Brewed a 1 gal. batch of Plinian Double IPA two weeks ago. Stored in basement at 58-60 degrees and was thinking of bottling today. Just brought the batch upstairs and noticed there are air bubbles on the surface. Does mean the yeast are still active? It looks like most, if not all, of the yeast is at the bottom. Unfortunately, I don’t have any way of measuring gravity. Should I bottle now, or wait.
That’s a pretty cool temp so it would take awhile to completely ferm out. Since the bulk of fermentation is over, it wouldn’t hurt to move it to a warmer area and give it a week. You’ll likely see activity in your airlock. It could be continued fermentation or off racing from the beer warming (more CO2 stays dissolved in solution the colder the beer).
Ideally, you should check the gravity.
Thanks, Josh. I guess I’ll bring it upstairs and let it sit a week. Looks like I need a hydrometer.
At those temps you may have some off flavors. Whenever i have fermented too low with that yeast, it has resulted in a fruity off flavor. American ale yeast like to be fermented above 66 degrees.
Thanks mppatriots. I’ll keep that in mind going forward. As of right now, the basement is the only room I have with a steady temp. Luckily, if things don’t turn out well, it’s only a 1 gal batch.
