Airlock activity after 2 weeks

homebrewjapan · 04-11-2009, 01:11 PM

Hi,

I made my first extract recipe two weeks ago on March 31st (link). OG was 1.055.

On April 5th it was down to 1.018.

Today, almost 2 weeks after putting it into the primary, the airlock is still bubbling once every 10-20 seconds. The gravity today is 1.016.

Should I give this more time before bottling? Until airlock activity is less frequent?

**Yooper** · 04-11-2009, 01:20 PM

The airlock activity doesn't mean that fermentation is taking place- you may be experiencing some warmer weather or a front is coming through with higher barometric pressure. If the gravity went from 1.018 to 1.016, though, that means the beer fermented a little bit more.

Check the gravity again in 2 days. If it's still 1.016, you can bottle.

homebrewjapan · 04-11-2009, 01:27 PM

> The airlock activity doesn't mean that fermentation is taking place- you may be experiencing some warmer weather

Good point. Actually Japan's weather has really warmed up the last few days.

> Check the gravity again in 2 days. If it's still 1.016, you can bottle.

In 6 days it has gone down 2 points. I'm unlikely to notice much difference in just two days - would need to leave it 5 days or so.

Schnitzengiggle · 04-11-2009, 04:53 PM

I have a stout that will be in the primary for 4 weeks this Tuesday, I am still getting bubbles. The consensus has been that it is outgassing. My hydro readings have not changed in over 10 days. Just goes to show, airlock activity is by no means a way to predict fermentation.

homebrewjapan · 04-12-2009, 02:13 AM

> > The airlock activity doesn't mean that fermentation is taking place- you may be experiencing some warmer weather

> Good point. Actually Japan's weather has really warmed up the last few days.

It just dawned on me that my other fermenter is not bubbling away much and that beer has been in for just a week. If it was weather, it would most likely affect everything.

Back to my original beer though - since it has only gone down 0.002 in 6 days and it's been in for two weeks, I guess any activity now isn't going to be significant. I'm going to go ahead with bottling.