2.5 weeks in primary and still active fermentation??

Hello everyone,
Ive brewed countless batches of beer, almost all ferment within a week, few ferment within 1.5 weeks. 2.5 weeks ago I brewed an IPA with an OG of 1.057. I've brewed this recipie before, usually it ferments in a week, I dry hop for a week, and let sit a minimum of 2 weeks in my keg before tapping. Thus grain to glass in a month (when in a rush). Last time I made it it was one of the best IPA's I've ever had (obviously just my opinion).

Back to my issue. This batch has been fermenting for 2.5 weeks with visibile signs of fermentation still present. It started out very quickly and then slowed after a few days to what its been doing now. It is getting slower and slower but just taking sooo long to finish. I haven't even been able to dry hop it yet because there's still krausen on top and bubbles perking every 10 to fifteen seconds (slow but constant). Everything looks normal, smells great, and nuthing has changed in my brewing process. Temperature is steady around 68 to 70 degrees. Also, same yeast I always use (WL east coast ale).

I've never had a beer take soo long and can't think of any reason why it would. I did however soak my carboy in bleach for a day a few days before to remove what looked like beer stone. I rinsed well and let sit for a few days before brewing. (used iodine to steralize as usual) I'm starting to get worried that something wild may have gotten in but severely doubt it becuase I've never had such a problem, brewing process is very secure, always use glass, everything looks and smells great.

I never get worried but this is a bit strange and was just wondering if anyone has had such an event happen. I'm sure its fine but am just looking for some positive reinforcement here.

Lastly,before you ask, i never check gravity during fermentation to see when complete ( too risky for me ). It just usually finishes, I check, and it's usually within a point or two of desired FG.

Another note: I think my mash temp was a bit low this time ( accidently missed it ) ( 149 - 150 degrees F) The increased fermentable sugars wouldnt increase primary by a week and a half would it?

Thanks for your time,
Dustin Hickey

DustinHickey said:

Lastly,before you ask, i never check gravity during fermentation to see when complete ( too risky for me ). It just usually finishes, I check, and it's usually within a point or two of desired FG.

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Then you don't know what's going on....all you know is you have what you define as a "visible sign of fermentation" by which your more than likely mean your airlock is bubbling or you still see krausen... (I'm betting airlock bubbling.)

Your HYDROMETER is the only BEST indicator of fermentation activity. Nothing else is accurate or consistent...

Unless you take a gravity reading you don't know what's really going on, not by airlock bubbling or by krausen formation. Neither of those signs are effective, they don't tell you exactly where on the fermentation process you are.

The amount of krausen can vary for whatever reason, it can come quick and depart quickly or it can linger long after fermentation is complete, and it all be normal.

And airlocks sometimes bubble or they don't.

If your airlock was bubbling and stopped---It doesn't mean fermentation has stopped.

If you airlock isn't bubbling, it doesn't mean your fermentation hasn't started....

If your airlock starts bubbling, it really doesn't matter.

If your airlock NEVER bubbles, it doesn't mean anything is wrong or right.

Your airlock is not a fermentation gauge, it is a VALVE to release excess co2. And the peak of fermentation has already wound down, so there's simply no need to vent off any excess co2.

Krausen, like airlock bubbling is another one of those things, that is not a good way to determine where along the fermentation spectrum a given beer is. The amount of krausen can vary for whatever reason, it can come quick and depart quickly or it can linger long after fermentation is complete, and it all be normal. Different yeasts produce different amounts of krausen, and even the same yeast can react differently in a totally different batch of beer, that could be due to the recipe, or the temperature, or the phase of the moon even.

For example, I posted this awhile ago...

revvy said:

I hd a wit beer that I pitched bottle harvested Hoegaarden yeast on Dec. 26th, that STILL had a 2" krausen on it three weeks later. I took a grav reading and it had reached terminal gravity, 1.010. So the beer was done, but the krausen still lingered. I finally gently swirled the beer to knock it down, and let it settle for another week before I bottled it. I'm not normally a fan of knocking them down, and usually let it do it naturally.

But some yeasts are low flocculating, and may have a difficult time. I figured since mine was bottle harvested, and I had pitched the starter at high krausen, maybe it was "genetically mutated" with the flocculation "gene" off or something. So I gently swirled it and let it fall.

I brewed another batch with another mason jars worth of that yeast several months later and had the same thing happen.

Beligan wits are notoriously long krausening.

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So again, like the airlock it is not something that is cut and dried, it can vary from batch to batch and from yeast to yeast. Since it is a living micro organism, yeast do their own thing, and dance to their own drummers, nearly every time. So it can't be consistently relied on to tell you where your beer is at at any given moment.

Fermentation is not always "dynamic," just because you don't SEE anything happening, doesn't mean that any-thing's wrong,, and also doesn't mean that the yeast are still not working diligently away, doing what they've been doing for over 4,000 years.

That's why you need to take a gravity reading to know how your fermentation is going, NOT go by airlocks, or size of krausen, or a calendar, the horoscope or the phases of the moon (those things in my mind are equally accurate).

The most important tool you can use is a hydrometer. It's the only way you will truly know when your beer is ready...airlock bubbles and other things are faulty.

