I'm making a doppelbock with an ale yeast, so I'm fermenting in the mid- to upper 60s. It's 11 days in and all the krausen is gone. The top is speckled with what appears to be bright white yeast colonies. Do I wait to bottle until those are gone? I don't have a hydrometer, so I don't know the gravity situation. I don't see any bubbling or particles moving around, like I could for the first week. The instructions for the recipe simply say to let it ferment a minimum of 2 weeks. Will I hurt it by letting it ferment longer if the surface hasn't cleared up, or should I be safe to simply bottle at 2 weeks?
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You will definitely not hurt it by letting it go longer. The only way to know if a beer is finished is to take a gravity reading. Not by bubbles, not by krausen, not by the calendar. |
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It is true that a hydrometer reading is likely the best way to tell. If you don't have a hydrometer wait till the yeast sediments to the bottom. Then it is wise to transfer to a secondary fermenter, which it sounds like you are not doing. Then wait till the yeast sediments out again and typically that is a great time to bottle. Another nice thing about putting the beer into secondary is that you can typically leave it there for 6 months and not have a problem. In other words without a hydrometer and if you are unsure rack to secondary and let it sit until you are sure. |
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