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Just started my first HB on the weekend. Everything is going ok, got a lager and a stout going both at about 22deg going steady. Guy at the home brew shop said fermentation should be finished in 3 or 4 days and then bottle. But reading the posts it looks as though I should wait for a couple of weeks. Is that correct?

Welcome MR!

Leave it for a couple weeks even at 22C. You will have a much better product and lesser chance of bottle bombs. Spend some more time reading the posts here and your beers will be first class before you know it!

MR, the thing you learn about home brewing once you visit a site like this is that most of the home brew store owners do not have the depth of knowledge that you might assume.

Fermentation can take different amounts of time depending on how much malt/sugars there are in a brew and what temperature you brew at, as well as what kind of yeast you use.

In your case I would wait at least one week, and for best results on your first go, leave it in the fermenter for 2 weeks whilst making sure you keep the temp steady.

Doing 2 brews at once for your first HB is admirable, however take your time and learn from each brew. Try something new each time and have fun experimenting.

Be sure to read the stickys too as they contain valuable information that has helped all of us over the years.

Thanks for the advice guys

Hi MR

After you've done a number of brews @ two weeks, you'll get a better feel for how long each takes (and read the posts on this site). Then you can safely make your own call on how soon you can bottle.

To be honest I've never seen a brew ready at 3 days!

My 3rd brew ever was done in 3 days, and it was feral. Last time I ever listened to brewing advice from Coopers.