Primary won't stop fermenting ! ! !

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thantos

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Ok,
So here is my dilemma, I recently brewed a Belgian Whit and it has been in the Primary for 14 days and is still going strong! I have never had a beer not stop active fermentation after 7-10 days or start as fast as this one did (with in an hour of pitching the yeast, Belgian Whit WLP-400). I am getting a bubble about every 10 seconds out of my air lock, and still have about an inch of krausen at the top of me fermenter. There is about an inch of trub at the bottom, this did not have a high OG (1.048) either that would make me think it would need to go this long.

Should I just let it go till it calms down or just go ahead and transfer to my secondary fermenter?

Thanks Gene

IMG00080.jpg
 
What is the hydrometer reading now?

Everytime this has happened to me it was an infection.
 
Haven't taken one yet, I did not want to mess with it till I got some advice, I usually don't take my readings until I am ready to transfer. Doesn't look like an infection, I have had only one years ago but I guess it could be?
 
But you NEED to take a hydrometer reading in order to quell your worries of the Neverending-Ferment. Seriously, take a reading and if it's the same gravity over the course of two or three days, then it's done. Wits and wheats tend to go a little crazy, in my personal experience.

However, if you're getting a gravity that's ridiculously low then it's likely an infection
 
What temperature are you fermenting at? Is the carboy near an A/C duct or in a cool basement?

I agree, the only way to get at what is going on is to take a hydrometer reading. Also, tasting the hydrometer sample will tell you if its infected or not.
 
Super fast start + nonstop fermentation = :(

Take hydro reading and sniff and taste the sample to see if it's Ok. It just doesn't sound good.
 
I've had a few do this. In all of my cases, it was just off-gassing. I give 3 weeks for primary, another week if it's still bubbling, and bottle (unless it's a high ABV beer). I know I probably should, but in 20 years I've never used a hydrometer, and have never had bottles explode.
 
Haven't taken one yet, I did not want to mess with it....

How many times do you see us talking about taking hydrometer readings on here? Taking a hydrometer reading is not messing with your beer. It's not harmful to your beer to do it, it's not playing with your beer, and it shouldn't be thought of in any negative ways...It is NOT you last resort in figuring out what is going on with your beer, it should be your FIRST thought in figuring out what's going on, even before you think about posting a question about your beer on here.

(It even helps US to better answer a question if we know where your beer is at.)

You shouldn't grab the keyboard, you should ALWAYS grab your hydrometer first! Most of the time (and this goes to ALL you lurking new brewers,) you would find that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your beer.

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.....

The hydrometer is the best diagnostic tool we as brewers have. So don't fear it, or consider it "messing with your beer" coonsider it understanding your beer.


One thing to realize is that since we are dealing with living micro-orgasms, that no two fermentations are ever the same.Never assume that because something is happening differently, that there is something wrong.

Remember with yeasties, you are dealing with living creatures...every fermentation is different...you can split a batch in half put them in 2 identical carboys, and pitch equal amounts of yeast from the same starter...and have them act completely differently...for some reason on a subatomic level...think about it...yeasties are small...1 degree difference in temp to us, could be a 50 degree difference to them...one fermenter can be a couple degrees warmer because it's closer to a vent all the way across the room and the yeasties take off...

The yeast are in charge of this process, not us, they have their own timeframe, and the more we realize that we shouldn't impose our agenda on it.

In Mr Wizard's colum in BYO this month he made an interesting analogy about brewing and baking....He said that egg timers are all well and good in the baking process but they only provide a "rule of thumb" as to when something is ready...recipes, oven types, heck even atmospheric conditions, STILL have more bearing on when a cake is ready than the time it says it will be done in the cook book. You STILL have to stick a toothpick in the center and pull it out to see if truly the cake is ready.....otherwise you may end up with a raw cake....Even if the instructions say it should be done, it might not be.

Not too different from our beers....We can have a rough idea when our beer is ready (or use something silly like the 1-2-3 rule (which doesn't factor in things like yeast lag time or even ambient temp during fermentation) and do things to our beer willy nilly....but unless we actually stick "our toothpick" (the hydrometer) in and let it tell us when the yeasties are finished...we too can "f" our beer up.

