Fermentation time....how long is too long?

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JonnyO

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This is my second batch, an amber ale. I did a partial boil (about 1.5 gal.) then mixed it with cool water up to the 5-gal. volume. I assumed that mixing would aerate the wort sufficiently. My water was not as cool as I wanted and it took several hours for my wort to cool to about 78 degrees at which time I pitched the yeast. Fermentation started sometime around 12 hours later. That was 8 days ago, and it still appears to be fermenting. From the start, the fermentation hasn't really been rapid (bubbles in the airlock every 10-20 sec), and now I'm getting bubbles every 45 seconds or so. I know the general rule is to just relax, but is there a point in time that I should worry? I don't have a secondary, so I guess I'm planning on using a "3-3" method instead of "1-2-3." I guess I'm just after a little reassurance that a slow, steady fermentation is just fine. Thanks.
 
Hey Jonny. I am still new to this as well, but from what you say I wouldn't be too worried about the activity in your primary. Especially if you plan on leaving it in the primary for three weeks, let it ferment away. Make sure that you use your hydrometer. It will tell you everything about the process your beer has gone through.

I would think that your biggest worry would be some kind of bacteria growing while you were waiting for your brew to cool. I wouldn't worry too much about that either, I waited about 9 hours to pitch on my first brew and it turned out great. :mug:

Like I said I am pretty new so maybe one of the more experienced guys could be more specific.
 
8 days isn't excessive. I'd check the gravity, as a slow bubble rate can also just be weather/temperature changes.
 
JonnyO said:
I don't have a secondary, so I guess I'm planning on using a "3-3" method instead of "1-2-3." I guess I'm just after a little reassurance that a slow, steady fermentation is just fine. Thanks.
3-3 will be perfect. That's plenty of time for the yeast to finish fermenting, and to clean up after themselves as well. There's a school of thought that suggests 3-3 is actually better than 1-2-3 (so says Jamil Zainasheff, home-brew guru), so you have no cause for concern. RDWHAHB!
 
I know this thread's been done for awhile, but don't like to start new, if I don't have to.

Anyway, I have a Belgian strong dark that's been in primary for 16 days (pitched late on 4/17/11), and it's still going pretty steady. Was planning on racking to secondary this Sunday the 8th, but am concerned about how long it's been going.

I read that low temperature can have an effect, so I bumped the heat up a bit in the house this morning. The stick-on fermometer is reading about 68 right now.

My OG was 1.079, and I haven't checked where it's at right now.

Just looking to see if anyone has experienced a fermentation going this long.

Thanks in advance!
 
My first high gravity beer just went into the primary this past Sunday, but from everyone else I've talked to, 3-4 weeks in the primary for a big beer like that is totally ordinary. (and much longer if you aren't planning to secondary)
 
I have a Belgian strong dark that's been in primary for 16 days (pitched late on 4/17/11), and it's still going pretty steady. Was planning on racking to secondary this Sunday the 8th, but am concerned about how long it's been going.

Don't worry about a bigger beer like that. They can take a while to ferment. I did a Belgian Strong dark recently that actively bubbled for 21 days. I just let it sit in the primary for 6 weeks and it tasted great going into the bottles.

Just sit back and let the yeasty beasties do their work.
 
Definitely check your gravity a couple of times before you rack it over to secondary and make sure its not still fermenting. What you don't want to do is move it off all of your yeast before its done fermenting, otherwise you can wind up with a stuck fermentation in the secondary container (bright tank). I also wouldn't worry about leaving it on the yeast too long. Any more I don't use a secondary at all and just leave it in the primary, and I've left batches up to 6 months to really let the yeast clean up well and haven't run into any problems yet.
 
I've had a beer take 4 weeks for the SG to stabilize. Don't bottle it 'til it's done.

NRS
 
Thanks so much, guys. Here's a couple questions for some clarification:
Definitely check your gravity a couple of times before you rack it over to secondary and make sure its not still fermenting.
I haven't done this before, but recall reading about it. I'm assuming that by checking the gravity more than once, you're looking to see if it's dropped further since the last time you checked it. And, ideally, you want it to not have moved since the last check to ensure that fermentation is complete.

Also, I know I should know this, but obviously don't... What is meant by SG, and what is it's significance?

