Fermenter Stopped Bubbling

[gumby0000]

hey peeps

my second brew stopped bubbling in the fermenter about 3 days ago and i only bottled it tonight...

does it matter that i left it so long? is it destroyed?

also someone told me when bottling i have to do it at lightning speed, is this true?

and what do you usually do for cleaning bottles? scrub or just rinse?


thanks :icon_chickcheers:

 

[dc59]

Hey GB
I don't think you need to worry about the brew sitting on the yeast cake for only three days after bubbles stopped. Hydrometer reading is best way to tell if primary fermentation has completed though.

The main reason you were probably told to rush the bottling would be to avoid excess exposure of your beer to oxygen as it can give a stale taste to the beer. But It's not that crucial to rush, I enjoy bottling to much to force myself to rush, just try not to splash the beer around as you bottle.

As long as bottles were thoroughly cleaned and sterilized you wont have issues, though if you've read any books yours probably sick of hearing about the importance of steralizing. At least, I am .

Hope the second batch is great.

 

[WildaYeast]

Hey GB,

Dravid's advice was all pretty spot on.

Check the SG with a hydrometer if you don't want to have bottle bombs. You can't rely on bubbling from the air lock (but it is nice to watch).

I usually let my beer go about 2-weeks, so it is often done bubbling for a week or more before I bottle. As long as your fermentation temperatures are on the cool side (below 24 maximum, preferably around 18-20), you shouldn't get any off flavours from autolysis, etc. The extra time actually helps everything settle out.

One of the biggest pains about bottling is washing the bottles -- I only do that now every 5 or 6 brews, or longer if I've got the bottles in active rotation (e.g. not sitting around). The trick is to rinse the bottles soon after you pour your beer. Give them a good rinse, including a shake, with hot water. Then put them in your bottle tree to drain. This should keep them clean, so you need to do is sanitise before you bottle. Makes the whole process a lot nicer, especially if you get a no rinse sanitiser.

Check out the "Articles" link in the page header. There is a good article on sanitisers in the new to brewing area.

Cheers, Brian

 

[Kleiny]

No need to worry your beer will be fine most leave there beer in the fermenter for up to 2-3 weeks long after its stopped bubbling
you dont need to rush Bottleing just dont fart around get it done so as not to expose your beer to too much O2 or things that could
spoil your beer


good luck