How long should the wort stay in the fermentor?

      Especially when it's your first few brews, you will get anxious and at times bottling your beer before it is the right time. That simple mistake can ruin your brew, and it is actually an easy fix. Determining when it is the right time should not be a nightmare, all you need is some help from your hydrometer!
   
      Lets start by explaining what a hydrometer is; It's a tool made out of glass, with some mercury or led on the bottom that helps it float when you drop it in your brew that is in a test tube to test gravity, sugar levels, and have a good prediction on alcohol content that you will end up with. It is IMPORTANT to note that there are different types of hydrometers out there, the one you must use is designed for beer and wine.

           Above is my hydrometer, that I purchased from the local Home Brew Shop in Chico, Ca. It came with a set of instructions that are very straight forward. A little online research and a couple of videos and you will be able to take readings in no time! (Soon I will blog about the steps to take a hydrometer reading)

      By now you are asking yourself why is the hydrometer your best friend when it comes to figuring out if it is time to bottle. Different beers and yeast have different time frames as far as fermentation, once you notice that there is almost no activity in the airlock, start taking readings every 24 hours. After about 2 to 3 readings that are all the same you know that there is no more activity going on (at least not that will make a difference in your fermentor). Now you know it is time to bottle, and safe enough where the yeast activity will not be enough to create too much pressure and bust your bottles, or leave some odd tastes in the brew that you do not want.

For info on bottling check out the blog before this!!!

A few pointers prior to bottling.

      You might still have a few more days before you are ready to bottle, but a head start is always helpful.  Go through a few checklist items:

                1. Bottles (unless you will be using a keg), make sure the bottles are ones that are

                    designed to handle pressure build up. Yeast is what will carbonate your beer    

                    during the conditioning process, so empty beer bottles will work best. Do not 

                    use twist offs because that will make capping a pain. Do you have enough bottles???

                2. Sanitize, there are many ways to sanitize your bottles such as boiling them, using

                    substances etc... You have gone too far to ruin your beer!

                3. Corn Sugar, you can purchase this at your local Home Brew Shop. This is needed in order to

                    dissolve and then add to your wort, must be used for conditioning and carbonating  A process 

                    that takes place when you bottle.

                4. Do you have everything you need for bottling? Tubes, spicket, caps, capper (I will post

                    pictures in my next blog).

                5. (Optional) Do you have an extra hand? A friend or significant other to help you? This will make

                    your life easier during bottling!!

      Having a few days to go through this checklist, and other items you might add to the list, will be helpful. Knowing what you need beforehand will eliminate having to make an emergence trip to the store.