Too cold to ferment?

[labrewski]

There is enough space where the power wire for the heater goes in. I could not get a lid for the ferment vessel, it came from a builders yard :) Covid times, unable to shop around !

Try any chip shop in your area most of them get 20 litre buckets of oil could be cleaned and used for 15 litre batches they dump them when finished

 

[pms67]

I would bet that has fermented out, looks like it but only a hydrometer will confirm, I sometimes don’t use air locks if I can’t fit in my FV in the small fridge, simply crack the lid and leave it at that, never been a problem imo

 

[Britcitchris]

Hi all.

On Sunday, my will have been in the fermenting bin for two weeks.

As I can't rely on my airlock, I'm not sure if it's been in too long?

The smell from when I depress the lid is considerably weaker than a few days ago.

Very little scum on the liquid surface.

I took a gravity reading just now and it's around 1.2 which is quite below the maximum recommendation of 1.06 for transferring.

I'll take another reading tomorrow and I plan to transfer Sunday.

I guess my main newbie question, is how long is the wort safe after it's finished fermenting but not transferred?

Thanks in advance,

Chris.

 

[chrisb8]

I think that you may be getting confused with reading your hydrometer. It seems like (piecing together your text and picture) your reading is 1.020 which would indicate that it is not finished as your intended FG is 1.006 (rather than 1.060 which you quoted).

 

[chrisb8]

Definitely rely on the hydrometer reading and not your airlock. Regarding your final question, there is not necessarily a 'safe' amount of time to leave a wort fermenting, it will be done when it's done. This is typically 2 weeks but could be a week quicker or slower depending on a number of factors. Once it has finished then it's good practice to rack the beer off the trub but others will say that they have left it for weeks with no ill effects.

 

[Britcitchris]

I think that you may be getting confused with reading your hydrometer. It seems like (piecing together your text and picture) your reading is 1.020 which would indicate that it is not finished as your intended FG is 1.006 (rather than 1.060 which you quoted).

Forgive my naiveness but isn't 1.02 below 1.06? The kit says to transfer lower than 1.06.

 

[labrewski]

Forgive my naiveness but isn't 1.02 below 1.06? The kit says to transfer lower than 1.06.

Your not reading it correctly i was the same took me some reading about the hydrometer to understand it the reading u have is 1020 u need it to get to 1006

 

[terrym]

Forgive my naiveness but isn't 1.02 below 1.06? The kit says to transfer lower than 1.06.

I suggest you look at your instructions again, at 1.06 the decimal point is in the wrong place. Most beers still have some way the go when the SG reading is about 1.020. And if you are brewing a kit, most kits end up at about 1.010 +/- 2 or 3 points. And not many beers get down to 1,006.
However at 1.020 or thereabouts as the posted image I think your brew has 'stuck' if it has stopped fermenting. More on that here
Simple strategies for dealing with stuck fermentations

 

[chrisb8]

Forgive my naiveness but isn't 1.02 below 1.06? The kit says to transfer lower than 1.06.

Following what others have already said, it is important to get the point and the number of zeros correct. Your reading is 1.020 and you are aiming at 1.006, although I agree with @terrym that most don't actually finish that low.

 

[Britcitchris]

Thanks everyone

 

[chrisb8]

You are welcome

 

[Britcitchris]

Awesome feedback, yesterday.
I'm very grateful

I looked at terrym's linked article and I dissolved 100g of sugar into boiled water, let it cool and then stirred it in.

This morning, the cap of the airlock literally popped out when I gently depressed the lid for a smell

I took a reading just now and the gravity had dropped to almost 1.010 and there's a lovely carbanation foam on the top of the sample as well as some lovely, foamy bubbles on the top of wort.

I know I'm only halfway there but I'm feeling encouraged!

Thanks again!