How long to ferment?

[jacksbrewery]

Hi, have started a couple of recent kit brews from Brupacks. Had 12-24 hours before main ferment kicked in and 24 hours later everything seems to have calmed down. OG was 1040 and gravity is now around 1020. I know ideally I am looking to achieve a final gravity of at least 1010 but is there a chance that if I leave the ale too long to reach this the beer will fail on secondary ferment? It is worth secondary fermenting in Cornelius Keg after just 3 days initial fermentation?

Thanks

[MightyMouth]

Leave it alone if you can, if the gravity doesnt drop then rouse the yeast by gently stirring with a sanitised spoon. You want to get down to between 1010 and 1014. You can easily leave it in the FV for 2 weeks or more if necessary and I never move it before 10 days. Have you been aerating the wort before pitching the yeast?

[jacksbrewery]

Thanks for that. I will sit tight and keep an eye on it! I aerated the wort before ferment for about 5 mins with vigorous stirring with long spoon with holes in it. Thought about using kids airbed foot pump to blow some air through the mixture! Is this type of aeration an option?

[Hoodlum]

personally i wouldn't do that, unless you can 100% guarantee that you can clean (sanitise) the innards of the pump, plus some types of rubber seals impart a particular odour to the air pumped through them that could be transferred into your beer.

[jacksbrewery]

Thanks, never even considered that! Will stick to big spoon with holes in it and lot of elbow grease, probs is am runnig out of bottled homebrew and dont want to resort to supermarket! Patience is a virtue as they say!

[MightyMouth]

I use a plastic brewing paddle on the end of a battery drill to aerate, Just make sure the drill isn't covered in brick dust and wood shavings.