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Has my beer stopped fermenting?
Hi, I'm a first-time brewer, using a pre-packaged 23 litre lager kit in a big plastic carboy fitted with a plastic airlock. I have reached day 7 (since I pitched the yeast and sealed the carboy). The airlock bubbled well on days 2-4, but have ceased since day 5. On days 6-7 I took SG readings with a hydrometer (and then drank the samples) - both measured 1.020. The SG doesn't seem to be changing. There are no more bubbles coming through the airlock. The samples taste like beer. Has fermenting stopped and is it time to bottle?
I am a little concerned that 1.020 is still a bit high (in terms of the sugar level). Should I wait to see if it drops any lower before I bottle?
Also, my wife tells me I am becoming a too emotional about "Bubbles" (the name I have given my first brew) - I have been going out to the shed a couple of times every night to wrap an old jersey or supply a hottie (I have a tin shed and I am concerned the temperature gets a bit cold at night). Is it common for brewers to develop an emotional attachment to their brews? I am worried that if Bubbles temperature drops below 18degreesC he (she?) will stop fermenting.
Any advice appreciated.
what kind of lager did you make?
what was your origional gravity?
type of yeast?
I would let it sit a few more days and take another gravity reading. asalso since you have it in a clear carboy, has the beer seemed to clear or darken from the top down? if it has it is likely done fermenting. but take the gravity readings just to be sure. what was the Final Gravity estimate for the kit?
Sounds like your wife is jealous of "Bubbles"
How long are you spending in that shed alone with "Bubbles"?
DC
Some assumptions I am making to provide a response.
I assume your kit was extract based.
I assume your kit provide one package of yeast, likely dry.
I assume you did nothing to "pre-start" your yeast.
If these assumptions fit the bill, based upon your gravity readings the beer is done.
I'd say maybe you want to bump up the temp a bit to see if it finishes out. Say 68-72F.
If this really is your first kit, then I'd also be willing to bet you fermented this at ale temps????
Please provide the recipe and your fermentation temps for a more complete response.
Best of luck and welcome to the board!
Keep posting, there are plenty great people here to help make your brewing fantastic.
Yes, Mike, you are correct in your assumptions (extract based kit, one package of dry yeast, no pre-start).
The instructions with the kit say it should take 5-7 days to complete fermentation at a temperature of 18-30 degrees Celsius. We had a "cold" snap on days 4 and 5 (outside temperatures of about 10degrees Celsius). When this happened bubbles stopped coming through the airlock, so I wrapped Bubbles in an extra jacket with three hotties, and he started again within a few hours. But activity has ceased since day 5.
What are "ale temperatures" for fermentation?
According to my hydrometer readings, the starting specific gravity was 1,045 and the finishing specific gravity (unchanged for two days at day 7) is 1,020. The kit instructions say it should go down to 1,007. According to my calculations I have a very weak brew in terms of alcohol content which is a bit disappointing. Anyway any advice how I can get the reading down to 1,007 (I have tried heating Bubbles up to 24 degrees Celsius with the aid of extra hotties but nothing changed)?
The packet says it is belgian lager. I drank my hydrometer samples (which I poured from the tap at the bottom of the carboy - don't want to open the lid to look inside in case I disturb Bubbles) - they taste perfectly acceptable to me (I wouldn't mind a bit more fizz, but I understand that will happen when I add a teaspoon of sugar to each bottle at bottling stage).
I do want to make a comment on a lot of other people's comments on homebrewing advice on the Internet. Lots of people say "keep the brew in a cool place". But the instructions on the kit say "18-30 degrees Celsius". In the region of New Zealand where I live (South Island), 18C is warm, and anything above 25C is hot. Are lots of people brewing beer in tropical places? My problem is how to keep the brew above 18C (so how to keep it warm). Anyway, if anyone has definitive advice on temperature, that would be welcome (as well as if you think I should bottle yet).
I asked my wife if I could move Bubbles into the bedroom (just for a couple of nights), and she said I should go sleep in the shed.
Peter
First off, welcome.
I wouldn't bottle it yet. You have a lot of unfermented sugar left (almost half) and if you bottle it you will likely make 50 or so little glass bombs.
I would swirl the carboy quite vigorously to get the yeast back into suspension and keep it at the temps. recommended in the kit.
10 C is reasonable for a lager. Are you sure it wasn't an Ale yeast?
Ale yeast and Lager yeast are very different and will ferment at different temps. Lagers ferment cold and ale warmish. I would second giventofly's response of give it a swirl to get some yeast back up in suspension and see where that gets ya. I would also think that bottleing at this time would be dangerous due to over carbonation and explosion.
I don't know exactly off the top of my head but lager and ale temps go as follows. (temps are in Fahrenheit)
Lager
40-65
Ale
65-80
Glad to have you aboard. lots of great people here. And don't worry some day your fermenter will be allowed inside you just have to be persistent.
ID
I realize this is your first beer, but aiming for perfection is always good, winging it is not. Unfortunately the kit's instructions, (almost all kits are alike) say stupid things like 18-30 deg to ferment. That is winging it. Yeast HATE change in their environment. If you ferment on the cool side or the warm side of the spectrum will affect flavor, but most important thing is consistant temps. Fluctuations will stall and make an unclean fermentation.
The cool side of a lager range is fine, but keep in mind when on that end of the range, fermentation is MUCH slower. I usually let my lagers ferment 3-4 weeks before they are done. My suggestion if you want to let "Bubbles" live, is to get it to a slightly warmer than optimum, (trying to kickstart it) say 60 deg F, not sure what that translates to in C, but find a place where it stays the same all the time, rouse the yeast with swirling as others have said, and be patient. Do not believe the instructions! Lagers should not take 5-7 days, they should be double to triple that.
Good luck!
thirsty wrote:
Do not believe the instructions!
I would take Thirsty's advise on this. I haven't done a kit in well over ten years and didn't realize how vague the instructions are.
You started at 1.045, and most yeast have an Apparent Attenuation between 67-80%. (You're at 54%) So I would expect you should be fine with a F.G. between 1.014-1.009. Give it time.
Thanks for the advice. I will give it a swirl and try not to vary the temperature too much (perhaps I should have laid off the hotties). I wonder what 60F translates to in terms of celsius...?
peterpilsner wrote:
Thanks for the advice. I will give it a swirl and try not to vary the temperature too much (perhaps I should have laid off the hotties). I wonder what 60F translates to in terms of celsius...?
60F is ~15C
I've had good luck racking into a 5 gal. carboy for the secondary fermentation because the smaller headspace will put more pressure on the airlock helping it to continue fermenting. But only in secondary or you may blow off the airlock if you start with a 5 gal carboy.
Kenny Thacker
www.fermentationtrap.com
Brewmeister wrote:
I've had good luck racking into a 5 gal. carboy for the secondary fermentation because the smaller headspace will put more pressure on the airlock helping it to continue fermenting.
Can you explain your logic behind this?
I don't suggest racking to a secondary before your fermentation is complete. Yes the term is "secondary fermenter" but there shouldn't be any fermenting occurring at this point. Its more of a clearing vessel or bright tank.
sorry FPB there is no logic only advertising. Why learn to be a better brewer when you can buy more stuff?
ID
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