Still bubbling.

So I'm only on day 13 after by brew, but I thought it was time to check my gravity. I'm at about 1.014, and it's still bubbling. I mean, not fast. Probably like 1 bubble in my airlock every 2-3 minutes. But over the course of the day, that mathematically adds up to quite a bit. The krausen came and went already, it looked like a healthy fermentation. Didn't foam up to the mouth like some pictures I've seen, but it went up pretty good.

Don't get me wrong, it's not bubbling that much like it was before, it's slowed down a ton. But I was planning on transferring it into my secondary tomorrow, but I don't know if I should just leave it in there for a few more days till it totally stops or not. Do I need to wait till it TOTALLY stops? Or just just transfter it into it without worrying so much. Or just leave it in the primary for a few extra days, I can't really see how it would hurt?

Take another gravity reading in a couple days. If the SG has not changed, then fermentation is over. Leave the beer in your primary for another week or so for the yeast to clean up a bit, then bottle. Cheers!

Don't pay attention to bubbling. Weather changes (barometric pressure) can make it bubble even though fermentation is over. So can temperature changes, etc. As noted above, check gravity - if it's stable over a couple days, you're good. That's the best, most reliable way to tell if fermentation is done.

Still, even if it is done, it would be good to let the beer sit in the fermenter for a couple more weeks to clear. I usually leave my beers in the primary for 4-5 weeks.

I'm certainly not the most knowledgeable brewer here, but if you want to rack it over to your secondary I wouldn't let a couple bubbles stop me.

Not knowing what you brewed 1.014 doesn't tell me quite enough, but as a general rule for a large percentage of ales that's in the neighborhood of done.

I brewed the American Wheat Pale Ale extract kit that came with my starter kit. First brew. My OG was 1.040. I just don't know how long I should let her bubble. From what read, the gravity is supposed to run between 1.010-1.015, and I'm within that. But I am just confused because all indications fermentation is complete, except my my airlock is still bubbling. I planned on leaving it in my secondary till about Christmas.

NTXBrauer said:

Leave the beer in your primary for another week or so for the yeast to clean up a bit, then bottle. Cheers!

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Isn't letting the remaining yeast clean up and settle out why we go to secondary?

Leaving it in the primary will accomplish the same thing, and do so without the risks of oxidation and contamination that come with a transfer.

#7 + 1

OakPond said:

I brewed the American Wheat Pale Ale extract kit that came with my starter kit. First brew. My OG was 1.040. I just don't know how long I should let her bubble. From what read, the gravity is supposed to run between 1.010-1.015, and I'm within that. But I am just confused because all indications fermentation is complete, except my my airlock is still bubbling. I planned on leaving it in my secondary till about Christmas.

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Airlock bubbling is not a reliable sign of fermentation. As JonM said, don't pay attention to the bubbling. It's meaningless at this point. Just excess gas escaping from the liquid. The only true way to know if fermentation is complete is through gravity readings which you've already done one. People say you should take 2 readings 2-3 days apart and if it hasn't dropped then fermentation is over. In my opinion for an extract beer if it's been 2 weeks and it's at 1.014 it's probably done. Go ahead and bottle whenever you like. 2-3 weeks in primary is enough time for most brews (especially a low gravity wheat beer). You definitely don't need a secondary.

peterj said:

Airlock bubbling is not a reliable sign of fermentation. As JonM said, don't pay attention to the bubbling. It's meaningless at this point. Just excess gas escaping from the liquid. The only true way to know if fermentation is complete is through gravity readings which you've already done one. People say you should take 2 readings 2-3 days apart and if it hasn't dropped then fermentation is over. In my opinion for an extract beer if it's been 2 weeks and it's at 1.014 it's probably done. Go ahead and bottle whenever you like. 2-3 weeks in primary is enough time for most brews (especially a low gravity wheat beer). You definitely don't need a secondary.

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I agree with you that the airlock bubbling doesn't mean squat. However, it won't hurt to leave the finished beer on the yeast for another few days, both to check the gravity over several days to make sure it's done and to give the yeast time to clean up after itself.

Newsman said:

I agree with you that the airlock bubbling doesn't mean squat. However, it won't hurt to leave the finished beer on the yeast for another few days, both to check the gravity over several days to make sure it's done and to give the yeast time to clean up after itself.

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I agree it won't hurt at all to leave it a little longer. But I think people sometimes overestimate the amount of time it takes for a beer to ferment out and clean up. Most beers are generally done fermenting in about 5-7 days and the yeast consuming the byproducts of fermentation happens right after that. So by day 10 or so most beers are probably done and finished cleaning up as much as they are going to. That being said it doesn't hurt anything (and may be preferable) to leave your beers for a little while longer just to make sure. I generally don't touch my beer until around 3 weeks in the primary unless it's a pretty low gravity beer that is good fresh. But even then my minimum is about 2 weeks.

peterj said:

I agree it won't hurt at all to leave it a little longer. But I think people sometimes overestimate the amount of time it takes for a beer to ferment out and clean up. Most beers are generally done fermenting in about 5-7 days and the yeast consuming the byproducts of fermentation happens right after that. So by day 10 or so most beers are probably done and finished cleaning up as much as they are going to. That being said it doesn't hurt anything (and may be preferable) to leave your beers for a little while longer just to make sure. I generally don't touch my beer until around 3 weeks in the primary unless it's a pretty low gravity beer that is good fresh. But even then my minimum is about 2 weeks.

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I do the same now, even if it's a simple pale ale, I leave it in the fermenter for a minimum for 2 weeks, my stout 3 weeks before I do anything more with it.