Is My Brew Ready To Bottle

[Doley]

Hi all first of this is my first post found this forum awhile back Names Keiron from Bendio in Victoria and only started brewing around christmas time,5 brews now at my dads house under his supervision.

I mix it up put in the fridge go home he calls me when its done i come back clean the bottles and then bottle and store till time to drink. I've had a few nice brews that im happy to drink (mates that have tried them say they are ok too)which i suppose at the end of the day thats what I am trying to achieve.

So I thought yeap its time to try it at home, found an old fridge ripped out everything not needed bought a local kit which is a golden city bitter 1.7kg 1 kilo of dextrose and dried brewing yeast 56 8196

Cleaned everything (insert over the top) mixed brew up as per instructions and exactly as i did it at dads. Temp was 20 when i put yeast in and then used some frozen bottles in old fridge to keep it as close to 20 (had some Hot days in Bendigo lately) so may have gone upto 24 or so when i was at work, changed out bottles whenever i could.

Took a reading 1.04 (Red Marking on hydro) had airlock action next day for about 3 to 4 days then slowed and stopped gave it a few more days so about 7 days all up took a sample over 3 days hydro was stable at 1.003 could be reading my hydro wrong but it was in the yellow bottle marker same spot for 3 days. (Dad doesnt use a hydrometer i have no idea how he knows its time to bottle but it works for him)

So clean all my stubbies (insert over the top again i think my wife is getting tired of me hogging the sink and kitchen benches already) filled one stubby and thought I should put some sugar in to test it before doing all the others. and it foamed up about 1 cm never did that at dads house, I rang him he said ah beer varies may need longer said goodbye and that was the end of his help for the night.

So i quess my question is. is my hydro lying to me or have I done something wrong in the brewing process should i have started taking readings when airlock activity stopped and bottled sooner. should i now be trying to move beer to secondary and chill before bottling any help would be greatly appreciated.

I guess i dont want to get to complex yet just make a nice tasting kit brew at home without dad coming around to bail me out.
Cheers,
Keiron

 

[Gavo]

Here is a link. If your hydro readings are the same over a couple of days then it is ready to bottle.
I am assuming that when you say 103 on the hydrometer you mean 1003.

Gavo.

Edit: Here is another link.

 

[buttersd70]

Doley...have a look at some of the links in my signature.

But to answer your specific problem...if you add the sugar to the beer, it will foam. If you add the beer to the sugar, it will not. So add the sugar to the bottle, then fill with beer, and it will be fine. What you are getting is whats called nucleation. It happens when you have disolved CO2 in solution. If you put anything in it that is powdered or chrystiline (ie sugar), all the co2 forms on the surface area of the sugar grains, and makes it froth. (your dad might not have had this happen if he brews warmer than 20C....the warmer the beer is, the less co2 will stay in solution, so the less frothing you will get.)

1.003 is a very low hydro reading, so I would doubt it would need any longer. If it's been at that for 2 days, it's good to go.

 

[Doley]

Thanks for the replies I guess the foam was a worry because i was just following the old mans way and he just adds after filling with beer and never foamed up and yes the beer at the old mans house was always sitting at higher temps he takes it out of the fridge and lets it sit for a few days in the insulated shed then bottles. (could be up around 26 degrees or so at time of bottling)

Hes been doing it for over 15 years now and with me just starting ive been trying to follow the guides on here as best i can.

yeah Gavo I meant 1.003 looking at hydro now it could have been closer to 1.005 not 003

Thanks butters i've read the noob ones I guess i just missed the prime before filling part.

Cheers,
Keiron