are telling me I can bottle it after 48 hours of no change but sounds like it can get stuck for much longer than that..

Obviously if I hadn't hopped it, I would just wait, no issues, but it sounds like siphoning it off won't be too detrimental anyway.

 

[terrym]

Yeah I get what you guys are saying. I guess I'm just indecisive as the instructions are telling me I can bottle it after 48 hours of no change but sounds like it can get stuck for much longer than that..

Obviously if I hadn't hopped it, I would just wait, no issues, but it sounds like siphoning it off won't be too detrimental anyway.

It won't, but try to keep the discharge end of your siphon submerged as much as you can to prevent bubbling air into your beer as you transfer over.
You might find these useful as well. perhaps for next time
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/a-newbies-guide-to-dry-hopping-your-beer.61045/I wouldn't worry any more about your beer. It will be fine at the end of the day. Its a good kit, certainly one of the better ones.