I’m sure this has been asked a hundred thousand times but once more unto the breach… I’m preparing to bottle a Caribou Slobber batch. It’s been three weeks and three days in primary. I’ve had it sitting in front of a heat vent to keep the temp up a bit since the heavy fermentation stopped. We keep it cool in the house so it’s been sitting at about 65-66 deg. My only concern is that I’m still getting burps through the airlock every so often. I took a sample on Sunday and the gravity was 1.017. Took another yesterday and got the same. Seems slightly high but it is an extract batch… Didn’t take an OG reading as this was my first batch (surprise, surprise) and it was the one thing I forgot to do. I just don’t want to risk bottle bombs is all… Can anybody offer some reassurance? Thanks for having a look…
While it may seem a bit high, that number’s not completely unreasonable. If you have a steady gravity reading 2 days apart, I’d say you’re in the clear.
Hydrometers can easily be off by a few points in calibration, so it wouldn’t hurt to verify that your hydro is reading true (water should read 1.000 at the appropriate temp for your hydrometer). It could be that your calibration is off as well.
After 3+ weeks and with that gravity number with an extract batch, you should be fine. When I did brew with extract, I could rarely get the FG down under 1.018 or so.
3 weeks is a good time frame and my SOP. Bottle that beer, sir!
OK - thanks for the reassurance. I’ll put it to the bottles after work today then. Time to order another kit and get something else rolling. I think I’ll brew something to feed my IPA addiction. I can’t wait to start messing with recipes once I get some more experience under my belt. Thanks again!
That’s the thinking! Always have something fermenting.
:cheers:
Ah to remember the excitement of the first batch of homebrew. Don’t worry about asking any questions here. There is always going to be something you’ll want advice and idea on, and this forum is a great place to get it.
Oh, and make sure you drink one of those bottles of slobber when it has been in the bottle for exaclty two weeks, maybe even a week and a half. Then come back here and we’ll reasure you that it will carb up properly in another week or two.
I’m not that much of a worrier. :mrgreen: I just wanted to make sure that the burping I’m still getting wouldn’t be an indicator that I may get over carbonation and exploding bottles. I’m quite patient and only peeked at the carboy once during the three weeks. Otherwise I just made sure the airlock didn’t go dry. I realize my carbonation may take a little longer because I can only get the bottles to about 68 deg while they are carbing. Even though I’m not employed in the field and have forgotten A LOT since graduation - I actually have a B.S. in microbiology. It gives me just a bit more insight into the process than the normal new brewer. Still a newbie at that though. I need to get a good book and do some serious reading to refresh myself on yeast.
One thing I’ll add, take maybe 6 or so of those beers and put them away for a while. A few months… maybe even a year. I just started getting the discipline to do this within the last year. You’ll be amazed at how the flavors develop over time.
