Fermentation / Bottling time

Megary

Hi all.  I am a small batch beginner brewer and have a few Qs.
I've got some beer fermenting that I made recently.  On Sunday it will be two weeks since I made it so I had hoped I'll be bottling then, however it's still slowly bubbling so I assume it's still fermenting.
I don't have the tools to take a sample and a gravity read.   Would it be a problem if it's still fermenting when I bottle it?  (like, one bubble every 10 or so seconds so quite slow).

Minbari

Assuming you intend to add more sugar to the wort in a bottling bucket (or sugar to each individual bottle), it would be a huge problem if you bottle the wort while it's still fermenting.  You would likely over-carbonate the beer and risk exploding bottles.  Very nasty.
However, the idea that you are still getting active fermentation after 2 weeks is a bit suspect.  Unfortunately, without taking a series of gravity readings with a hydrometer, you really have no way to know for sure.  It's not recommended to bottle without confirming terminal gravity.
Good luck.

Minbari

thank you!  I took the OG but I have no real idea what the ABV should be, so what good would a gravity reading do, out of interest?  I always take the FG reading before I bottle and work out the ABV...

Zambezi-Special

ABV had nothing to do with what he is saying.  You can't know if the fermentation is finished if you don't take two successive readings to verify SG doesn't change.
You can roll the dice and hope, but I wouldn't do it.  A hydrometer is like $10 and refractometer is $35.  Cheap insurance against bad results or exploding bottles

Zambezi-Special

Ah I get it now.   How much gap would you leave it between the two readings?