Beer Forum

Extract with grain steep started at 1.060 using Safale-05. After two weeks, SG is down to 1.018, but I still have a slight yeasty/bready smell. Keep waiting, or move on to the next phase?

Side question: would putting a small piece of dry ice in the beer be a viable way to protect a slowed ferment from oxidation after it's been opened to take a sample?

It's prob close to done ... Gve it a day or two just in case ..

General rule of thumb is that a completed fermentation should take the gravity down to a quarter. 1.060 goes to 1.015. 1.040 goes to 1.010. This is an approximation. The best way to know you're done is serial hydrometer readings. Over all, if you had a healthy fermentation, Safale-05 should be done in 5-7 days. Everything after that is conditioning...which is almost as important as the fermentation.

While dry ice probably would work, a CO2 charger or tank would probably be cheaper and more convenient in the long run unless you have ready access to dry ice whenever you'd need it. The cooling of the small amount of beer you are talking about likely wouldn't have much of an effect, as long as you are using a small amount...

Being my first batch, I don't have much experience. So, thank you all for your advice and help. Is the doughy smell at this stage common?

Cody wrote:Extract with grain steep started at 1.060 using Safale-05. After two weeks, SG is down to 1.018, but I still have a slight yeasty/bready smell. Keep waiting, or move on to the next phase?

Side question: would putting a small piece of dry ice in the beer be a viable way to protect a slowed ferment from oxidation after it's been opened to take a sample?

You are most likely fine to move on with the next phase given the 2 wk. time period. If you only took a sample from your fermenter than you do not have many worries about oxidation as any oxygen will still probably be pushed out from a protective layer of CO2 above the beer. Now, if you opened the fermenter several times than you would have a bit more of a worry.