Arghhhh - How do I know when my lager kit is ready to bottle

[sparkly]

I set it off 7 days ago and there is no obvious signs of fermentation anymore. Didn't ready the specific gravity at the beginning. I think the reading is 1.018 now. I started to bottle it and put the sugar in the bottles, but now I think it is wrong? What should I do????

[floydmeddler]

7 days is usually long enough in my experience. What you could do, is leave it for another day then take a reading again. If the reading is the same, get it bottled.

[sparkly]

Problem is half of it is now in bottles already! Am in a bit of a panic ! doh!

What does the reading of 1.018 tell me. There is a band that says "bottle" on the hydrometer and that is from 1.011-0.998. Does it matter that it was not within this range?

Should I just leave the bottles that I have already done and hope and re-check the bucket tomorrow to see if the reading has changed?

[floydmeddler]

The reading tells you how much sugar is left in the brew. When it has stopped falling, you'll know that it is ready to bottle.

Don't worry too much about it. It should be fine. However, my advice is to wait until tomorrow and take a reading. Hopefully it will still be at 1018 and you can relax knowing that the ones you bottled today are completely fine.

[sparkly]

Thanks for the help! Am a bit calmer now!

Hopefully it will be okay...

last question.

I also have some cider and ale going that were started off 6 days ago. Would I be okay leaving them another week before bottling?

[floydmeddler]

I reckon it should be fine. My advice is to invest in a hydrometer. Hydrometer = less stress!