When is it time to bottle

[MolsonH]

Hi everyone!

Being new to this I quickly realized how much beer making really is an art and that everyone has their own ways that work for them. I'm doing a Festa brew kit (Pale Ale) and I decided to toss the instructions (not literally) as I've seen people mention to do. I decided to opt out of the second fermentation into the glass carboy. What I am a bit confused about is that I've seen people say you should leave your beer in your primary for 2-3 weeks. And I've also seen that once your specific gravity is stable for 2-3 days you are ready to bottle.
I've had my beer in my primary for 4 days now, and decided to check the specific gravity. I measured about 1.013. The specific gravity that the kits lists as finished gravity is 1.0124-1.0132. My hydrometer not being that accurate I am wondering if my fermentation is completed. So if I see the SG doesn't change in the next days should I bottle now? Or should I give it a few more weeks? How do I know? I'm not really in a rush, I just want to do whatever will make my beer taste better

Thanks in advance!

Marcel

[mr x]

There's no way you can read a hydrometer to that fifth digit. Ignore it.

[Jimmy]

Even if you hit the proper final gravity you will want to leave it in the primary for a week or two before bottling. By leaving it for a bit longer it gives the yeast time to clean up after themselves and will lead to a cleaner beer.

[MolsonH]

Even if you hit the proper final gravity you will want to leave it in the primary for a week or two before bottling. By leaving it for a bit longer it gives the yeast time to clean up after themselves and will lead to a cleaner beer.

I guess I'm just kinda wondering what are the deciding factors in determining it's time to bottle. Is it just a make sure your specific gravity is stable, has it been a few weeks, and do you have time to do it tonight kinda thing?

[Jimmy]

No timing necessary.

You just want to make sure your final gravity stabilizes (and somewhere near the proper range), and let it sit for a couple weeks to let the yeast clean up after themselves..that's pretty much it.

Sometimes my beer sits in the primary for 1.5 weeks before kegging and sometimes it's 3.5 weeks.

[CorneliusAlphonse]

Depends on the beer style too - some styles benefit from longer aging before bottling. This type would be the kind to put in a carboy and leave for a month or two (for example, Russian imperial stout, barley wine). Any festa brew beers should be ready to bottle after say 2 weeks, assuming the gravity dropped appropriately.

[MolsonH]

Thanks!