IPA still fermenting at a month and a half...was there too little yeast?

This is my first time posting on this forum. I just started home brewing and my first try was a Ruination IPA clone that called for ten lbs of light malt extract, 1lb 2-row, 1lb Crystal 20L with 2.5 oz. Magnum hops for bittering and 1.5 oz. Centennial for finishing and California liquid yeast (calls for dry hopping too but I'm not sure if I am going to try that...or if its too late at this point). I followed the instructions for a 60 minute boil I cooled the batch and mixed it in a 5 gallon carboy with additional water and pitched the yeast. However, when I opened the yeast jar it fizzed up and I lost some of the vile.

Just wondering if now after fermenting for a month and a half if something went wrong (too little yeast?) or if I'm still okay. The batch is still letting off a bubble about every 25 -27 seconds.

If too little yeast seems like it might be the problem can someone explain how this works because I thought the yeast multiplied until they reached the optimal level so how could you have too little yeast to start...wouldn't they just multiply? Anyway, they batch took a day and a half before any bubbles appeared but eventually started fermenting to the point the blow off tube was used.

I'm fine with letting the batch keep brewing until the bubbles stop and it clarifies but if its ruined I'd probably rather start over now.

Thanks for any insight.

What temperature are you fermenting at? Can you take a gravity? How does it smell? If all is good, let it go. Fermentation takes longer at temps below optimum. California Ale likes 66-70, again; the colder side will take longer.

Two bubbles a minute is "done." You shouldn't depend on airlock activity to determine if fermentation is finished. Take a specific gravity reading with your hydrometer, wait 4 days and take another reading. If the gravity isn't lowering anymore, the beer is finished and is safe to bottle. CO2 bubbles are trapped in the yeast and sediment at the bottom of the fermentor and will slowly release into the head space of the bucket/carboy and cause "false" airlock activity. Your beer has probably been done for a few weeks!



Congrats on brewing your first beer and welcome to the forum! Enjoy!

What is the current gravety of your beer?

It is most likely done fermenting long ago, but bubbles will happen ocasoinally as long as there is CO2 in solution
Can say more after a FG reading...

Oh yes i think it will be just fine

Do you have a hydrometer?

Your airlock bubbling only means.......your airlock is bubbling. It doesn't mean your beer is fermenting or not. Just that gas is coming out of the airlock, not WHY. A change in temp, barometric pressure, the cat nudging it, openning the fermenter, all these things could cause the airlock to bubble. Or airlocks could not bubble at all for the entire fermentation, or stop after a couple hours, despite the fact that your beer is fermenting fine. It is a vent, a valve, not a magic fermentation gauge.

You have to separate fermenting from bubbling in your mind.

You need to take a gravity reading to know whether or not the beer is fermenting or not. More than likely it was finished after the first week or so, and is just off gassing. But you won't know unless you use your hydrometer.

Yeah, you should be fine, follow the advice above.

As far as dry hopping goes, it's not too late. I'd definitely do it, especially with that hop schedule. Throw them in, let them sit for four to seven days, and you're done.

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I thought I might get one after a week or so. To answer some of the questions, the beer was stored in my basement and I'm not sure what the exact temperature would be but I'd guess it was probably right around the 66 - 70 range but could have been a bit cooler. I'll get an actual temp in an hour or so.

I took the the hydrometer reading and it said 1.026. When I took the initial reading I wasn't aware the temperature of the solution needed to be checked too (so it was probably a little on th warm side) but that reading was 1.05 which now seems too low for the amount of extract/grain I used?

The beer smelled alright and it tasted alright (if flat) but maybe a little sweet and still very cloudy. Is the beer likely to clarify if I leave it? If I transfer it to a secondary? Or, is it pretty much as clear as its going to get? One more question, since its still a little sweet, does that mean there is more sugar to be fermented or am I pretty much done at this point? I'll give the dry hops a try once I figure out the clarity/sweetness issues.

Thanks again for all the insight.

I checked the temperature in the basement and it's 66.5 degrees right now so I would guess it has probably been a little bit colder than that over the last several weeks because it has been a cold and wet summer in Portland, except for the past two days when it got into the upper 80s. I also noticed the bubbling has increased since I took the cap off for my hydrometer reading. It's now letting off one bubble, through the blowoff tube, every 15 -16 seconds.

If the temperature has been too cold does that mean it still might be fermenting and I should leave it? I brewed one other (much lighter beer) and I started it a week after this batch and it stopped bubbling and clarified about two and a half weeks ago. I bottled it and it's pretty decent.

Unfortunatly there was no OG on the instructions...just ingredients and brew steps. I've seen some posts on here that indicate (at least with some recipes) the OG should be 1.063. Since I used 10 lbs of light malt extract I expected the OG to be on the high side. Any thoughts on the clarity issue and the room temp now? Should I try and warm it up a little or just give it more time.

It wont hurt to place it a bit warmer while you dry hop

Thanks both. I'll let it sit a little longer...see if it clarifies some, and will try to bring the temp up a few degrees. Then I'll try the dry hop.

Yardwork said:

Thanks both. I'll let it sit a little longer...see if it clarifies some, and will try to bring the temp up a few degrees. Then I'll try the dry hop.

Click to expand...

It will clarify more after 3=4 weeks in a bottle.