Expert: Alan Ward - 9/7/2009

Question
QUESTION: I a brewing a batch of beer from a kit. After only ywo days it stoprd bubblinh. My hydrometer, if that's what it is called, was readibh 7%.
Should I go ahead and bottle it or is it a flop due to the short fermentation time?
As you can tell I'm supper new to this. Any advice would help. Thanks.

ANSWER: Some batches bubble more than other.  The only way is to look at hydrmeter readings.

Having said that your 7 reading would be great if you take your First raeadind subtract your Final reading and divide by 8.

O.G. -  F.G. / 8= A.B.V.

To better help you please send your starting gravity, final gravity and recipe.  I can give you a better answer then.

Alan

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Part of the problem is that I don't know how to use it. Maybe I'm just slow but the instructions are very confusing. So when I say 7, like you suspected, was just what the hydrometer was reading. My next question is about the secondary fermentation. After about six days with the beer in the bucket I can go ahead and bottle it? Or is there more to it than that. Do I need to put it all together in a container first or what??

Answer
Alex,

Okay, lets take it from the beginning.  After you finish brewing you should take a sample and do a hydrometer test.  Place the sample in a container ( you can use the container it came in) then look at the meniscus which is where the liquid drops down.  Read the lowest point.  That is your O.G. or Orignial Gravity.  If the reading is not 60 degrees F you will need to use a table to adjust temp.

The next reading you take is at racking if you plan to use a secondary.  If not this is the reading you use before you bottle.  This is the F.G. or Final Gravity.  Then subtract the F.G. from the O.G. and divide by 8 to get the percent alcohol by volume.

Your O.G. should be lets say 1.055 and your F.G. maybe 1.007.  If you subtract the two  1.055 - 1.007 you get 48.  Divide that by 8 you get 6 which means your batch would have a 6% ABV.

So your first rading should be 1.something.

Most batches  stay 4 days in the primary (bucket) and 10 days in the secondary (usely a glass carboy).  Then you rack back to a botteling bucket (which could be the same bucket you used as a primary) then bottle.

If you do not have secondary you could wait seven days and then bottle adding bottling sugar to each bottle.

IF you send me what you have and your recipe and I can tell you what your O.G. should be and what to do to match your equipement.

How to read a hydrometer http://hbd.org/pbabcock/oldsite/hydrometer.html

Alan