If you still have krauzen, and if you have not reached close to terminal gravity, then your beer is not ready to be moved into secondary. Don't try to push your time frame on the beer.

That's why many of us leave our beers in primary for a month, and don't secondary unless we are adding something to our beer like fruit or oak, or dry hops. We just leave our beer alone, let the yeast finish their work, and then let them clean up after themselves and clear our beer....We aren't in any hurry for our beer, we don't try to rush the yeast through their cycle ...We know that waiting pays off in flavor and clarity.

So we let it be.

Just relax...take a hydro reading to know whats going on, then if the numbers are still high, that means the yeast isn't done doing it's job. My saison took over two weeks to get below 1.020 and it started off insane over 3 90 degree days....Yeast just does what it has to do, it knows what it has to do.

:mug:
 
Sometimes seeing Revvy post is like watching a train wreck. You see it coming, you want to look away, but in the end you can't help but watch helplessly.
 
Don't get me wrong Revvy, you're a wealth of information and knowledge and just about everything you say is imperative to successful homebrewing, but it's quite apparent you're tired of repeating yourself.
 

Your use of evidence and structure is like a freight train barreling in on an poor, frequently asked question. It tends to result in a very permanent solution to the question, and should be part of a "New Homebrewer's Guide". :mug:
 
Don't get me wrong Revvy, you're a wealth of information and knowledge and just about everything you say is imperative to successful homebrewing, but it's quite apparent you're tired of repeating yourself.

If I were tired of it, I wouldn't still be doing it, would I???? It's not like I get paid for doing it, is it?

The point is, if you do a search of the word hydrometer on here, it is probably the most used word on here....If you look at the index of any brewing book, it is probably the most used word in there...That means there must be some merit it it, right?

And yet the last thing many new brewer's think of reaching for is the very tool which would help them the most in understanding just what is going on "under the hood."

Even if you don't use it regularly, you should use it if you are worried or suspect something is not right, about your beer. I mean, it's not like I use a hydrometer every 5 minutes...normally I use it twice, before I pitch my yeast, and 1 month later on bottling day.....Or 3 times if I am planning to secondary in about two weeks to add fruit or oak or something, to make sure that fermentation is where I want it to be at before I move the beer....

But if I think there is something wrong, then the first thing I look at is the gravity reading.

But it appears that there's this "mentality" much like the OP's, among many new brewers that using the hydrometer is somehow "messing with it" or "will harm their beer."

And yet many will grab a packet of yeast and re-pitch, or move to secondary, or dump their beer as "knee jerk reactions" BEFORE they would ever think of grabbing the hydrometer.

If you look at the threads on here like this (is my beer ruined threads) you will see that many times, the op's will give long detailed information about their recipe, their process, the squaring of the moon on brew day, and yet no mention of what is probably the most important piece of info they (and we) need to know in order to figure out what's going on.

I dunno what causes this "mentality" about the hydrometer...I don't think it's brewing books, becasue they all stress taking grav readings, I know it's not most brewing sites like this, because THEY advocate hydrometers....but there is this underlying misinterpretation of what the hydrometer is....like the title of that blog I wrote is, people "treat" their beers, without ever diagnosing whether or not there is even anything wrong.

It's a weird phenomenon.......

Hotspur said:
Your use of evidence and structure is like a freight train barreling in on an poor, frequently asked question. It tends to result in a very permanent solution to the question, and should be part of a "New Homebrewer's Guide".

Uh thanks, I guess.....:D

Just like how I was trained to put together sermons and papers, I try to provide enough info, evidence, metaphors, jokes, personal anecdotes, and sometimes pictures or videos in the hope that, since everyone has their own learning style, that if repeating the same basic info "like use your hydrometer" the right way will "stick" with the OP....and he/she will "get" the help they need, in whatever way they learn best.....It's sort of like a shotgun....a broad shot in the hope that a few "nuggets" of information will stick.

It may seem long, but usually 99% of it will be forgotten, but 1% will stick...and that 1% will be different for each reader.....And some people, if I've written, or spoken well get "transported" from beginning to end and maybe enjoy the journey.
 
