Newbie question about Fermentation & Bottle Carbonation

[boldness]

I might have asked in the wrong place, but I was wondering how long I should ferment the extract recipe here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/game-thrones-ale-402413/


Also, what's a general rule for being able to tell when a beer is done fermenting? If I wait till the krausen is gone, is the yeast dead and unable to be primed for bottle carbonation?

And how I should go about bottle carbonating with priming sugar. Do I just add the sugar, stir, & bottle? Do I boil the sugar with a portion of the beer, then add to the main body, stir, & bottle?

Thanks for taking your time to help a beginner!

 

[dozer5454]

As a general rule (IE: when I am not dry hopping or adding fruits) I will let it sit in the primary for 3 weeks. This gives the beer time to ferment out as well as the yeast to clean itself up.

The yeast will still be there when you need to bottle. While there will be a layer at the bottom (that can at times be pretty thick) there will still be yeast in suspension.

I use 5 oz of corn sugar when I bottle with no issues thus far. I boil the sugar in 3 cups of water, let it cool down, pour it in the bottling bucket, mix in beer and bottle.

After that its the 3 weeks at 70 degrees. That is the truly hard part.

 

[brewinchef_fairfax]

Lots of questions there.. But in short:
Allow for 3 weeks of primary fermentation.
Boil the proper amount of bottling sugar in one to two cups of water for 5 minutes.
Add the priming sugar to the bottling bucket and then siphon the beer in on top of it.
Bottle the beer and allow 3 weeks at room temp to carbonate.

 

[boldness]

Wow! I'd have completely messed up the process- thanks so much!

I attached the priming sugar I have. If it's a broken link, the sugar is called Brewer's Best; Priming Sugar 5 oz. How much should I use for a 5 gallon batch of the link above (it's supposed to be a belgian blonde, but it's way darker [something else I probably did wrong]). The sugar is what a guy at my local homebrew store recommended to me-- should I order something else online? Also, I live in a tropical area, so it's hard to keep the house at a consistent temperature. How important is 70 degrees and how much wiggle room do I have? How often should I check to make sure it doesn't explode? What do I do after it has carbonated; will the refrigerator keep it from carbonating further and turning my fridge into a glass-bomb? I have grolsch bottles if that matters.

I seriously can't thank you both enough. I'm realizing more that I should have done more research before starting brewing beer

 

[dozer5454]

Sorry, I should have clarified. There are times that people with brew in the winter time and the place they store their beer will fall below 70. The problem that occurs is the yeast that is in the bottle trying to carb it up starts to slow down. The beer may not have the nice head or take longer to get there. If your in a tropical area (awesome for you) your beer will be fine. Try a bottle at 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks. You will see the changes the beer is going through.

The sugar is perfect. I have gone to some of the Natural Food stores and bought "corn sugar" in bulk. I have seen people use table sugar. Thus far I haven't heard any overt issues attached to use of sugars.

 

[TylerGuy]

ive learned that even though your beer looks clear, theres lost of yeats left to carb it up! beer is a live yeast drink and theyres alwyas lots left.

 

[unionrdr]

I check my beer at 3 weeks with my hydrometer to see if it's within FG range of the recipe. Then check it again 2-3 days later. If the reading is the same,it's done fermenting. I part of that three weeks can also be when the beer cleans up by products of fermentation. Sometimes it'll take a 4th week to do so. It settles out clear or slightly misty when it's done cleaning up at the same time.
Then I set up to bottle. boil 2C of water in a small saucepan for a couple minutes. Remove from heat & add weighed amount of dextrose to the water & stir till it goes clear again. Cover & cool abit before adding to beer racking into bottling bucket.

 

[jonnyp1980]

After the 2nd week I check gravity levels. If its at my target I switch to secondary for additions. And let it ride for another week before bottling. If I'm doing a big beer anything over 8% abv I do a 3 - 4 week primary. But that's just me.

 

[DoctorMemory]

The best way to be sure is to use a hydrometer. Once the FG is stable, you're good to go. You can give it some extra time to clear, but as far as fermentation goes, it's done.