So today after nine days in fermentation I decided to take a hydrometer reading. The readi g was pretty darn close to the FG. Should there be cause for concern about the reading or is this typical at a little over a week? The beer smelled fantastic!
Hydrometer reading
- Thread starter Rodeno
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Only if you're spending money on what Mr Malty & the like call a "proper pitch". Seems just shy of over-pitching to me. Beyond that sort of thing,it won't be done in a week for the average brewer/beginer. More like 3-3.5 weeks to get down to FG & settle out clear or slightly misty.
I didn't think about over-pitching being a possibility as I didn't wing it, I used what the kit gave me. When you say over-pitch do you mean too much yeast, or...?
Thanks!
I'm curious why you suggest over pitch as well?unionrdr said:
As far as done, there is really no reason the beer could not be done fermenting in 9 days. If the beer is at FG and the brewer allows another week to clear, smells and tastes fine, there is no need to leave the beer sit for another 2-3 weeks.
If the beer in fact has some off flavors to clean up then yes, some additional time on the yeast is beneficial.
chickypad
lupulin shift victim
You didn't over pitch. Sounds like you had a nice healthy fermentation. As duboman said most beers should be done with primary fermentation within a week. The only concern I would have with a too fast fermentation is if you fermented too warm. Did you watch your temps?
What I meant was that people keep saying beer should never take more than a week to finish,etc. I said that the info given by Mr Malty & the like seems like a bit shy of over-pitching to me. Beers where one packet of yeast re hydrated works fine,but Mr Malty will say use two packets...that sort of thing. Getting the beer done in one week & settled out a couple days later & package doesn't concern me terribly. I'm not in a hurry to try & push the yeast to hurry up & finish is all. Not to mention,adding to the price of brewing,which is already going up. Gotta read the whole thing.
Clonefan94
Senior Member
9 days is plenty of time for the beer to be done. As others have said though, take another reading in two days or so, and if it's the same, you know it's done for sure. If you aren't in a hurry, letting it sit another week or so, will not hurt it.
stpug
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Nine days in a fermenter should be good for most full strength ales fermented at or above the minimum fermentation temperature for the yeast. High gravity beers might take longer. Ales fermented below minimum recommended temp range might take longer. But, generally speaking, 9 days and you should be a final gravity. As others have said, wait two days and check the gravity again. If it's the same then you can proceed to your next step, or let it sit and let it clarify a bit.
"Pretty darn close" is pretty vague. An example: A predicted FG of 1.014 with a reading of 1.018 is "pretty darn close" in terms of the numbers being close, but I would not consider this done without double-checking a few days later. It can be the difference between a balanced beer and a sweet beer, respectively.
Without knowing the recipe (OG, yeast), volumes, estimated FG and actual reading, it's hard say of there's any cause for concern. Most likely there is no cause for concern but, again, I don't what "pretty darn close" means in terms of a gravity reading.
Bottling a beer that's still 2-3 points higher than actual FG can lead to gushers or worse.
Give us more information and you'll get better recommendations.
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