The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read, Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in....

Thinking about "doing anything" like repitching, or bottling, or racking, without first taking a hydrometer reading is tantamount to the doctor deciding to cut you open without running any diagnostic tests....Taking one look at you and saying, "Yeah I'm going in." You would really want the doctor to use all means to properly diagnose what's going on?

Sorry but that really is the only answer that is accurate or consistant, the numbers on the little stick. I have had evry airlock bubbling/non bubbling/slow bubbling/fast bubbling/little krausen/big krausen/slow forming krausen/krausen staying 3 weeks after the hydro showed terminal gravity scenario imaginable in nearly 1,000 gallons of beer, and none of that stuff is as accurate as 30 seconds with a hydrometer.

So without a gravity reading you really don't know what's going on, and we quite frankly can't tell you either.

With proper sanitzation and care, a gravity reading is no risk at all, that is why countless books, forums, podcasts, mention taking readings, while at the same time mentioning so much NOT to do...SO if taking a reading were so risky, then why do you think we'd advocate it?

It's probably infected. Don't listen to what anyone else says.

BendBrewer said:

It's probably infected. Don't listen to what anyone else says.

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wtf????

If it smells fine and looks fine I'd toss it just to be safe.

Worst case scenario is an infection, but not likely. Could be just off gassing CO2 still, did you check your gravity. Also could be unhealthy yeast taking their precious time. Did you make a starter, use nutrient, hit it with O2 and all of that? Did you have any big temp fluctuations?

Thanks for the info Revvy, I hear you when it comes to people worrying about whether or not their fermentation started, or maybe if krausen remains for 3 weeks or more. But airlock bubbling, visible krausen, and visible movement in the beer (typical particles whirling around below the surface) has me convinced something is still going on. For me it's not a question of if something is still going on, it's have you every had a bach ferment for 2 and a half weeks? (very slow fermentaiton but definately fermentation).

Thanks for the tip Benbrewer but my fears of infection aren't quite there. It has no visible signs, smells, or looks of infection. But who knows you may be right. I'll give it more time before I start fearing the worst.

Revvy said:

wtf????

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Just hoping the OP got it.

Revvy said:

wtf????

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hehehehe.

BendBrewer said:

Just hoping the OP got it.

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Again guys, not saying it's infected. Just wondering if you've ever had a batch take more than 2 weeks to ferment. First time ever in a year of brewing almost once a weekend.

-Dustin

BendBrewer said:

Just hoping the OP got it.

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Ah....

but by his respsonse to me, evidently not. He still won't get that the only thing we're going to suggest is that he won't know if he is having a slow ferment or not unless he takes a graivty reading, which would of course tell him how far from terminal gravity he is at. Because that would of course tell him if his beer is done and those signs are "false positive" readings, OR that indeed he is still somewhere along the spectrum between original and terminal gravities, or even way below terminal gravity which COULD indicate an infection.

*shrug*

My honest answer would lean to say 1st take a hydro sample on at least 3 different days. If through this you verify that it's still fermenting (the SG keeps dropping) then I'd say it probably has to do something with yeast health or environment. If the SG doesn't change, then it's time to keg/bottle regardless of your airlock reading.

HexKrak said:

If it smells fine and looks fine I'd toss it just to be safe.

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That makes no sense at all, hopefully it was a typo or sarcasm. It is difficult to infect a beer even if you half ass sanitizing. Usually when things don't go right fermenting it is lack of yeast handling skills.

double post sorry

Bensiff said:

That makes no sense at all, hopefully it was a typo or sarcasm. It is difficult to infect a beer even if you half ass sanitizing. Usually when things don't go right fermenting it is lack of yeast handling skills.

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Bensiff said:

That makes no sense at all, hopefully its a typo.

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And you double posted??? This is all really surreal...

I think he too was being sarcastic....

Revvy covered what he needs to do. I really had nothing more to offer but wanted to be included

Revvy said:

Ah....

but by his respsonse to me, evidently not. He still won't get that the only thing we're going to suggest is that he won't know if he is having a slow ferment or not unless he takes a graivty reading, which would of course tell him how far from terminal gravity he is at. Because that would of course tell him if his beer is done and those signs are "false positive" readings, OR that indeed he is still somewhere along the spectrum between original and terminal gravities, or even way below terminal gravity which COULD indicate an infection.

*shrug*

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Point taken,
I understand the concept of gravity readings for certainty however you misunderstood the question. I'm not that worried so feel no need to go through the trouble of taking a gravity reading. Was just wondering if anyone has had the experience with a positive outcome. A simple "it's happened to me but you should check your gravity if your worried about it" would have sufficed.

I've had a hefe take four weeks before using wy3638. That was the only time it hasn't finished in under 2 weeks, and I didn't change a single thing in my process from previous batches. So no, you're not alone in getting a random long ferment. In fact, I just finished a pint of saison that took 3 months to reach FG, but saison's are totally different beasts. I haven't used your yeast before, but I've had 1056 take anywhere from 4 days to 2.5 weeks, and haven't noticed a difference in the final product.

Do your thing, take the gravity when you're ready, and enjoy.