When to bottle

[oldpathwhiteclouds]

I’ve always left my beer in fermentation bucket for 2 weeks then racked to bottling bucket then bottled on same day.

now using iSpindle and it’s been flatlined at fg for 4 days. Should I just bottle now? What difference, if any, would it make?

 

[fuggled]

Hi there! How long has it been in the fermentation bucket? And what was the starting gravity, and what is the reading now? Also, what yeast is it and what temp has it been at?

As with most brewing things, the longer you can leave it the better, and the more patience you have the better the results. Even if it has reached final gravity, it won’t do it any harm to sit another 2+ weeks in there for the yeast to clean up after itself.

 

[yrhendystu]

Even if it has reached final gravity, it won’t do it any harm to sit another 2+ weeks in there for the yeast to clean up after itself.

I've seen this mentioned before but never really sure what it meant so looked it up.

"As mentioned earlier, diacetyl is a natural occurring process of fermentation. The yeast will produce diacetyl no matter what. However, just as the yeast produces diacetyl, it will also get rid of it. You must let the fermented beer sit on the yeast for two or three days after the termination of fermentation. This is called the diacetyl rest. The yeast will scrub the diacetyl out of the beer that it produced. After the rest, rack your beer into your mini kegs or bottles."

Once fermented I take my bucket off my heat pad/insulated platform and leave it on the concrete floor. Take off the insulated jacket and leave it cool down for a few days or a week or whenever I have the time to bottle. I've noticed by doing this the bottled beer is far clearer and I don't have any of that yeast cloud I had when I started brewing last spring. Looks like I'm also letting the yeast do that diacetyl thing too!

 

[baran]

I would like to know whether it is necessary to keep it in the bucket for exact 2 weeks, I assume it can be bottled when the outgassinng stops, but I'm not sure. I started my first kit o the 9th of this month and the outgassing is almost stopped today, I hardly stop my self to bottle.

 

[Cwrw666]

I usually leave my beer in the FV for the full 2 weeks but have been known to bottle as soon as fermentation stops. There are of course differences. If you bottle late then the beer will have cleared a lot so you'll have less sediment in the bottle. This is boosted if you cold crash as well. But as you've less yeast in the bottle it will take a bit longer to pressure up
If you bottle early then you get more sediment but the bottles pressure up quicker. Of course if you use a very sticky yeast like gervin then you'll still be able to pour every drop of your beer clear as a bell.
Can someone explain why yeast in the FV is supposed to munch up the diacetyl, but yeast in the bottle can't? Or is this just a thing that people who use cornies have to worry about if they're not priming their kegs?

 

[yrhendystu]

I would like to know whether it is necessary to keep it in the bucket for exact 2 weeks, I assume it can be bottled when the outgassinng stops, but I'm not sure. I started my first kit o the 9th of this month and the outgassing is almost stopped today, I hardly stop my self to bottle.

I was doing that back in the summer, the temperature in my shed was so warm the kits were done in a week so I bottled straight away. Later brews I've left longer and they taste nicer and you can see they are crystal clear, the "quick brews" often had some yeast cloud in them. Also if you are using glass bottles you'll need to be more careful that it's finished brewing or you could end up with bottle bombs. If you don't already have one get a hydrometer to test the sugar content and if it's stable over a few days then it's safe to bottle. Wilko sell them, I'd also recommend a trial jar and a turkey baster for getting the samples out.

 

[Cwrw666]

I ran out of beer in the Summer. So I did a SMASH - just EKG and pale malt plus a nice sticky yeast. Fermentation 5 days, 3 days in the bottle and I was drinking it and it was as good as ever. Clear as a bell, wonderfull hop aromas.
Did it change as it aged? Yes. Did it get better? Not really, just slightly less good in the hop department, slightly better in the malt flavours.

 

[oldpathwhiteclouds]

Hi there! How long has it been in the fermentation bucket? And what was the starting gravity, and what is the reading now? Also, what yeast is it and what temp has it been at?

Been in now for 8 days, sg 1.052 (taken with hydrometer). ISplindle says now 1.002 but I think it’s inaccurate and will measure next Saturday when I bottle. I guess c.1.010-12.

In reality I’ll bottle after 2 weeks anyway but I was just wondering.

 

[oldpathwhiteclouds]

I ran out of beer in the Summer. So I did a SMASH - just EKG and pale malt plus a nice sticky yeast. Fermentation 5 days, 3 days in the bottle and I was drinking it and it was as good as ever. Clear as a bell, wonderfull hop aromas.
Did it change as it aged? Yes. Did it get better? Not really, just slightly less good in the hop department, slightly better in the malt flavours.

EKG?

 

[RichardM]

EKG?

East Kent Goldings hops.

 

[fuggled]

Been in now for 8 days, sg 1.052 (taken with hydrometer). ISplindle says now 1.002 but I think it’s inaccurate and will measure next Saturday when I bottle. I guess c.1.010-12.

In reality I’ll bottle after 2 weeks anyway but I was just wondering.

Two weeks is usually enough to reach final gravity, 1.002 is very low so I’d imagine it’s done if that’s accurate. 1.010 is fine to bottle too providing it has stopped fermenting. And the only way to check that is take readings and when they’re the same for 3 days running.
Unless you’re in a rush I would leave it longer than two weeks, it’s won’t do it any harm and will do it some good.

 

[fuggled]

I've seen this mentioned before but never really sure what it meant so looked it up.

"As mentioned earlier, diacetyl is a natural occurring process of fermentation. The yeast will produce diacetyl no matter what. However, just as the yeast produces diacetyl, it will also get rid of it. You must let the fermented beer sit on the yeast for two or three days after the termination of fermentation. This is called the diacetyl rest. The yeast will scrub the diacetyl out of the beer that it produced. After the rest, rack your beer into your mini kegs or bottles."

Once fermented I take my bucket off my heat pad/insulated platform and leave it on the concrete floor. Take off the insulated jacket and leave it cool down for a few days or a week or whenever I have the time to bottle. I've noticed by doing this the bottled beer is far clearer and I don't have any of that yeast cloud I had when I started brewing last spring. Looks like I'm also letting the yeast do that diacetyl thing too!

well, a diacetyl rest is when you keep it at 18-20C for a few days after fermentation has finished. It’s really only absolutely necessary where you’ve fermented cooler than 18 for the whole of primary. If you’re doing an ale at 21-22 for example, after a couple of weeks I’d be surprised if there was any detectable diacetyl (but have a smell and a taste and if it’s buttery/butterscotch flavoured/aroma then leave it at 20 for another day or two).