So I went to test my fg last night on a batch that I plan on bottling Sunday. I gave it a taste afterwards and noticed that it was pretty well carbonated already. I had a lot of head in the test tube as well. Is this normal? It's my first wheat beer. I'm worried when I go to bottling it will be over carbonated after it conditions or even worse I'll end up with a bunch of bottle bombs.
Testing the fg
- Thread starter McTecnica
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Mozart
Well-Known Member
If it's still producing CO2, it isn't done fermenting. If that's the case, I'd definitely hold off bottling for a bit!
It is normal, however, based on my very limited homebrew experience, to have some froth/foam/bubbles in fully fermented samples.
How long has it been fermenting? What was the OG? What was your SG reading? How far away from the recipe's expected FG was it?
All of these will help determine if it's done fermenting or not.
Also, another hydrometer reading a few days after the first one will also help. If the SG is still dropping, it's still fermenting.
Cheers!
It is normal, however, based on my very limited homebrew experience, to have some froth/foam/bubbles in fully fermented samples.
How long has it been fermenting? What was the OG? What was your SG reading? How far away from the recipe's expected FG was it?
All of these will help determine if it's done fermenting or not.
Also, another hydrometer reading a few days after the first one will also help. If the SG is still dropping, it's still fermenting.
Cheers!
aiptasia
Well-Known Member
There will be some residual CO2 in the beer even if it's done fermenting. This is why most good carbonation calculators take the temperature of the fermentation into account to help gauge the latent CO2 saturation level. That being said, it doesn't hurt to wait another day or two and take another gravity reading. Only bottle your beer when the gravity readings are consistently the same for 2-3 readings in a row.
My OG was 1.030, I think that might be a little off as I forgot to get the sample before I pitched the yeast (still learning). Anyway, my SG yesterday was 1.012 and I just tested it again today and it appears to be the same. However, it does seem to be a little less carbonated. It'll be 2 weeks on Sunday that it's been fermenting so I'll let it go a few more days and see what happens.
Clonefan94
Senior Member
I had some risidual CO2 in the last beer that I dry hopped. I'm wondering if it was timing in when it was brewed. When I pitched the yeast, it was still pretty cold, a lot of low pressure systems causing crummy weather. By the time I transferred to dry hop, it had warmed up about 50 degrees outside and we were in the midst of a nice high pressure system. I know it was done fermenting because of multiple readings and about 4 weeks in primary, but it was crazy how much CO2 was still in solution. I wouldn't call it carbonated by any stretch, but it wasn't dead flat like usual.
Mozart
Well-Known Member
I can't imagine how pitching a bit of yeast would change the SG terribly much.
Do you brew from extracts? If you do, it's highly likely that your OG was at or very close to the recipe's expected OG. It's really kinda hard to be off on OG with extracts unless you use either too much or too little top off water and either overshoot or undershoot your overall recipe volume. Measured ingredients in a measured amount of water should yield a rather predictable result.
Efficiency comes into play for the all-grain guys and gals (of which I am not one, at least not yet).
Was your recipe's expected FG close to the 1.012 you're seeing? If so, that'd be one more piece of evidence to support the conclusion that your beer is done fermenting.
With my batch, which was an extract, I took my FG reading and came in under but a little bit. What I now think happened is that after I topped off I didn't mix the wort thoroughly. In so doing, when I took the sample for my reading it contained more of the 'light' topoff water and less of the 'heavy' brew pot wort.
Another hydrometer reading on Sunday of 1.012 will be another good sign that you're ready to bottle.
Cheers!
Similar threads
