When would you rack?

Get advice on making beer from raw ingredients (malt, hops, water and yeast)
Post Reply
Whorst

When would you rack?

Post by Whorst » Tue Nov 11, 2008 3:43 pm

Landlord clone is nearly done. I find that a lot of times when there's still a little airlock activity, it's just co2 coming out of solution, not actual fermentation. I'm wondering if I should take a gravity reading, or just wait 'til Friday to rack. It's possible it may be done now. I did hit the wort with about a minute worth of oxygen before I pitched the yeast. It's coming on 4 days now.

Madbrewer

Re: When would you rack?

Post by Madbrewer » Tue Nov 11, 2008 3:54 pm

If you're racking off the sediment? I'd do it sooner rather than later (to get it out of the way and clearing) and leave in another 'carboy?' for a further week before kegging.

If you meant kegging and you don't plan to go through a clearing stage i'd leave till friday but take a reading both thursday and friday to be sure it's ready.

FWIW I only take gravity readings when I 'rack' for interest value. Bad pracitce or not I don't know but armed with 'this' reading, my anticipated final gravity, and airlock activity I judge when it's done. When I then keg - I decide if it's 1.010 or below and the airlocks only glugging every two minutes it's about ready. At kegging time i take a reading and calculate my ABV%. Because I keg it doesn't matter too much if I am wrong, the placcy keg will let out the spare C02. I would then consider bottling some as long as the reading when going into keg-was at around the estimated FG. It bottling though - it has to be two unchanging readings IMO.

Whorst

Re: When would you rack?

Post by Whorst » Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:43 pm

I was going to rack, prime and fine into a corny. I will probably let it go for a couple more days. I find that hitting the wort with pure oxygen really speeds things up. It's probably close to done now.

Madbrewer

Re: When would you rack?

Post by Madbrewer » Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:02 pm

Whorst wrote:I was going to rack, prime and fine into a corny. I will probably let it go for a couple more days. I find that hitting the wort with pure oxygen really speeds things up. It's probably close to done now.
Yeah there's something that doesn't feel right with me even when I do get a fast ferment. 4 days from Pitch to corny seems just - short somehow, I like to let gravity do it's bit too. Just personal preference I guess.

Post Reply