When to bottle

[J Ccoles]

I have just finnished my first batch of homebrew (Brewers Choice ESB) The fermentation stopped (although there were small bubbles still on the surface) and the brew was left for 3 days prior to bottling. Care was taken when syphoning the beer into the bottles so as not to disturb the sediment however the beer in the bottles appears very cloudy although it is clearing slowly with yeast deposits on the bottom of the bottle. My question is, should I have left the beer in the fermentation vesel for a longer time prior to bottling in order to allow the beer to clear? The instructions say bottle when the fermentaton has finnished after about 5 days and I read somewhere that leaving the beer on the yeast may impart unpleasant flavours. Any guidance would be most appreciated.

[mysterio]

You can comfortably leave it for 2 weeks I would say. Even 3 weeks should be fine. This would be my preferred method so as to avoid a large deposit of yeast in the bottle. If you use an inadequate amount of yeast, underaerate, or allow the fermented beer to become warm, then the chances of yeast death (autolysis) is much greater.

You can also rack the beer off the yeast into a secondary fermenter (clearing tank), if you're careful not to aerate the finished beer.

Just be careful when decanting the beer from the bottle, do it when the beer is cold and do it in one smooth motion and you'll leave the yeast behind. How can you see inside the bottles, by the way? Are they clear ?

[cwrw gwent]

It sounds to me as though you have done everything right and the beer will be fairly clear within three or four days time. In any case, there's no hurry unless you're going to drink it this weekend. The yeast on the bottom of the bottle is perfectly normal. Mysterio is absolutely correct when he says to chill the beer (not too cold), pour it in one fell swoop and tip the bottle back when the yeast sediment is seen swimming towards the neck.

Keep the beer in a warm (18/21C) place for three days for secondary fermentation and then store it at about 11/14C (not easy in this weather) for a couple of weeks at least.

[J Ccoles]

Thanks guys , I checked the bottles again this AM and they have cleared quite a bit more . Its just having to keep your hands off that is the hard part!

[mercilessrich]

Hmmmm interesting. How does adding in a 2ndry vat affect things? Some ppl seem to use a 2ndry just to mix in the primer, while others leave it in there for up to 1 week to let excess yeast settle out.
I've only bottled one lager and think I did it too soon (got down to 1010 in 6 days, 2 days in 2ndry then bottled). I ended up with a thick sediment that was too easily disturbed upon opening.