Ginger Beer Fermantation - How Long?

[OBI_Ron]

Hello Everyone,

First timer here - I made a 1 gallon batch of basic ginger beer that has been fermenting for about 4 days. I am a little unclear as to how long to let it go on. Should it be a time period? Or should I wait until all bubbling stops?

Thanks in advance!

[spiderwrangler]

You only need to post once. Forum users can click on "View Active Topics" and see any new posts, it isn't necessary to post it under different category headers. I hope you find this response pleasant, somehow I've become the one to bust new poster's balls on this sort of thing, but it's not personal... just keeping the forums as user friendly as possible.

[spiderwrangler]

Also, it's only necessary to post on a topic once. Forum users can click on the "View Active Topics" thing to see anything posted recently. Streamlines things and keeps the forums a bit less cluttered with duplicate posts, as well as making it easier for you to follow people's responses and suggestions.

[OBI_Ron]

Also, it's only necessary to post on a topic once. Forum users can click on the "View Active Topics" thing to see anything posted recently. Streamlines things and keeps the forums a bit less cluttered with duplicate posts, as well as making it easier for you to follow people's responses and suggestions.

Thanks for not bashing the new guy that didn't read the FAQ to badly - I noticed the message about new posts being moderated after posting my second - I thought I had closed the window, or otherwise botched my first post.

Thanks again!

[spiderwrangler]

HA! I actually didn't realize that I'd posted that in here twice! There was another new poster that I'd thought I'd said something in there and one in here... but ended up doing both in here. Guess I'll copy paste it over there too...

[Ozwald]

Spider, you jerk!

As for your fermentation you should definitely wait for the airlock to calm down. A fairly inexpensive tool, the hydrometer, is your friend here. Anyone I've taught to brew over the years is given a list of 'must haves' & 'nice to haves'. While you can brew a good beer without one, I still place it on the 'must have' list - most brewers who can get by without one are generally experienced enough, and the brewers are experienced enough usually have half a dozen of them lying around. Most homebrew shops can hook you up with a hydrometer & test tube for ~$10-15.

The biggest problem with an underfermented beer can be quite dangerous. If you bottle it too early it will continue to ferment in the bottle, producing more carbon dioxide. If that builds up enough pressure you'll have a case of, quite literally, bombs. Exploding glass can cause a hazard to ones eyesight & bloodflow.

A hydrometer will tell you the amount of sugars in any given solution. If you take a reading & compare it to another reading a couple days later, you can see a measurement of the yeast activity. Some brewers will intentionally bottle just a little early so that excess carbon dioxide will dissolve in the beer to create the carbonation naturally. This is a more advanced technique, and only should be done when the brewer really knows the recipe/yeast & can predict the results accurately.

Basically what you're looking for is for the fermentation to finish; the hydrometer readings should stop changing. Then you can add back a measured amount of sugar to create a controlled & safe level of carbonation in the final product. If you've never used a hydrometer before, keep in mind that the temperature of the measured solution is critical to an accurate reading. It only takes a couple of degrees from where the hydrometer is calibrated to cause an 'off reading'. You can find calculators to help you, but they also will have a slight margin of error. If you're not too concerned knowing what the final degree of fermentation or percentage of alcohol is, I would just make sure you're relatively close to the hydrometer's calibrated temp & every time you measure it, do it at the same temperature.

[OBI_Ron]

Thanks everyone - I will get a hydrometer sometime - for my first batch, I realize I am flying by the seat of my pants, but as long as i wait for the airlock to calm down, I think I will be safe.

Thanks again all!

[brewinhard]

Welcome! And a good rule of thumb is to let the beer ferment for about 2 weeks before packaging. This gives the yeast time to complete fermentation as well as condition the beer (clean up after itself after producing any unwanted byproducts).