Last weekend I cooked up a red ale. At the end of the cook I added 1lb of honey. I used a yeast starter and as usual, fermentation happened within 12 hours. I used a blow off, and when it finally calmed down, 7 days later I put on an airlock. 10 days later there is a constant bubbling. Please help!
Nonstop fermentation
- Thread starter mattbeer
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SynthesisError
Active Member
I've never used honey in a beer, but some of my mead primary fermentations using non-filtered honey have lasted for two or three months. It's done when it's done. Did you take an OG reading?
No, I broke my hydrometer during the cook, so I never got an OG. I replaced it, but its useless for this batch. It was made from scratch, so I don't have a general idea of when its going to be done. Should I just assume that when it stops bubbling, I can send it to a secondary? Then I'll bottle a week later?
pernox
Well-Known Member
Use that new hydrometer to take a gravity reading, then wait three days and take another. If they're the same, it's done. If not, the yeast is still working.
TahoeRy
Well-Known Member
Follow pernox's advice. When the gravity is stable, give it 3-4 more days to clean up, then rack to secondary or do whatever your going to do.
Beer sometimes takes weeks to primary, just be patient.
why move it to a secondary? it won't make the beer better to move it off of the yeast. anyway, the airlock can bubble for a variety of reasons even after the beer is completely fermented, the hydrometer is the best way to determine when it's done even if you don't have the starting gravity.
