Hello all, my wife is awesome and got me the caribou slobber 1 gallon brew kit for Christmas. Brew day went well, pretty straight forward. I’ve had my fermentation going about 5 days and it seems to have died down. (Very little bubbling, foam has dropped back down.) So I guess I’m looking for some insight into when exactly I bottle. My 1 sheet vague instructions leave a lot of information out. Like I said this is my first time. I have no instruments for spec grav measurements etc… another question I have is, will leaving the fermenter out at room temp ruin the beer. What about light sensitivity? I’ve been scrolling through some threads but you all seem to be pretty experienced. Just looking for some basic brewing info for a beginner. Thanks! I’m sure this stuff gets asked all the time so I appreciate the feed back.
Hey, welcome! Room temp is fine, once active fermentation is done, temperature isn’t so important. Keep light away, it can cause skunkiness from the hops. Keep it in a dark room, or keep it covered with something. Lastly, best to wait 3 weeks to bottle, assuming you don’t have a hydrometer. Probably done at 1-2 weeks, but unless you can measure the specific gravity, you don’t want to take the risk of bottling too soon. Good luck!
Thanks! Good to know that waiting won’t affect my beer. I’ve got it in a closet. Nice and dark. So better to wait then to bottle too soon. Let the yeast do their thing. Got it. I was thinkin I would pick up a hydrometer from the local brew shop this week. Basically when spec grav shows no change the fermentation is complete?
Yep! Same measurement 3 or 4 days apart, you’re good to bottle. But with a 1 gallon batch, don’t worry about it. Just give it the 3 weeks and call it good. Wastes too much need to take the hydro sample.
Rodger that. That’s what I was thinking. Gunna have to step my batch size up if all goes well. Just what I need… another hobby! Cheaper than some of my others though!
Sure… cheap. Right. Right after the new burner, the stainless conical, the fermentation chamber, the kegging set-up, the mash tun, the 20 gallon kettle… 
Welcome. Caribou Slobber is one of my favorites. Not rushing a beer to the bottle has benefits. Excess yeast and other particles will settle into a compact rub layer given enough time. Careful racking will keep excess yeast and particles out of the bottle.
You will also need a brew house separate from the living quarters. Heated and cooled for year round brewing.
Make sure it’s on the same property as your primary residence, and meets all zoning ordinances. Otherwise you’ll need a bunch of licenses.
Well my basement is pretty much my domain with my workbench and such but it’s an old unfinished one. Haven’t measured the temperature but it’s definitely pushing the lower limit of room temp so I decided to ferment in the closet. I’ve got plenty of room though if this becomes another “hobby”… 
Not sure I’m patient enough for this one though.
When you have four fermentors filled one week apart you will soon be able to bottle and brew almost once a week. No need for patience. You’ll be busy all the time.
Brew some beers that need aging in the bottle.or invite lots of friends over.
That’s perfect. Turn the workbench into a bar get some stools a couch a TV and stereo. An old fridge and your I’m business
Cue the “down the rabbit hole” music. 
First time brewer here. Not hijacking your thread Icep03, just adding on.
I got the Little Big Mouth Bubbler kit, brewed West Coast Red 3 Days ago. Brew day went well, though the mini-syphon didn’t meet my expectations. It worked well during my water-only test run so I’m hoping it was just nervous user error.
May need to get another fermenter 
I could have smelled the hop packets for days. So good. Lol.
@Fewk Just some helpful hints. Never leave the auto siphon assembled. This will deform the rubber seal at the end of the cane. Never give plastics a long soak in cleaner or sanitizer. This may eventually lead to cracking of plastics and drying out rubber gaskets and o-rings.
Ask any questions and have fun brewing.
I had one of those, and the one-way valve fell out the first time I used it. Since then, I just use about 5-6’ of tubing, fill it with star-san by dipping it in the bucket, drain about 12” from one end, and put that end into the jug to transfer (keeps the star-San from dumping into the beer). Either pinch the other end, dump the star-san into a cup, and as soon as the beer starts flowing put the hose into another jug to transfer. Sounds more complicated than it is, not too difficult.
To bottle, the bottling wand goes into the other end, and then fill directly into bottles.
Both of you… Welcome! Icep03… with a cool area to brew in, your fermenting woes should be minimal with ales! And, now when your first batch is bottled, you can enjoy it and figure out how to remodel your brewery… Where to place kettles, fermenters…
Fewk, I am using an auto siphon I bought 12 years ago! My next big step is to ditch that sucker… It has served its purpose very well, but I would like to step up to pressurized racking from the fermenter and the such… Sneezles61
Thanks all, good tips. I’ll give the auto-Syphon another shot, but may go manual if it stays a headache.
You must be doing it wrong it’s easier really just like a regular siphon keep the receiving bucket lower a couple pumps done
I actually use the auto to start the manual of the auto siphon doesn’t fit start the siphon in starsan pull it out put it in the wine run off the starsan then into the wine bottles. Here is where the bottleing wand is key
What kind of problem are you having with the auto siphon?
