Hydrometer reading at 1.020 on S/G scale...

[souldog]

I searched, and I couldn't find, but if my hydrometer is reading at 1.020 on the Specific Gravity scale, is it safe to bottle? I'm getting conflicting reports, thus I am posting this question.

I checked in with my local home brewing store owner, and he tells me that if my brew is reading at 1.020, then "...she's ready to bottle." So, I take my new hydro home and take a test run on my oatmeal stout and my India pale ale that is brewing. Both show at 1.020 S/G.

To further muddle the circumstance, I check an online instruction video (HERE) that tells the viewer that your final reading before bottling should be 1.008.


Anyone care to weigh in? As an aside, my two brews have been fermenting for 16 days now. Any help is appreciated gentlemen.

 

[Martin2D]

Bottling should occur when you take 3 specific gravities and they are the same. That being said, 1.020 sounds high.

 

[mcavoyd]

What SG are you shooting for? Are you following a recipe with a specified SG? What was the Original SG? Is this the stabilized SG? If it has it been stable for at least two days I would say bottle it. Also have you calibrated your hydrometer? Get on some beer brewing forums and they'll be able to answer all your questions.

 

[TrickNick]

This completely depends on the beer as well. A beer with a large specific gravity will have a much higher finishing gravity. Also, if you manage to create a lot of complex sugars and other non-fermentable disolved solids in your wort, the yeast will not be able to consume these, leading to a higher FG. So all in all, we need more details about your batch!

If you can you should definitely get your hands on a copy of BeerSmith so that you can estimate a target FG range. Its definitely worth the $15 for all of the features and calculations it provides you. Also, I know the transition takes time, but kegging is so much easier in the end

 

[mcavoyd]

Gotta agree about the kegging! :thumbs:

 

[NullSmurf]

Make sure you dump a pinch of sugar in the bottle prior to capping.

 

[souldog]

Make sure you dump a pinch of sugar in the bottle prior to capping.

Yes sir! I think the overall consensus is that I am going to wait for some more time. Since I added the molasses to the stout, it might be near ready at 1.020, but the guys on another HB forum I'm are saying I should expect the IPA to be near 1.042. The stout should be showing near 1.056.

 

[LilBastage]

Make sure you dump a pinch of sugar in the bottle prior to capping.

Yes sir! I think the overall consensus is that I am going to wait for some more time. Since I added the molasses to the stout, it might be near ready at 1.020, but the guys on another HB forum I'm are saying I should expect the IPA to be near 1.042. The stout should be showing near 1.056.

Jonathon, these numbers aren't making sense to me. You want the gravity to go down as the beer ferments. For example, the stout I just brewed was at 1.047 into the fermenter. I expect it to finish at about 1.012, and it's almost there.

According to Beersmith, the style guidelines for an IPA show a final gravity of 1.012-1.016 SG and 1.010-1.018 SG for an Oatmeal Stout. At 1.020, the stout may be near ready, but your 1.056 number is confusing me.

What were your gravity readings before fermentation?

 

[sporkd2]

I think this is the area where people go wrong most. Bottling should occur when you can take gravity readings over the course of a few days and get the exact same reading. Make sure your patient because the 1-2-3 rule really doesnt work because like most people have said, it depends on the beer.

I had a porter finish at 1.018 and an ESB finish at 1.010 because of the styles and mashing temps.

 

[souldog]

Make sure you dump a pinch of sugar in the bottle prior to capping.

Yes sir! I think the overall consensus is that I am going to wait for some more time. Since I added the molasses to the stout, it might be near ready at 1.020, but the guys on another HB forum I'm are saying I should expect the IPA to be near 1.042. The stout should be showing near 1.056.

Jonathon, these numbers aren't making sense to me. You want the gravity to go down as the beer ferments. For example, the stout I just brewed was at 1.047 into the fermenter. I expect it to finish at about 1.012, and it's almost there.

According to Beersmith, the style guidelines for an IPA show a final gravity of 1.012-1.016 SG and 1.010-1.018 SG for an Oatmeal Stout. At 1.020, the stout may be near ready, but your 1.056 number is confusing me.

What were your gravity readings before fermentation?

Yeah Alan, I was confused by that as well, but those were the numbers given to me by some posters on the Mr. Beer site. I asked them why their numbers are supposed to go UP, when I was told they're supposed to go down? I think the stout is almost done, but it seems the IPA has some time to go forward... This whole hydro crap is so new to me.

 

[LilBastage]

Yeah Alan, I was confused by that as well, but those were the numbers given to me by some posters on the Mr. Beer site. I asked them why their numbers are supposed to go UP, when I was told they're supposed to go down? I think the stout is almost done, but it seems the IPA has some time to go forward... This whole hydro crap is so new to me.

Well, patience is your friend with this as has been said. Don't bottle anything until you get the 3 consecutive readings. I'm not familiar with Mr. Beer, but do you have a recipe for the beers you've brewed? If so, someone who has Beersmith or another brewing software can quickly plug it in and see what the expected final reading should be. That can give you a guideline to go by even though it won't be exact.

Did you check the gravity before pitching the yeast? Next time, try your hardest to not skip this step. It gives you a baseline for your fermentation.

If the beer is fermenting, the gravity numbers will go down. The Specific Gravity in this realm is a measurement of the sugars in the wort, or beer before fermentation. The yeast use those sugars as food to produce the alcohol. That's why the SG reading should be lower after fermentation because there is less sugar in the liquid.