Mr F Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 I hope the title isn't offensive - I once joked about ocd and it turned out one of my students has it :/ Anyhow, my last attempt at a coopers pale clone was only partly successful. The SG got bogged on approx 1018/1016. I've got another batch fermenting now. Once again, it started great. After the krausen collapsed I measured SG at 1020. The next day (today = day 4) SG is at 1018. It basically dropped .002 in 24 hours. Naturally I'm worried the same problem will occur as last time, so my Q is: Can anyone tell me how long the last few points of SG should take to drop? Is .002 a day for the next few days normal? I'm checking SG again tomorrow and will pitch some dried yeast if it's not making progress. I did that on the last batch and they taste decent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guzz Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 I am the opposite of this. I check it after 14 days, then I bottle it. Simples! Sure there may some exceptions, but as a general rule, works every time. Guzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnaman Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 G'day Mr F, I'm with Guzz, relax mate your giving your yeast performance anxiety. What type of water do you use? What temperature are you fermenting at? Is your FV being unduly bombarded cosmic radiation or some thing? I hope it all works out well. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worry wort Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Mr F, I put a brew down and naturally take a reading (og), I then wait until the brew has appeared to have stopped working, about 4 or 5 days, and take an sg and temperature reading, then take another reading every 2 days. usually I get my first fg readins about day 7 and 9, then wait a few more days for the brew to clear up in the FV then bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilboBaggins Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I take a small sample from the kettle for testing before draining to cube, then don't check again for a fortnight or so. If anything has gone wrong in that time I just deal with it at the 14 day mark. I tend to be able to visibly see what's going on for the most part. You get a feel for it after a while, and when a yeast poops out you generally get your spidey sense tingling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I go with the reputation of the yeast strain I am using. If I am using a strain that is reputed to be a good and reliable finisher with out stalling mid-ferment such as US-05, Notto, etc. I usually check the OG at the end of the boil before ferment for brewhouse efficiency purposes. I won't chck the SG again till 2 weeks or more later. I might not even check for FG at all if I am familiar with the recipe. On the other hand, if I am using a yeast strain that has a reputation for going to sleep without finishing its job (S-04, WLP005, etc) I'll check the SG once visabe activity has ceased (maybe Day 7). If things are progressing well then great, but if it appears to be hangin up then i'l give the FV a good swirl to rouse them up to finish the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr F Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Cheers for all the feedback, fellas. Magnaman, to answer your Qs: I use Foodland "spring water" because the tap water out here is just about undrinkable (very hard & chlorinated). Fermentation has been constant at 20-22. Well, maybe a bit warmer now and then but never below 20 care of a thermostat & light bulb setup in an old fridge. No cosmic rays as far as I know. I checked SG again today and its 1018, meaning it hasn't moved in 24 hours. I gave it a good swirl and will check again tomorrow. Next plan is adding some dried yeast to finish it off like I did last time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnaman Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 G'day Mr F, aerate your water some how and this will be beneficial I believe. A clever bloke like you will I think get inspiration from this thread. EASTER IS A TIME FOR ... EXPERIMENTATION, hope this is helpful. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I normally bottle after two weeks and check the gravity on both bottling day and two days before. If there's been a change I'll probably leave it another few days (or whatever I think is needed), check again and then bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr F Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Cheers for that link, Magnaman. Yeah, at the moment I probably don't aerate anywhere near enough. I basically stir the wort with a slotted spoon for awhile, but nothing like 5 mins that I've seen suggested. Might have to look into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr F Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 EDIT: hooray for double posts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr F Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 EDIT: What the? Hooray for triple posts? Hmmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeblebrox Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 I hope the title isn't offensive - I once joked about ocd and it turned out one of my students has it :/ Anyhow' date=' my last attempt at a coopers pale clone was only partly successful. The SG got bogged on approx 1018/1016. I've got another batch fermenting now. Once again, it started great. After the krausen collapsed I measured SG at 1020. The next day (today = day 4) SG is at 1018. It basically dropped .002 in 24 hours. Naturally I'm worried the same problem will occur as last time, so my Q is: Can anyone tell me how long the last few points of SG should take to drop? Is .002 a day for the next few days normal? I'm checking SG again tomorrow and will pitch some dried yeast if it's not making progress. I did that on the last batch and they taste decent.[/quote'] Um yeah, I used to check on day 6, then every day for a while until I thought it was ready, typically another 2 - 3 days. Nowadays with goodness knows how many brews under my belt, I do an OG reading, then leave it until I'm thinking it's ready to bottle; usually 2 weeks for an ale, and 3 - 4 weeks for a lager. If the reading is in the expected FG range, I just say bugger it and bottle it, rather than even taking another reading. I tend to focus my OCD on checking the temp of the brew (maybe every hour or so), and this tends to alleviate the desire to take countless readings. I do literally live with mild OCD, but find focusing on more healthy things tends to stop one from obsessing about trivial stuff; not sure if the same can be said for people with less mild OCD. BTW it is mental health week this week; there are plenty of docos etc on ABC TV & radio about it, and I think rather than hiding it, or tiptoeing about making jokes about mental health it should be out in the open; jokes about mental health are ok, so long as they don't target individuals, or add to the stigma attached to mental health conditions. I'll leave it at that, as this is a brewing forum, but maybe something worth talking about further in another thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 No way.. Wasting good beer on SG samples? Not in my brewery lol I normally take a sample from the kettle after the boil for the OG, then after pitching I wait 7 days and take a reading, then another after 9 days. If they're the same then I drop the temp to zero for CCing for a week or so then bottle. Simples! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeblebrox Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 No way.. Wasting good beer on SG samples? Not in my brewery lol I normally take a sample from the kettle after the boil for the OG' date=' then after pitching I wait 7 days and take a reading, then another after 9 days. If they're the same then I drop the temp to zero for CCing for a week or so then bottle. Simples![/quote'] Yep, 2 or 3 readings through the process is enough; the initial reading so you have your OG - which helps you calculate your expected approx A/V, then if you've reached your expected end of fermentation it's time to take a second reading and not before, day 6 at the earliest for a second reading, then another when it's bottling time if you can be bothered. As I usually don't take my second reading until quite late and it's almost always in the finishing range I often don't bother taking a 3rd reading at all, and haven't had any bottle bombs yet - touch wood. Better to focus your OCD or need to check on something more productive like temps, krausen, or whatever else is actually worth checking on. Not only is checking your SG reading too often a waste of time, but each time you do it you risk infecting your brew, unless you sanitize your tap each time, which is really a PITA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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