This has been a good post for me to read. I almost never use my hydrometer, I guess I have been too lazy to do it or forget. But after reading this post, I do believe I'll start making sure to use it. Lots of great info there rev. Good way of explaining how important it is.
 
Admittedly, the first hydro sample I took made me nervous as hell. I thought for sure that I was going to contaminate my beer with some bug from my turkey baster or introduce some nasty that was clinging onto the side of my lid. But after reading a lot of your posts regarding this issue I said what the hell and went for it. I've never looked back and have yet to see an infection. In fact, to prove a point to a paranoid brew buddy, I floated my hydrometer in the bucket and let it sit there overnight to demonstrate that it wouldn't harm the beer.

So in short, your nuggets stuck. And I agree, there are hundreds of threads and posts on this site where this process and its importance are iterated.

I swear, I'm not sucking up to you to get you to send me some of your beer. Honest. Can I have some?
 
Admittedly, the first hydro sample I took made me nervous as hell. I thought for sure that I was going to contaminate my beer with some bug from my turkey baster or introduce some nasty that was clinging onto the side of my lid. But after reading a lot of your posts regarding this issue I said what the hell and went for it. I've never looked back and have yet to see an infection. In fact, to prove a point to a paranoid brew buddy, I floated my hydrometer in the bucket and let it sit there overnight to demonstrate that it wouldn't harm the beer.

So in short, your nuggets stuck. And I agree, there are hundreds of threads and posts on this site where this process and its importance are iterated.

I swear, I'm not sucking up to you to get you to send me some of your beer. Honest. Can I have some?


That's why I collected all these stories here just before Christmas for the new influx of nervous newbs...https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/wh...where-your-beer-still-turned-out-great-96780/

Becasue if we can stick a bleeding arm in our fermenter and have the beer still manage to turn out...then a sanitized turkey baster sure as heck should be okay.

What makes you think my beer is any better than yours????? I still have bad batches, or poorly crafted recipes, or make mistakes...or just have flops....I just don't tell about it on here. (Actually that's not the case I do tell about it on here...but usually buried in the "Tap Room" thread where noone actually reads...

Like this....

Make sure you use a strong enough magnet if you are going to use it to hold the stirbar in place when you pitch...Someone suggested using another stirbar...

I used a refrigerator magnet when I pitched my starter on Monday....

My stirbar is in my primary.

:D
 
Ok, so let me answer some of the responses;

OG - 1.048
Current - 1.014

No sour taste or smell that we can detect. Like I stated it does not act, taste, smell or look like any of the infections I have seen or been around.

Temps in my area have been 100+ So I would say the average temp its seen is probably 78 to 80 deg.

While I may be a Newb to this forum, I am not to brewing or the use of a hydrometer, well into it for about 15 years or so.

If I have upset or pissed anyone off by asking a question I am truly sorry ! It was not my intent, my view is that this is a Forum for people seeking answers to questions. And by comparatively referencing those answers in open dialog, as a Forum, thus gaining knowledge. Once again it was not and is not my intention to upset anyone by looking to open a discussion.

As for the beer, since taking the reading it immediately settled out the remaining krausen and now looks and acts like a beer ready for the secondary. I think it was a combination of some good fresh yeast and a warm ferment temp.

Thanks All :)
 
Thantos- you didn't piss off anyone. The debates/rants are normal around here. We do our best not to jab any particular person, but some subjects are repeated so often...well, you get my drift, I'm sure. Just absorb all you can as you read, there are some great, knowlegeble folks on here.

For the impact this forum has had on my brewing, I couldn't put a price on it. (maybe I could - $172.58? ):D

Welcome to the board, keep on brewing!
 
.......If I have upset or pissed anyone off by asking a question I am truly sorry ! It was not my intent, my view is that this is a Forum for people seeking answers to questions. And by comparatively referencing those answers in open dialog, as a Forum, thus gaining knowledge. Once again it was not and is not my intention to upset anyone by looking to open a discussion........

