My brew taking too long....

My brew:
Stout
OG : 1.068
Temperature: 19-21C (66-70F)
Start till now: 3 weeks

My brew is clear and strong alcohol smell. The problem is, it's already been 3 weeks. Why is it still fermenting? Also why my OG going so high? Confused. Any idea what is going on?

Appreciated.

Doreen

What is your gravity reading now?

It would also help to know what your recipe was (any lactose?) and what yeast you used.

A little confused here. Your OG would be after the boil, before fermentation started. It is determined by the ingredients and the brewing process.

As to the length of time to ferment there are a lot of variables. Did you make a starter? What yeast was used? What was the temperature of the wort when you pitched? etc.

The recipe and procedure would help in diagnosis.

This is a high gravity brew and will take longer to ferment and age properly than a lower gravity beer.

Have you taken another gravity reading? You will need 2 identical readings over the course of 3 days to determine your final gravity then you can bottle. Be prepared to wait another month or more for this beer to come into it's own.

Frankiesurf: I haven't take a gravity reading because I see it is still bubbling. Don't wanna spoil it.
bleme: I am not sure it was lactose in there. It is a coopers kits. Using Ale yeast I guess.
kh54s10: OG is after boil. It's coopers stout kits. I didn't make any starter. It's coopers standard yeast probably Ale. I pitched it at 22C(70F). Is there any other way to determine it? It's still bubbling

Thanks
Doreen

The "bubbling" activity is just CO2 being released, it is not necessarily a sign of fermentation. I had an IPA that "bubbled" for almost 4 weeks and turned out great.

The best way to tell how a beer is doing to take a gravity reading a day for 2-3 days and if the gravity is the same then fermentation is complete!

If you started at 1.068 then ended up with an FG around 1.020-1.016 would put in the 70-75% attenuation which is good for most yeasts!

If the beer smells and tastes good then relax and bottle/keg then enjoy!

You might consider transferring to a secondary and pull a sample for gravity check. 3 weeks and bubbling is not bad. How long between bubbles?

KevinW: Will try take a reading later. Thanks. ^.^
BrewHobby1: The bubbling just same start from week 1 till now. I start the brew from Jan 26. The bubbling just same from around Feb 3 till now.

Thanks

Doreen

Don't worry about bubbling in airlock. Take a gravity reading and see what it is, if it is around what the kit instruction say bottle it and let it sit for 3 weeks before testing one.

I bet it is ready to bottle already. Don't worry about how it smells right now.

BrewerBear: FG 1.015 but still bubbling. I want to transfer it to secondary now.

Thanks.

Doreen