Too high to bottle?

[sholbert]

I've read some of the other threads on here, but I just want to be sure. I'm making my first batch, an Amber Ale, and it seems to be holding at 1.018 in the secondary. Is this too high to bottle? I'd expected it to come down a bit lower, more like 1.013 or 4, but it's been consistent for the past three days, so I'm not sure if it's close enough or not.

It was in the primary for three days, when the bubbling was down to about once every two minutes or so. I racked to the secondary and it's been there for just over two weeks. It's been pretty steady 65-68 degrees. Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance!

[richanne]

Has it stopped bubbling entirely? If it has stopped bubbling and the reading has been consistent for three days, then it is safe to bottle, although you may not have finished with the gravity you wanted/planned.

[sholbert]

Yes, it has stopped bubbling completely too. I figured there wasn't much more it would do, I just wanted to be sure that it wouldn't be way over-carbonated when I bottled.

Thanks for the help!

[brewmeisterintng]

If your gravity hasn't changed in three days your yeast has fermented all it is going to. You may have a bunch of non-fermentables which would cause a higher reading.
If you are still concerned, prime on the low side with maybe 1/2 cup corn sugar.

[BillyBock]

Sholbert: From what you describe, she's done fermenting if the gravity's been constant for 3 days. Your beer will just end up a little sweeter than you intended. There are many things that can cause this--type of extract being used is the first that comes to mind. Some extracts have a higher dextrin content than others and thus aren't as fermentable. Laaglander is notorious for this. What brand did you use? Insufficient aeration is another culprit. Another culprit is yeast, whether an insufficient amount, or tired, or a low-attenuating strain versus a higher-attenuatng strain. So if you can briefly describe your recipe and techniques, we can get an idea of the source of this and maybe help your next batch hit the right gravity.

v/r
Bill

[Azorean Brewer]

Sholbert,

Billy knows what he is talking about. We need to know the recipe ingredients and if you used dry yeast or liquid, and whether or not you made a starter or not etc ... regardless as stated go ahead and bottle, and let us know how it turned out OK,

Regardless, welcome to the BeerTools community to you and all new members ... There are a lot of people here that are willing to help you ...

Regards,

Paul.

[caosesvida]

That title, made me wonder what you were talking about?