Kit beer fermentation time

[TreBrew]

Morning folks,

Had my first ever brew of kit beer fermenting at a stable 21c for nearly two weeks now. I'm sure the instructions said to bottle around day 10.
Probably getting a little impatient, but is it normal for the airlock to still be bubbling away?
Should I be checking the specific gravity to see if it has finished or do I just wait for the airlock to go quiet?
I bought the wilko traditional lager kit and added the hop pellets on day 4.
Thanks
Rob

 

[ChrisInBucks]

Morning folks,

Had my first ever brew of kit beer fermenting at a stable 21c for nearly two weeks now. I'm sure the instructions said to bottle around day 10.
Probably getting a little impatient, but is it normal for the airlock to still be bubbling away?
Should I be checking the specific gravity to see if it has finished or do I just wait for the airlock to go quiet?
I bought the wilko traditional lager kit and added the hop pellets on day 4.
Thanks
Rob

Hi Rob,

I'm fairly new to brewing but have picked up a few tips over the last few months. Don't worry at all if it's still going, fermentation can take anything from a few days to a month - my brew last Saturday did all its bubbling in the first 72 hours and I haven't heard a peep since, still going to wait the 2 weeks before bottling. I'd wait for the bubbling to die down then take a gravity reading over the course of a few days to see if it has moved. If it hasn't, you're good to bottle. If it has, just wait a bit longer! Patience is key at this stage and you don't want to ruin the beer by bottling too early. I'm sure someone else will shout if I've got this wrong but generally speaking a few extra days in the FV won't do any harm.

Welcome to the club!

 

[OldSchoolSi]

Hi Rob,

I'm fairly new to brewing but have picked up a few tips over the last few months. Don't worry at all if it's still going, fermentation can take anything from a few days to a month - my brew last Saturday did all its bubbling in the first 72 hours and I haven't heard a peep since, still going to wait the 2 weeks before bottling. I'd wait for the bubbling to die down then take a gravity reading over the course of a few days to see if it has moved. If it hasn't, you're good to bottle. If it has, just wait a bit longer! Patience is key at this stage and you don't want to ruin the beer by bottling too early. I'm sure someone else will shout if I've got this wrong but generally speaking a few extra days in the FV won't do any harm.

Welcome to the club!

Rekon you are about on the money there chap.

 

[kelper]

I would bottle now or all the hop aroma will go. Next time check the SG after ten days and then daily until it stops dropping - then bottle.

 

[terrym]

@TreBrew
Instructions are always optimistic on timing. They are geared to getting you to drink your beer asap. So adding hops at day 4 may be fine if the fermentation is over quickly and your beer is ready to bottle after say 10-12 days but as you are perhaps finding that is not always the case. Whenever I have added hops its always been when the fermentation has nearly ended and that could well be at 8 days on or even longer. That usually gives me control over how long the hops are in the beer.
Some folks say leaving the hops in the beer longer than 7-8 days will induce off-flavours in the beer, but whether you believe that or not the hops have usually given up their goodness before then.
But irrespective of that, you should not be bottling your beer before you have confirmed its finished by taking SG readings, however long it takes. If you bottle too early and the primary adds CO2 to that produced by the priming sugar you may end up with foaming beer at opening or worse bottle bombs
So in the balance between leaving the hops in too long and bottling too early, bottling early takes precedence.
Therefore my advice is to take an SG reading soon and than another a day after and if they are the same or minimal difference bottle your beer asap but if not repeat the cycle until the SG bottoms out.

 

[kelper]

If the kit beer gives a final SG and you reach that, I think it would be Ok to bottle. If the FG is going to be 1.008, it's probably not going to drop much more than that. But a steady SG over two or three days is the best indicator as said above.

 

[ChrisInBucks]

@TreBrew
Instructions are always optimistic on timing. They are geared to getting you to drink your beer asap. So adding hops at day 4 may be fine if the fermentation is over quickly and your beer is ready to bottle after say 10-12 days but as you are perhaps finding that is not always the case. Whenever I have added hops its always been when the fermentation has nearly ended and that could well be at 8 days on or even longer. That usually gives me control over how long the hops are in the beer.
Some folks say leaving the hops in the beer longer than 7-8 days will induce off-flavours in the beer, but whether you believe that or not the hops have usually given up their goodness before then.
But irrespective of that, you should not be bottling your beer before you have confirmed its finished by taking SG readings, however long it takes. If you bottle too early and the primary adds CO2 to that produced by the priming sugar you may end up with foaming beer at opening or worse bottle bombs
So in the balance between leaving the hops in too long and bottling too early, bottling early takes precedence.
Therefore my advice is to take an SG reading soon and than another a day after and if they are the same or minimal difference bottle your beer asap but if not repeat the cycle until the SG bottoms out.

I was going to ask actually, does reaching a stable SG take priority over the hops but you've answered, thanks!

 

[kelper]

You need to add the hops x number of days before bottling so you need to guess/forecast when that day will come!

 

[TreBrew]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. What would the ideal SG be for bottling?

 

[kelper]

Your kit should tell you but it's around about 1.010.

 

[TreBrew]

Your kit should tell you but it's around about 1.010.

Checked it this morning and it was bang on 1.010, so took it as a sign to bottle! That was an experience! Gonna have to hunt around on the forum to get some bottling tips. I reckon I lost about 2 bottles on the kitchen floor!!! Missus weren't best pleased that the kitchen smelled like a brewery!

 

[kelper]

Checked it this morning and it was bang on 1.010, so took it as a sign to bottle! That was an experience! Gonna have to hunt around on the forum to get some bottling tips. I reckon I lost about 2 bottles on the kitchen floor!!! Missus weren't best pleased that the kitchen smelled like a brewery!

better than smelling like a brothel.