It’s important to understand that not all fermentations are consistent across the board. Variations such as yeast health, yeast numbers, oxygen levels, pitching temperatures, fermentation temperatures will all play a role in determining how your fermentation will perform.
Some batches may ferment out in 5 days, some as long as 20+ days.
That is why it is important to NOT stick to blanket rules around how many days you should ferment your beer and instead determine the completion of your fermentation based on your gravity readings.
SIMPLE FERMENTATION SCHEDULE FOR COMPLETE FERMENTATION:
STEP 1
Just prior to pitching your yeast, take a recorded sample of your starting gravity
STEP 2
Pitch your yeast and set your fermentation to the designated temperature
STEP 3
Monitor your fermentation closely over the first 7 days. It’s important to keep an eye on your gravity over this time.
STEP 4
If temperature control is available to you, raise your fermentation temperature 3-4 c once your gravity is within 2–3 points of the expected final gravity.
Step 4 is important for beer quality as it ensures your yeast remains active to clean up any undesirable bi-products produced during fermentation.
STEP 5
Continue to monitor gravity. When the gravity remains consistent over a 2-3 day period, you can be confident that your fermentation is complete.
STEP 6
You can now move onto your conditioning and/or packaging stage.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION:
Having access to a refractometer is recommended as it allows you to only require small volumes of beer for your gravity checks.
However, we do suggest using a hydrometer for your final gravity readings to ensure better accuracy.
