How do I know when my beer is ready to rack (transfer) to a secondary fermenter or to bottle or keg?
Use a hydrometer to take specific gravity readings. This is far and away the best method to reliably judge when fermentation has completed. Bubbles and airlock activity are not always a good indication, and neither is whether the kraeusen (head on top of the fermenting beer) has fallen into the beer. When there has been little or no change in the specific gravity after 48 hours between readings, you can usually assume that fermentation is nearly or completely finished. How long to age a beer in secondary is a more subjective issue. In general, lagers and high gravity beers benefit from aging in bulk prior to bottling or kegging. Other styles may be best consumed fresh after little or no secondary aging.
