Transferred To Secondary & Carbonation Stopped

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Maveric777

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I transferred a Porter yesterday that has been in primary for 3 weeks. I got worried due to reading up on using secondaries in longer fermentation brews so I decided to give it a try. This was the first time I ever transferred a brew, and to be honest I wasn't feeling well and afraid I did something wrong.

My beginning OG was 1.053 and I took one yesterday while transferring and only got 1.018. I wasn't to concerned with it not being done. I also tasted it, there was no weird wag (cider taste) just a semi sweet porter.

I just took a look at it (17 hours later) and found it has completely stopped..... Zip ... Zero.... Nada carbonation going on in there. I just wondered if this is common? I was going to give it a week before I get frustrated. Just trying to get my ducks in a row here.

Also, after a weak and still nothing should I go ahead and bottle? I know it wont be as good as it could be, but may save the batch.


Thanks for the input yall.
 
what do you mean no carbonation, no bubblin in the air lock?, also after 3 weeks most your fermentation is done, how much yeast did you pitch? after 3 weeks being at 1.018 sounds like you may not have pitched enough yeast and thats as dry as it will ferment out, id give it another week, then bottle it 4 weeks is plenty, your batch is fine, as long as you were sanitary in transfering
 
I use the flashlight through the neck to determin if there is any carbonation going on in the carboy. I learned to never go by the air lock to show if there is carbonation going on. Also there is no infamous ring around the neck action going on either. It is pretty much stalled all together. I even see a small bit of sediment hanging there in the neck not moving a bit.

I pitched one pack of dry yeast, but you asking that made me remember a big goof I made on this one. I realized once the wort was in the primary I forgot to rehydrate the yeast. Still being very new I just pitched the packet on top of the wart. I most likely lost a lot of effectiveness from my yeast by doing that. I learned later the importance of re hydrating...lol

I am going to take your advice and hold tight till next weekend. If nothing by then .... In the bottle it goes. Thanks for the input....:mug:
 
Bubbling in the carboy !=carbonation. Carbonation happens when co2 is forced into solution by high pressure (capped bottle). The bubbling and krausen (foamy mung in the primary) happens due to yeast consuming sugar and producing alcohol. Once they stop, the bubbling and krausen stops. This is normal. Also, once you transfer to secondary, you remove most of the yeast. Fermentation stops. This is normal. The term secondary is a bit of a misnomer, and is really only for clearing, dry hopping, or bulk aging. Your beer will age nicely in secondary, bottle whenever you are ready. You will be rewarded by learning patience.
 
You've got to stop equating the bubbles in the beer with carbonating. Carbonating is forcing CO2 to stay in solution. It happens in the bottle or keg (a vessel that can hold pressure). The little bubbles during fermentation are indeed CO2, but it doesn't stick around, and the CO2 bubbling will stop as the yeast stops metabolizing the sugar. Everything you have described is normal.

Also, not rehydrating is normal practice for many. While rehydrating will increase the number of viable yeast cells that make it into the fermenter, it is by no means a deal-breaker.
 
Carbonation is not the term here. Also, secondary is not meant to be a fermentation vessel so more than likely you will NOT see any fermentation going on. It is used to clear the beer, fermentation should have been completed beforehand.
 
Sorry about that. I used the term carbonating way out of context with my last comment. I guess what I was trying to get at is I always see bubbles coming up through the neck (always makes me thing of a carbonated coke in a glass). I was just trying to state there are no bubbles.

Just goes to show what a few brews and typing in a hurry will do to ya....lol
 
Sorry about that. I used the term carbonating way out of context with my last comment. I guess what I was trying to get at is I always see bubbles coming up through the neck (always makes me thing of a carbonated coke in a glass). I was just trying to state there are no bubbles.

Just goes to show what a few brews and typing in a hurry will do to ya....lol

Well then no worries on all counts.:mug:
 
66% attenuation isn't bad for a porter. They generally have a lot of crystal malts & high residual sugars. If you are ok with the flavor and the gravity doesn't change in a week, go ahead and bottle. If you want to dry it out, re-pitch a high-attenuation yeast.
 
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