length of time

[darrell]

canned malt say a coopers>rather than opening airlock and useing hydrometer daily and the risk of contamination is there a rule of thumb lets say 14 days in carboy and then bottle? also would the time change for diferant styles say a lager compared to a dark ale,stout?? thx

[darrell]

thanks for your reply your thoughts give me a bit to go on like quite a bit,im glad i came upon jims site theres much knowledge here>cheers

[Fil]

check the gravity before you pitch (add) the yeast for a starting or Original gravity reading.
you need this as a reference point and to calculate the alcohol content when the final gravity has been reached.

then as long as your happy fermentation is going on indicated by airlock activity you need not take any further readings until your questioning if the fermentation has finished or stalled ( no more bubbles) .. Then a gravity reading around the expected target final gravity which is stable over 3 consecutive days is the only way to be sure that the primary fermentation has completed.

If the airlock isnt bubling then take a gravity reading to see whats what and if the gravity has dropped the co2 is finding an easier way out than the airlock, (quite common) bucket lids not always seal well its not a real problem it just means the regular glug of the airlock isnt going to indicate how the brew is going,


when taking gravity readings its best to draw a sample take it from a tap or draw it out from a cracked lid using a sterile turkey baster or big syringe.
once you have taken the gravity reading drink the beer to taste its progress DONT be tempted to pour it back in the bucket, drinking the sample save the need to sanitise the trial glass and hydrometer and eliminates the risk of adding anything unwanted back in,

If you drain from a tap, use a squirty bottle to rinse out the tap spout..

as for a rule of thumb as to how long primary fermentation takes, in optimum conditions with a 19C target temp set on my brewfridge controller a brew with S-04 circa 1040-1050 OG will ferment out in 4-5 days, in ambient temps with a daily rise and fall in ambient temp 2-3 weeks should see most beers complete primary. but as said only gravity readings will tell for sure..

hope i didnt go on too much ..