Question: should I follow NB schedule when bottling/kegging or should I pull a sample and only bottle/keg when i’ve hit my FG?
The only schedule you should follow is the one determined by your yeast. Remember “yeast make beer, we just hold the spoon.”
Only way you’ll know if your yeast have finished making beer is using your hydrometer. I take a gravity reading after 10-14 days if I’m trying to move the beer along. Then take another in 2 more days. If the gravity reading is the same the yeast is done and your beer is OK to bottle or keg but generally will improve if you leave it on the yeast cake another week or two.
Don’t ever bottle until you’ve got a consistent SG reading or you risk bottle bombs which can be very dangerous.
This answers my question perfectly.
I brewed a batch earlier this summer that turned out pretty ho hum. I followed the instructions perfectly so I couldn’t understand what had happened. The result was a brew that had a syrup like flavor with bottles that were highly carbed. I bottled before fermentation was complete. I’m thinking that my fermentation may be a bit slow due to my fermentation temps (64 - 66). I’ll be checking my FG based upon the brew schedule but won’t bottle or keg until I get my target readings. Thanks so much for the help.
Danny be a wise man. Listen to him. :lol:
+1 -Well said, clear and concise. Time is your friend - and, like Danny said, if you want to move it along use that hydrometer!
