Is it done?

[andycr]

My ale has been in primary for 2.5 weeks, and completely cleared.

I just took a final gravity reading, and it's definitely the best tasting flat, room temperature beer I've ever had!

I was hoping to bottle tonight, but it came out to 1.015, 1.016 once I adjusted for temperature. Is it done? Final gravity for the recipe is specified as 1.010.

EDIT: Judging by some other posts, it seems 1.016 is pretty much the gold standard for most ales, and perhaps the recipe is wonky. Confirmation is still very much desired and appreciated nonetheless. Original gravity was 1.045.

 

[iambeer]

the only thing that's going to confirm this is taking another gravity reading in three days, then comparing today's. If it doesn't move, then it's done.

 

[Hammy71]

Yeah....like iambeer says. Hydo readings are the way to make sure. But, after more than two weeks, its probably as low as its going to get.

 

[brycelarson]

was it an extract kit or did you use grain with it?

As the other guys have said - your hydro will tell you what your beer is doing. 1016 isn't unusual for a 1045 starting beer. The final gravity you reach is determined by how fermentable your sugars are - so there is some range of values that are all fine.

 

[ArcaneXor]

What was the recipe? Did you correct your hydrometer reading for temperature? Because if you didn't, it's likely that your actual gravity was actually 1.018, not 1.016.

I generally tell people that a margin of +/- 3 temperature-corrected gravity points is ok as long as the recommended fermentation time has elapsed, the beer tastes normal, and the gravity reading is stable. If the difference is bigger than that, like in your case, I recommend doing some additional investigation to make damn sure the beer is done fermenting so that you don't end up with gushing bottles. The difference between 1.010 and 1.016/18 will definitely be noticeable.

 

[KISS Brew]

Did you correct your hydrometer reading for temperature?

I was hoping to bottle tonight, but it came out to 1.015, 1.016 once I adjusted for temperature.

I would say 1.016 is a fine finishing gravity for most beers. Sometimes it's desirable to go lower, but I wouldn't worry about it. If it tastes great, you've done well.

After 2.5 weeks, I'm pretty sure it's done. No harm in taking another hydrometer sample, though. Enjoy!

 

[ArcaneXor]

My bad about the temp thing.

 

[KISS Brew]

My bad about the temp thing.

I thought it was more productive to answer the question than to react with the hostility sometimes (rarely) thrown around on these boards. I, too, often miss crucial information in my first read of a post.

Cheers

 

[andycr]

Eh, no worries. Life goes on.

The general feeling seemed to be to wait and see, so I bought another carboy and today became a brew day instead of a bottling day. Not a big loss.