Is my fermentation OK?

[neckbone]

My first brew has been in the ferment bucket for 2 weeks.
My plan is to bottle in 2 days.
Peeking into the bucket today I still see a cream colored scum over the entire surface.
Is this normal?
Should I just decant with a siphon between the surface scum and bottom sentiment into a bottling bucket?

Smelled awesome.

[tominboston]

Well i guess lots depends on what the orig gravity was.... where it is now and has it stopped dropping. Sort of need a hydrometer to know for sure. In general usually 2 weeks is enough time, but that assumes all else was good, like yeast health, cell count , temperature in range and on and on. Smelling good is a good sign anyway. Congrats on the first beer !

[squeegeethree]

Welcome! Generally that surface scum could be an indicator that you are not done fermenting. That scum is called a Krausen and in its "High" form you are at your most activity. With time it tends to fall to the bottom and can be an indication of you beer being complete. The only real way to test the completion of fermentation is with a gravity check via a hydrometer or even a refractometer(trickier). Taking samples at least 3 days apart, if you see no change in the reading and you are at or below your expected FG (final gravity) as specified in your recipe, one can be sure one is done.
To be safe ferment at least 3 weeks preferable 4 weeks.

[neckbone]

Good suggestions guys.
My original SG was 1.052. Today (13 days) it is 1.010.
At he end of 5 days it read 1.013. So it dropped a little in the last 8 days.
At the end of 5 days I noted on here that it tasted good, but had a bitter after taste. I didn't mind it, but it was there.
I'm drinking the hydrometer test right now and the bitter is gone and it tastes very nice to me.
I would like to bottle on Wednesday (2 days) and may go ahead if the SG does not move.
The yeast was a starter and I was told was maybe over kill. As per yeast instruction, the ferment temp was kept at 68* to 70*.
Your thoughts?

[sneezles61]

I'd rather use a hydrometer for final testing... refractometer just aint good post ferment...
10 is not bad... but the yeastie raft is still there... theres work going on.. albeit little...
Leave it for a few more days... then test...
I'm not sure how to explain what you are finding as far as taste... Its... well.... Finally blending(?)... We've had this discussion but never found a way to explain it... Even bottled brews with higher ABV do the same thing... give them time, and they get better... an anomaly...
Sneezles61

[neckbone]

I find the taste is good; what I hoped for. I'm happy with that.
Would a bump up in temp goose the final fermentation enough to sink the krausen?

[sneezles61]

I usually let it go to room temp when I feel its about done... yours is close... let it warm up..
Sneezles61

[dannyboy58]

On ales I let the temperature rise after 4-5 days. The most active part of fermentation will be over and the temperature rise is good for the yeast to clean up things like diacetyl. Since you're bottling I'd definitely do another gravity check to be certain but most likely it's done already. Some yeast is slower to flocculate than others. Takes time for it to drop out even after it's done which is probably what you tasted on your earlier sample. The cleaner taste now tells me it's probably done and mostly floc'd out. Some yeast produce a fluffy kind of krauesen that just doesn't like to drop. Just put your siphon under it if you're using one to bottle.

Be very careful of jostling your fermenter around at this point you don't want to introduce air into you beer or you'll get a bad after taste.

[neckbone]

Thanks, sound thinking.
I will take a SG shortly to compare with Monday's reading. That will tell me what I'll be doing today.

[neckbone]

Wednesday's reading showed no change and the krausen had sunk to the bottom.
So I did my first bottling.
Made one error; poured sugar mix in bucket then racked the beer. I never stirred the mix. I hope the swirling action of racking was enough mix.

[dannyboy58]

If I understand correctly you racked the beer in after the sugar mix? That would likely mix it well enough. Might want to put those bottles in a plastic bin of some kind with a secure top just to be safe. If a few got more than their share of sugar they could explode. Bottle bombs are no bueno.

[squeegeethree]

Next time pour your pasteurized sugar water into your bottling bucket first then as you siphon from your fermenter you can usually angle the tube so you get a natural swirling in the bucket. I don't trust even this amount and still stir a bit more with the racking cane after it was been sanitized. As you do these steps you are trying to avoid splashing and aerating which will lead to oxidation of your beer.