Thanks again!
 
I haven't done this before, but recall reading about it. I'm assuming that by checking the gravity more than once, you're looking to see if it's dropped further since the last time you checked it. And, ideally, you want it to not have moved since the last check to ensure that fermentation is complete.

Exactly, most people check 3-4 days apart and make sure it hasn't moved. The point of using a secondary vessel (unless you are adding fruit/dry hops/etc.) is mostly just to allow the yeast to drop out of solution to make your beer more clear (although this can also be done with more time in the primary). If you are trying to get rid of your yeast but haven't finished fermenting, you might not have enough yeast left to finish the job, leading to unfermented sugars left that can result in bottle bombs/over-carbonation.

SG is just the specific gravity, or a measurement of the density of the water that you can get with your hydrometer. Pure, filtered water is 1.000 on your hydrometer. Adding sugar increases the gravity (say 1.050 for an unfermented wort), and as the yeast consume the sugar the gravity will drop (the added alcohol also lowers the gravity, since it is less dense than water). You'll also see OG (original gravity, gravity before fermentation) and FG (final/finished gravity, gravity after fermentation).
 
What will happen with the taste if you rack over to a secondary too soon? This is my first batch and I racked from the primary over to the secondary at day #6 but only took an FG reading right before racking. Now I'm a bit concerned that I moved it over too soon.
FYI, it's a Cooper Australian Ale with a OG of 1.053 and a FG of 1.011.

I'm planning on 1 week in primary, 2 weeks in secondary, 3 in bottles.
 
I have a belgian wit in primary now that has been bubbling for over a week. This is the first time I've seen this... All of mine up to this point have bubbled for a couple days then quit. This puppy just keeps going. I'll check gravity at the end of this week but if it's bubbling still I may just let it sit.
 
My 2nd batch has been in primary for 17 days now, and I still get a bubble out the fermentation lock every minute or so. I've heard this doesn't mean a damn thing; it's probably just CO2 escaping. I took a SG reading last Sunday, will take another one this Sunday and bottle if it's the same (which I'd be shocked if it wasn't; it was already at the low end of target gravity after the last reading)
 
So I have some beer i just started to ferment in my primary, however i just found out i have to leave town for 10 days. I will be leaving on the 12th day of fermentation, and won't return until 22nd. My debate is whether i should just let it go in the primary until i get back and bottle that day, or if i should rack it to a secondary and bottle as soon as i get back. I don't like being away from the brew in the middle of fermentation but have no choice...

The beer is an american wheat
The OG was 1.043.

Thanks in Advance!
 
Just go ahead and leave it in the primary, it will be fine. Normally I'd say it would be even better after 22 days, but an american wheat would be one of the few beers that you could rush a little and not hurt it as much. However, it certainly won't do any harm to leave it until day 22, and if there were any potential irregularities (pitch rate, ferment temp, etc.), you can relax knowing that letting it go for 3 weeks will help to clean up a lot of problems.
 
Awesome that's what i was thinking, but felt really unsure with the thought. I appreciate the reassurance and the fast response
 
What is the actual verdict on subjects like this? Fermentation, the hydrometer, etc?

Is the rule of thumb to just wait until the air lock stops bubbling, then move to the secondary, I would think checking it so often by cracking the top to get a hydrometer reading increases the chance of infection?

Any input?
 
What is the actual verdict on subjects like this? Fermentation, the hydrometer, etc?

Is the rule of thumb to just wait until the air lock stops bubbling, then move to the secondary, I would think checking it so often by cracking the top to get a hydrometer reading increases the chance of infection?

Any input?
 
dstranger99 said:
What is the actual verdict on subjects like this? Fermentation, the hydrometer, etc?

Is the rule of thumb to just wait until the air lock stops bubbling, then move to the secondary, I would think checking it so often by cracking the top to get a hydrometer reading increases the chance of infection?

Any input?

There is no general rule as all yeast ferment differently and the temperature you ferment at will increase or decrease the rate of fermentation.

Once the airlock stops bubbling you know that fermentation is slowing down and usually around the 7-10 mark would be a good time to sample gravity as a progress report but there is still the clearing and clean up phase that follows and that could take another week or three:)
 
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