GerardC2 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Hi folks, \tI am new to home brewing. Got a kit for Christmas (best present ever)[biggrin] and am currently on my third brew. My latest batch is the coopers heritage lager. For this I used the Premium Selection Heritage Lager 1.7Kg and yeast supplied and a tin of Coopers Light Malt Extract 1.5kg. The fermentation started really quick and within about 12 hours I was bubbling almost once per second, much quicker than my last two. 4 days later and the bubbling has all but stopped. Took a SG reading and got 1.012. \tJust wondering if I should bottle now or leave to sit on the yeast cake for a bit. I have been scanning through the threads and see that some like to leave it sit for a week or so on the cake to clear up. I did read on another forum that leaving it sit on the yeast cake is a bad thing, they didn\u2019t say why so just wondering whats best. Appreciate any feedback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I find it best to leave my ales in the fermentor for 2 weeks which euates roughly to 1 week for fermentation and 1 week for the yeast to clean up after itself and for the beer to clear. There are no problems with leaving your beer on the yeast cake for this long - for lagers it often needs a third week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerardC2 Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 Thanks Muddy, I took another SG reading tonight and its down to 1 so guess there's still a bit of fermentation going on anyway. I'll leave it for another week before bottling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartF2 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Alright Ger [biggrin] Just what we were talking about yesterday!! Yeah i'm gonna give it a second week, as Muddy says the gains outweigh the risk so why not. Question for ya, if i'm taking a FG sample tonight and have a little taste ( not expecting it to be all that nice ) will I be able to tell at this stage if its infected or not? thats my biggest worry.[pinched] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackBlack Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Yep, It'll taste and smell poor! I usually have a sip from my hydrometer tube, just to see what the brew is doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 sorry i just want to try to work something out here. Muddy you said for the yeast to clean up after itself and to let the beer clear. Now i've always bottled on the end of one week as i don't mind a bit of sediment (even though i find it quite clear anyway) and i've always thought the yeast would continue to do it's thing in the bottle just as well as it might in the fermenter. Am i wrong? It should be ok in the bottle to clean up after itself shouldn't it? or is there a difference i'm not aware of? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerardC2 Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 Question for ya' date=' if i'm taking a FG sample tonight and have a little taste ( not expecting it to be all that nice ) will I be able to tell at this stage if its infected or not? thats my biggest worry.[pinched'] Hi Stu, I always take a sip out of the FG sample, can give a good indication of how the final beer will taste, Obviously it will be flat and warm but I have found it still gives you a good idea. From what I have read and pics I have seen on infected beers its pretty easy to see when its infected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Letting it sit on the yeast for at least another week after FG is reached just lets it clean up the flavor & get more yeast,etc to settle out. So,what goes into the bottle with priming sugar is clearer to start with. And will taste better when aged & carb'd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartF2 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Cheers everyone, great info as always. Well, ive just taken my first FG reading after 6 days fermenting,1.018, had a swig and i'm very relieved [cool] It looks good, cloudy and golden, smells like beer, and from the taste I can get a rough idea what it might be like a few weeks down the line... gorgeous!! [love] gonna leave it for further 5-7 days now before bottling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Hi Dave - Leonard's post 2 up from this one pretty much answers the question you asked me. So I will hitch my wagon to the wisdom of his post [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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