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my first ever brew has been fermenting for a week. The little bubble thing has one bubble pop up every 2 minutes or so. Should it be completely still before I transfer to the barrel?
Hydrometer should tell you if it's ready, reading should be around the 1.010 mark (sometimes better, sometimes worse).
Sounds as though it's ready anyway, assuming fermentation went well get it kegged!
I didn't know if opening the lid would mess it up. That's my post f1 job sorted
I think most of the CO2 would have made it's way through the edge of the lid anyway, I never even got bubbles in my air locks when fermenting in a bucket/lid combo.
How long has it been in? Hydrometer doesn't lie if you have one...
a full week. I do have a hydrometer. Well, I think I have. is that the weighted thermometer looking thing?
Yep, from what you're saying it sounds as though it's done.
Won't hurt to leave it in for a few more days if you're not convinced!
yes, that's the one. give it a clean in a solution of VWP (sanitising stuff) if you have some, or thin bleach if not, then rinse well. If you have a trial jar, do the same with that & then scoop a trial jar full of beer out of the fermenting bin.
Drop the hydrometer in that & see what level the beer reaches. If you don't have a trial jar, drop it in the fermenting bin.
discard the beer from the trial jar (or drink it!) to avoid contaminating the main batch.
When the level is below 1010 and remains steady for 3 days, it's finished fermenting. Now you can add your finings, if you're using any; leave a couple more days to settle, then siphon into clean barrel or bottles. Don't forget your priming sugar (granulated is fine), 80-110g per 23litres, or 1/2 a teaspoon per bottle. Easiest way is to boil up some water & add the sugar to that, then let it cool to room temp. put some clingfilm over it to keep the nasties out while it cools. then add to the fermenting bin just before bottling/kegging.
i stopped uing a hydrometer after a while. if there isnt a big head on the surface of the beer in the bucket then i bottle/keg it. this has seen me alright for my kit and grain brews (always got compliments on my beers). plus it wont hurt the beer if you leave it for a couple more days,
dont forget the extra sugar when you keg/bottle for a secondary fermentation to give it some fiz, espeially if you are kegging as this will help pressurize the keg. which beer is it?
wherry starter kit. I want to do it properly next time though
Do Check your beer with the hydrometer . The gravity needs to be 1009 - 1012 . If its a little high move it to the warmest place in your house for a day or 2. If its bang on then move it to the coldest place inside ( or the garage ) .
Leave it cold for 72 hours then keg or bottle it .
This will remove alot of yeast and protein that will be in suspension.
Oh , buy a better hydrometer and temp correction chart , 1000 - 1030 is the most useful.
Singletrackmind, re leaving it in the cold before kegging/bottling - wouldn't this drop the yeast you need for carbonation, or would there still be some remaining?
1009-1012? Mine's never been that specific (or measurable to that accuracy with my hydrometer). It's also specific to the beer and it's strength?
its wherry hard (sorry couldnt resist that 
) to mess up the wherry so long as you follow the instructions and get all the sanitisation right and rinse everything properly. 6-8 weeks in the keg will see you with a good beer... enjoy!
wherry should finish around 1014 i think, but i dont use a hydrometer anymore.....
my hydrometer is graduated in 2s, fairly easy to estimate half of one of these, so reading 1013 for example should be 1 & a half graduations above 1010.
NO, all the yeast wont drop out in 72 hrs
Yes , it is different for every batch but 9 - 11 will be OK for most bitters.
1 degree of fermentable / simple sugar will make a difference to CO2 but not to taste , mouthfeel or ABV .
2 degress too much is enough to start blowing caps or cracking bottles ( if you already have say 4' fermentables and you prime it and do what all the students do and add double what they tell you as it makes it twice as strong ..... .. . .honest )
NO, all the yeast wont drop out in 72 hrs
Cheers, may try this next brew.
I normally leave for a week in the same spot...plus a few days, whenever I can get around to bottling/kegging.
So your way means less yeast in keg, drops bright a little quicker but still enough to carbonate?
Correct.
Less yeast, tighter bottoms ( we all like tight bottoms )
Less wastage / more yeild.
Bar bright beer can still have 10,000 cells per ml so enough to do something , although more than this is desirable
can I just use normal sugar?
For carbonating yes.
If you are kegging it you can pretty much relax, seven days in the fermenter should be bang on, but another three or four won't do it any harm at all.
If for some reason the beer doesn't condition you can always add half a sachet of dried yeast by opening up the barrel (this is not so easy when you have 40 bottles of flat beer!)
But I very very much doubt that will happen, it's never happened to me and I've made quite a bit of beer in my time 🙂