cabanabob

Recipes 

In an extract beer, we had a primary fermentation in a 5 gallon pail. After a week, we transfered it to a carboy for secondary fermentation. At the transfer, fermentation was stopped. It was left alone for over 2 weeks in the carboy, and I just checked it. There was foam on top of the brew and I noticed the airlock was bubbling a few times a minute. What happened? Should we let it continue? Are we in trouble? Should we empty it into the pail and then back into the carboy to see if it stops?

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Cabanabob

Blender

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I wouldn't move it again but if have a hydrometer I would check the gravity and see where it is at. It might just have to sit for another week to finish.

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Gary

DRoyLenz

Recipes 

This has never happened to me, but I've heard of people thinking that fermentation has restarted after racking to the secondary, but what is actually happening is carbon dioxide is coming out of suspension due to the transfer disturbance. Check out this link: How to Brew - By John Palmer - Using Secondary Fermentors (second paragraph from the bottom).

After 2 weeks seems a little suspicious to me, but, like I said, I have no experience with this personally.

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D

All-Grain Brewing with Extract Brewing Equipment

DRoyLenz

Recipes 

I agree with Blender. If you took a hydrometer reading prior to racking to your secondary, and you take a hydrometer reading now, you should be able to see if much more fermentation has occurred.

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D

All-Grain Brewing with Extract Brewing Equipment

Revvy

Recipes 

More than likely you racked it too early to begin with, and that's why it has started off again with a new krausen...or there was a change in temp, or the carboy got nudged and kicked the yeast into action again..

All perfectly normal. Nothing really to worry about.

Did you take a hydro reading before moving it to secondary, or did you simply go by arilock bubbling or just arbitrarily decided to move it befreo checking to see if it was ready to move....

When I secondary (which is rare,) I wait 2 weeks, then rack it for another 2 week, but I, like many of us on here skip secondary and instead opt for a month long primary.....

But either way, your beer is fine...and in the future wait at least til day 7, take a hydro reading, then again on day 10, if they are the same, THEN you can rack.

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cabanabob

Recipes 

Thanks for the help. this homebrewtalk is GOLDEN!

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Cabanabob