Expert: John Snyder - 6/18/2006

Question
ihave a geordie lager brewing and is at the fermentation stage and has a sg of 1.04 after two weeks .......the beer is very sweet and has a slight "head" in the carboy (six-gallon pail) and is still "popping" in the vent..........the instructions say that it should be done with this stage after a week or so........yet, it seems like it has some time to go.........should i just leave it alone for the time being and keep checking sg every day?........says when it gets to 1.000 or sdtatic for two days it is time to bottle.........what's your take on it?.........thanks for timely response.........sincerely richard

Answer
Not knowing what your original specific gravity was,i cannot tell you the extent of your fermentation.I will say this,the 1.04 that you state is more in the range of unfermented beer,or a partial fermentation.Causes could be bad yeast,(did you proof the yeast to test it)aeration,temperature of the wort,and area during fermentation.That is correct,fermentation should be done in 7 days,or earlier.Sweetness also indicates abundance of fermentable sugars remain in the liquid.Specific gravity of water is 1.000,you won't get that.i would look for about 1.015,as an end point.I don't want to discourage you,but i'm sure the final product won't have much appeal.Use this batch as a learning experience,and record as much data as possible.IF you need any further help,I will be glad to assist

             John