S.G HELP

[monte]

Hi
Im fairly new to this,well after 20 years of absent brewing i started back up again,bought all the gear last week and ive gone for "Better Brew" Irish stout.
The packet and the shop says to ferment it for 10 days before barreling or bottling off,but can be ready within 7-9 days if conditions allow.
Im on day 8 and my air lock hasnt bubbled for last 24 hrs,i have just checked the S.G and the reading is stuck on 1016 as apposed to the recommended 1006,i did get a glimpse of a bubble rising within the fv and suspect its not quite ready yet,well i hope so.
The temp sits any where between 18-20 without any heat but i think i will purchase a belt in the future.
Can anyone advise me as to what to do regarding the S.G reading and any ways to get it down to the recommended reading..
cheers guys

Pete (newbie)

 

[alanywiseman.]

Firstly welcome :thumb:

I recomend having a wee look HERE. Generally speaking I leave my brews for a full 2 weeks before bottling but if the temps have been low, as they can be at the moment, it can take a further week. I would be reluctant to bottle at 1.016 and generally aim for 1.014 or below. Once your fermentation is complete it is a good idea to leave the brew for another few days as the yeast continue to work and sort out the by-products they produce during fermentation.

Do you have a hydrometer? this is the only sure way to tell if fermentation is over. If not you really need to get one. The bubbler is not accurate as most (if not all) FVs are not air tight.

 

[monte]

Thanks for the advice,Yes i have Hydrometer,I checked it this morning as the airlock hasnt bubbled for 24 hrs.Wht i have done now is (with the lid still on) is move the fv about,gave it a few juggles to disturb the sediment a little without any oxygen getting to it to see if it helped,for the last hr the air lock has been bubbling again so im hoping its done the trick now.
If its still bubbling away tomo i will leave it.if not i will do another reading and see if anything has changed.The package of the "Better brew" states i should barrel off at 10 days,i was a bit concerned that if fermentation had stopped it wouldnt be a good idea to leave it much longer,however its still a learning curve for me and any advice given or i find on here is much appreciated.We all start some where :

 

[LeedsBrewer]

Give it a gentle stir to get the yeast back up and working again, wrap an old banket around it (if the temp is lower than 18C)
Take SG reading in a couple of days. As alanywiseman said, this is the only way to see if fermentation is taking place. :thumb:

 

[alanywiseman.]

Sorry you mentioned the SG in your original post

The bubbler will be bubbling now because by agatating the beer you will have released some of the dissolved Co2. Your best bet would be to steralise a paddle and stir up the sediment and resuspend the yeast if it has stuck.

Just remember and be patient :thumb:

 

[kentmark]

One of the first things i learnt was to treat the "days" on kit instructions with scepticism and to trust hydrometer readings.

 

[monte]

Thanks guys,Ive just took on board the fact by giving it a wobble with the lid on has only released dissolved co2 gases so ive done what one of you said about giving it a gentle stir of the sediment (without creating bubbles/oxygen),i will leave it now for 24 hrs and if its bubbling away still i will just keep an eye on the SG daily..Thanks a lot for all the advice guys,much appreciated..Is it worth investing in one of those heater belts as the day temps arnt so bad as the central heating is on most of the day and evening but not on through the night so i guess its been getting to cold for the yeast..Time and patience will tell now..Thanks again all..

 

[monte]

Bought a heater belt this morning and all systems go..Fermentation is back on :-)

 

[monte]

On day 11 its now showing 1008 on my Hydrometer so all good so far,should be ready for the barrel by tuesday/wednesday i reckon :thumb: :thumb:

 

[monte]

Day 13; All sorted and barreled off...