10 Days In Fermenter.. Should I Bottle?

[Beer]

Hi,

I have two batches in the fermenters that have been going for 10 days now.

One has a gravity of 1.012 and the other 1.010 and have done for 3 days, both airlocks are still slowly bubbling though, which is why I am confused. When I take a grav reading, the beer in the test tube still has bubbles in it, not alot but enough to make a small head when testing.

My first attempt at homebrew I think i bottled too early cause the beer was overgased and tasted like cider.

So should I bottle now? or wait longer, I don't want the beer to spoil in the fermenter.

Cheers for your advice.

Beer.

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

What kits did you use?

PZ.

 

[Gough]

10 days isn't too long to wait unless you have them sitting at extreme temps. The fact they haven't moved for 3 days is a good sign that they are ready to bottle, but if you're worried, keep them coolish and let them sit for another few days. If you aren't racking to secondary this extra sitting time will help clear the beer anyway. You are probably safe to bottle, but if you aren't in a rush and the temps are reasonable then don't be afraid to let them sit a few more days.

Good luck,

Shawn.

 

[bindi]

Beer has never solved any of lifes problems ---- but then again, neither has milk.
Very good . A couple of days [as the fruit and veg man once said].

 

[Stuster]

It sounds like they are done. You could bottle now, but a few days will be ok if you don't have the time or the energy at the mo. You could also rack to another fermenter and leave it in there for a week or so. This will reduce the sediment when you bottle and is supposed to give better tasting beer. It does take more time to do and of course there is more chance of infection but I do recommend it.

Cheers
Stuart

 

[Beer]

Thanks for the replies.

The kits are:

1st is a Morgans Aussie bitter - 1kg dextrose - Morgans Yeast - one satchel of cluster hops

2nd is a Tooheys Draught kit - as comes in the kit, nothing else added.

Might leave a couple more days then, as i am in no hurry, just didn't want it to die on me

 

[ryanator]

I've left brews in primary for two weeks before and had no problems. Another few days should be fine.

 

[vlbaby]

Hi Beer,
An important thing when determining whether a beer is finished is first knowing the Starting gravity ( SG ), and keeping the fermenter at a reasonably constant temperature that is suited to your yeast.

In your case you would probably want to maintain around 20 degC ( ~10 deg for lager yeast) or as close as you can. If you allow the temperature to drop too low during ferment, then the yeast may stop fermenting and this give you a brew that will hold a specific gravity for many days without changing. This will then give you the impression that it has finished when in fact it hasn't.

In the of many "supermarket" kit beers, then final gravity (FG) is around 1.006 to 1.008. You may find that your beer has not completely finished but has merely halted temporarily. If this is the case, it helps to arouse the yeast back into suspension, raise the temp if it is low, then wait a few more days for the FG to drop. It is better to wait a few extra days to be sure rather than having a bottled beer that gushes and is over carbonated.

Hope this helps

vlbaby.