Airlock still going after 96 hours, infection?
- Thread starter goody0
- Start date
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don't worry about it. Sometimes they bubble for a while.
Gravity readings?
They're the only things that can tell you what your beer is doing, not us, OR your airlock.
They're the only things that can tell you what your beer is doing, not us, OR your airlock.
kpr121
Well-Known Member
Yeah 4 days is NOT a long fermentation. If anything, it is pretty short in the grand scheme of things. I've had buckets that bubbled for 2-3 weeks, and they all turned out fine. Get a hydrometer and measure the gravity. Then wait another couple weeks before bottling/touching it. You'll thanks us for it.
azscoob
Brewpub coming soon!
I brewed a Saison well over a month ago, it is still blooping the airlock every once in a while.
It is done fermenting and is not infected, the bubbles are the beer outgassing the CO2 that was produced during fermentation.
No worries on my end, I will get around to kegging it sometime. :rockin:
It is done fermenting and is not infected, the bubbles are the beer outgassing the CO2 that was produced during fermentation.
No worries on my end, I will get around to kegging it sometime. :rockin:
Yeast strain? I did a beer with Wyeast Kolsch that bubbled for almost a month and the krausen never did fall back down. I don't think you need to worry.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
Maybe this batch won't taste like bananas then.
Gropo
Well-Known Member
Yeah...what they said. I've got a IIPA in the carboy right now that's 9 days out and still bubbling. Airlocks lie, hydrometers don't.
hops2it
Well-Known Member
I think I'd be more skeptical if there were NO activity at 96 hrs.
cruckin78
Well-Known Member
NuclearRich
Well-Known Member
airlocks bubbling are the #1 source of infection identification
rycov
Well-Known Member
+1
Gropo
Well-Known Member
The other big benefit of taking a gravity reading is that it gives you an opportunity to sneak a taste of your beer, thus setting your mind at ease, or conversely, letting you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that your beer has turned to piss & vinegar.
First and foremost LISTEN TO REVVY!!!
The airlock tells me when what's going on after watching it for many, many batches but I still don't trust the little bastard.
Also warm loving yeast fermented cool can work slow. Either give it time or whip out the hydrometer.
And of course, more than likely when he pops the lid to take a reading, it's going to more than likely stop bubbling. And it's gonna mean absolutely nothing.
Gropo
Well-Known Member
Don't feel bad for asking goodyO, it's a valid question. I know that Palmer's book says something about "worry about infection if your airlock is still bubbling after a week", but unfortunately you can't reliably use the airlock as an indicator of what's going on inside. The people on this forum can be a really great resource for information....don't be afraid to ask. I'm sure your beer is fine.
azscoob
Brewpub coming soon!
Exactly, I hope I didn't seem to give you the brush off, I was trying to set your worries to rest. your airlock is just a valve for excess pressure. I leave my fermenters for an average of a month, at that point I open it up to take a gravity reading, if I see a pellicle gettin funky on the surface I taste a sample from below the funk and if it tastes good, I rack from below the pellicle and keg as usual.
Gropo
Well-Known Member
Geepers...1.012 in 4 days?? Nice attenuation! I hope you like your IPA's dry.
Gropo
Well-Known Member
I think that he was being facetious....made me laugh anyway.
What????
Airlock bubbling is the number 1 source of everything from fermentation to changes in atmospheric temps, a raise in temperature, to the cat brushing against the fermenter. An airlock is a vent, a valve to release excess co2, not a magic fermentation gauge or infection detector. Especially not an infection detector.
I hope he was being facetious.
nefarious_1_
Well-Known Member
lol
In all seriousness though, 4 days is nothing. My hefe has been fermenting for the past 5 days and I'm not in the least bit concerned. Take your gravity readings then, RDWHAHB.
NuclearRich
Well-Known Member
Totally, lol.
But aside from being a vent, it also provides rainbows if you let leprechauns live in it (But, you will naturally have to be fermenting a stout). I've never seen it myself, but I have heard that airlocks also grow a moss that is very symbiotic to hop growth. I still have my fingers crossed.
Gropo
Well-Known Member
Airlocks are the #2 contributor to global warming. If it's still bubbling after a week, you could end up with a major fine from the EPA. I hear that California is going to mandate Catalytic Converters be installed on all airlocks manufactured after January 1 2011.
NuclearRich
Well-Known Member
Gropo said:
Lmao. Two cats. Pzev.