To begin with, you haven't upset or pissed anyone off! You haven't been around here very long yet. But, hang around and you will better understand Revvy's stance.
Revvy is a huge resource of knowledge and one who probably takes the most time to share it. He almost never posts one or two sentence answers, but dives in with both feet to provide as much information as possible to address the individual's question.
However, we all get a little annoyed at times, especially around the first of the year after half the world gets a Mr. Beer kit for Christmas and decides to join the forum. Inevitably, there are many who don't lurk, read, search, or try to learn on their own. But immediately begin asking very basic questions just because they are excited and want to see their username in a post. Attitudes will relax as the year progresses.
You have to understand though, we have only the post itself to imply the level of experience the poster has. Having no way of knowing that you have 15 years of homebrewing experience, the assumption of noobiness is made.
 
I've never had a Belgian Wit slam through primary in a few days like WLP001/US05 does. My wit with Wyeasts 3944 is currently on day 18 and still fermenting. I checked the gravity about 12 days in and it was still at 1.024 and that was with a 1.5 liter starter. Give it another few days. You'll still have a persistent layer of krausen even when you don't see any more bubbling. Give it a gentle swirl and it will break up and fall out in a few hours.
 
I've never had a Belgian Wit slam through primary in a few days like WLP001/US05 does. My wit with Wyeasts 3944 is currently on day 18 and still fermenting. I checked the gravity about 12 days in and it was still at 1.024 and that was with a 1.5 liter starter. Give it another few days. You'll still have a persistent layer of krausen even when you don't see any more bubbling. Give it a gentle swirl and it will break up and fall out in a few hours.

+1 I've had very similar situations. I made a Wit in my n00b days and didn't realize how friggin long it takes for them to finish out sometimes. (I used Wyeast 3944) And for some silly reason, in my infinite n00bie knowledge, I used a secondary after two weeks, maybe thinking it would stop the fermentation if I got it off the cake.

A week later the airlock was still bubbling but I didn't take a hydro reading (man, I used to suck) and figured it was just off-gassing and it HAD to be done so I bottled using the standard method.

To this day I will still claim I've never had a bottle bomb (knock on wood) but after three weeks in the bottle I got a few cold and took them to a party. Decided to open one up and when I popped the top the bottom shot off like a bullet into the sink. Thank The FSM it didn't shatter all over myself and those partying around me. The rest were disposed of properly....

thantos - just give it time ^_^
 
I have a wit going too. It has been at about 69F for 15 days and I'm still getting bubbles. Not as much as the poster but a few every minute. I took a gravity reading yesterday and it was 1.006 down from and OG of1.050. When I opened the bucket there was a fair amount of kraeusen on top. I used the same yeast too. It smelled great although I didn't taste it I will tomorrow when I take a gravity reading again.

Nick
 
Ok, I read the thread, and I'll go take a hydro reading and another in 2 days & compare (along with tasting), but I had to laugh at OP for worrying about 7-10 days and still bubbling.

I came in here hoping to learn because I started on 11/3 and it's now 11/24 and still bubbling (granted, only ~ 1:90sec, but it's hasn't stopped!)

...And this is fully temp-controlled beer.

Also of note: This is a repeat of a recipe I've done several times before. It usually slows after 2 days, finishes after 4 (at 59°), but I let it go 7 (raising 64° for the rest of the week), then warm to 70° and 7 more "for conditioning".

Anyway, I'll do hydro + taste test & report back what I learn.
 
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Previous batches: FG = 1.011 after 2 wks.

This batch: Gravity = 1.014 after 3 wks, and it's still going (though slowly).

I'm going to swirl it a bit and measure again in 2 days. More news as it happens!

(Btw, It tastes as expected, though flat, of course.)
 
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Previous batches: FG = 1.011 after 2 wks.

This batch: Gravity = 1.014 after 3 wks, and it's still going (though slowly).


I'm going to swirl it a bit and measure again in 2 days. More news as it happens!

(Btw, It tastes as expected, though flat, of course.)

Each batch of beer finishes where it finishes. There may have been a slight difference when you brewed that affected how much the yeast can eat or your yeast might have decided your beer is strong enough. They don't all finish where you expect.
 
Ah! Forgot to report back. It "finished" (meaning stopped bubbling) the next day. I let it sit a few more days, then sent to carbonation.

FG: 1.014. Ah well!

(Gotta get me a Tilt!)
 
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