Primary airlock still bubbling after 10 full days, is this normal?

I brewed a wheat ale on 3/6, today is 3/16 so it has been in the primary for 10 full days. The airlock is still bubbling about once every 2 minutes. Is this normal? The bubbling usually winds down after about 3 or 4 days. Thanks as always...

earwig said:

I brewed a wheat ale on 3/6, today is 3/16 so it has been in the primary for 10 full days. The airlock is still bubbling about once every 2 minutes. Is this normal? The bubbling usually winds down after about 3 or 4 days. Thanks as always...

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if you had a high OG than i would say yes i have a beer in my primary right now that is still bubbling on day 9...also a long lag time can contribute to a long and drawn out fermentation....possibly think about creating a starter or pitching the right amount of yeast according to your OG www.mrmalty.com

It could just be releasing excess gas. I wouldn't worry about it. Have you taken any hydro samples?

Funny you should ask....I also brewed a wheat beer on 3/6 and mine is still bubbling away. First two days it smelled like rotten eggs, now it smells heavenly. All things considered, I'm willing to bet that we're fine.

loxnar said:

if you had a high OG than i would say yes i have a beer in my primary right now that is still bubbling on day 9...also a long lag time can contribute to a long and drawn out fermentation....possibly think about creating a starter or pitching the right amount of yeast according to your OG www.mrmalty.com

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OG was 1.046, it should have been 1.044. I shook the heck out of the primary to aerate right after pitching dry yeast. It started fermenting pretty quickly - under 10 hours. When it bubbles I sniff the airlock and it smells good. Was my OG high enough to cause such a long active fermentation?

kyleobie said:

It could just be releasing excess gas. I wouldn't worry about it. Have you taken any hydro samples?

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I only took the OG so far. I planned on taking a reading this Thursday because I wanted to bottle on Saturday (if the reading doesn't change in those 3 days)... I am still holding out hope that it will be done fermenting by then. Thanks again.

i got a smithwicks clone in primary for 4 weeks now and it still bubbles every so often.

earwig said:

OG was 1.046, it should have been 1.044. I shook the heck out of the primary to aerate right after pitching dry yeast. It started fermenting pretty quickly - under 10 hours. When it bubbles I sniff the airlock and it smells good. Was my OG high enough to cause such a long active fermentation?

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fermentation temperature and the strain of yeast can also play a role in how long the yeast takes to completely go through fermentation. Also if you didnt rehydrate the yeast (although i havent had issues just sprinkling it right in) i think it can cause some retardation of your yeast although your lag time sounds good.

IMO relax and have a beer or RDWHAHB....just wait for the bubbling to stop for a day or two then take some SG readings once it doesnt change for 2-3 days you know you are good....SG is the only true way of fully understanding what is going on inside that vessel.

To be honest once i pitch the yeast and see the bubbles in the fermentation all i concetrate on is keeping the ambient temperature around my fermenter a constant cuz once you pitch the yeast and did, what you think is everything right, all you can do is wait and let the yeast do its job. 99% of the time i dont even open the lid of my bucket till day 12 to check the SG for the first time and generally rack out on day 14 to secondary or keg

earwig said:

I only took the OG so far. I planned on taking a reading this Thursday because I wanted to bottle on Saturday (if the reading doesn't change in those 3 days)... I am still holding out hope that it will be done fermenting by then. Thanks again.

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man didnt see this post.....you got it right on =p