when to bottle

[AndyNoott]

hello all ive always found when to bottle a hit or miss affair I usually err on the side of caution and bottle late resulting in a totally flat brew ! i dont find the hydrometer to be very reliable. I usually leave brew in airing cupboard for 6 days then bottle.
Have had some superb brews lately, lively but not too much, but more by luck than judgement. Is there any other way of knowing the optimum time to bottle? I dont like to leave it any longer than 6 days because i think it starts to go off .I like a beer thats not totally and utterly flat!! Thanks for any suggestions

 

[Moley]

I dont like to leave it any longer than 6 days because i think it starts to go off.

Cobblers!

Most of us around here tend to work on 10-14 days but many leave it for longer.

Much more than a month, then you could be heading for problems.

I assume you're priming your beer? After bottling, give it a week in the warm and a month somewhere cooler and any brew should turn out fine.


Oh, by the way, welcome to the forum :

 

[eggman]

6 days sound quite early to me, i don't bottle till it's been in the fv for at least 10 days and sometimes it's 2 weeks never had any problems. I trust my hydrometer and make sure the readings are constant as well as making sure bubbles have stopped rising.
Are you making kits or all grain? What and how much are you using to prime when you bottle?

P.s this will prob get moved to the right section

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Sorry Moley you beat me to it :thumb:

 

[AndyNoott]

thanks for reply eggman I only use kits, using half teaspoon sugar for priming. I must admit I dont check temperature
but the bucket is kept in a warm airing cupboard My success rate is about 3 in 10 excellent brews, 2 that have to be rebarreled, 4 that are ok but flat,and 1 that is flat and tastes"off" Any tips on accurate use of hydrometer?
I always put the hydrometer straight into into the brew bucket and if its near the finish beer mark and the brew looks flat I bottle.Is it possible to get a good brew everytime or does luck play a part? thanks for info

 

[snap]

i leave mine for at least a month before i bottle NEVER had any probs by the way i brew AG :drink:

 

[eggman]

Hi Andy, forgot to ask is it ale or lager you're doing? Rule of thumb for priming is half a teaspoon for ales and full teaspoon for lager, but it comes down to personal preference really how fizzy you like it.
If it's flat in a barrel then i'd say the lid isn't sealed properly or it's not been left in the warm for long enough. Ignore what the kit instructions say they are always optimistic to say the least, as Moley said it need to be left in the warm for at least a week before moving somewhere cooler to condition.
The most accurate way to use your hydrometer would be to have a tap on your fv, draw off a sample into a trial jar and take reading from there. But as i don't have either of those i wait until a week after i started fermentation then i stick my steralised hydrometer in the fv and leave it there. Take a daily reading and when it's been constant for 3 days and it's near the sg reading for the kit bottle or keg it. When you take a reading make sure to spin the hydrometer to free any bubbles that could give a false reading. Hope this helps

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