Pipes4Strength

Recipes 

Made an IPA with WLP002 on 8/24, kept it in primary for 3 weeks then added 1 oz of Cascade leaves on 9/14.

I was getting ready to bottle today and removed the hops a few hours ago while bottles were sanitizing.

As I'm prepping bottling equipment, I can see the airlock bubbling! 2-3x /minute.

I kept the wort between 60-65 for most of the first 3 weeks, with some minor fluctuations. Since dry-hopping, it has been at about 65-70.

Everything has gone according to plan to this point, but I'm guessing I shouldn't bottle tonight.

This is only my 5th brew, so any advice you pros can offer will be very much appreciated.

Revvy

Recipes 

You opened it up and then closed it...and you added nucleation points when you dropped the hops in. More than likely you also nudged the fermenter while you put the lid back on.

Additionally is not unusual to get some C02 production from the dry hops. it seems especially true if you are using whole hops.

Airlocks can start or stop or start and stop again, for a ton of other reasons, like temp changes, getting nudged by the cat or the vacuum cleaner, changes in barometric pressure.

All an airlock is is a valve, a vent to release excess gas...which it's doing now.

So in other words, it means absolutely nothing, except you airlock is bubbling....

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Pipes4Strength

Recipes 

Is it safe to bottle? GF would love to have the dishwasher back. (admittedly, that question should've been asked in the initial post.

Revvy

Recipes 

What's your current gravity?

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Like my snazzy new avatar? Get Sons of Zymurgy swag, here, and brew with the best.

Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured. - Madman

I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac! - YooperBrew

day_trippr

Recipes 

If your fermenter was warming up while you prepared to bottle, CO2 that was dissolved in the brew will start to come out of solution (colder beer can hold more CO2 than warmer beer).

In all likelihood you could have gone ahead and bottled...

Cheers!

HomebrewMTB

Recipes 

After 3 weeks in primary and another week in secondary, there is a 99.999% chance it's done and ready to bottle.

Pipes4Strength

Recipes 

Thanks guys. I figured it was done but thought it best to wait and be embarrassed into confidence about bottling it. Happy brewing to you all.

bottlebomber

Recipes 

Don't wait for IPA, hustle them into the bottle or keg asap. I bottle mine after 2 weeks, 3 weeks if its over 1.075. Ill even start dry hopping while the fermentation is winding down to meet this time frame. Those hops aromas need to be captivated as soon as possible. And a lot of those "the yeast needs to clean up" processes happen inside the bottle just as well as inside a fermenter IMO.