check gravity?

hey guys.
So, my Foreign extra stout will have been in primary for two weeks tomorrow. I pitched a decanted 1L starter of WLP007 for a 20L batch. The fermentation was mighty, starting in the first 3 hours after pitching, but the airlock is still bubbling. Its not bubbling a whole lot, id say a blurp every couple of minutes.

Should I take a hydrometer reading or let it sit until the bubbling stops all together?

My last beer was under-attenuated, so Im being patient with this one.. just worried if im being overly patient?

but, maybe this is a silly question, only to be answered by a hydrometer reading... dunno, I just want to fool with it as little as possible-- call it homebrew wait therapy.

thoughts?
thanks all.

HIt

Bubbling from the air lock may only be CO2 comming out of suspension. I would take a hydrometer reading just to make sure. Typically I will let my beers sit in the primary for 3 weeks before kegging. This give the beer time to clear a little bit.

If you're curious, don't be afraid to take a hydrometer sample. Unless you're taking them every day or something, there's no reason to be afraid to check gravity. I often check mine on a weekly basis.

i'd take a reading now, then take another reading a week from now. if it's the same, rack; no reason it shouldn't be the same. if not, wait 3 more days, and read again. should be stable and ready to rack then

thanks guys... also means I get to try my brew TODAY!!

ok, checked it. beer looks beautiful, black and clear (is that possible?). Problem is, gravity is only 1020... kinda dissappointing based on the crazy fermentation I had.

anyway, I guess Ill be waiting another week.

I gave the carboy a swirl (gently),... is there anything else I can do/should do?

cheers,
HIt

Relax
How did it taste?
Post recipe after the next reading if it has not changed from 1.020, it might be all you get. Then again How did it taste? because ultimately that is all that matters.

Craziness of fermentation is no surefire method of judging final attenuation.

samc said:

Relax
How did it taste?
Post recipe after the next reading if it has not changed from 1.020, it might be all you get. Then again How did it taste? because ultimately that is all that matters.

Craziness of fermentation is no surefire method of judging final attenuation.

Click to expand...

it tasted good. not too sweet. Im just a little gun-shy because the last beer I made went off to secondary a little under-attenuated.

I guess i expected more from what is considered a highly attenuative yeast than 67% and im wondering if it could still go lower (after 2 weeks) or if I should just concede and rack it over to secondary.

I guess another way to ask my question is:

has anyone had a fermentation take longer than 2 weeks? (assuming, of course,
1. The beer is not a huge one (OG ~1060),
2. An appropriate pitch rate was performed and,
3. Fermentation temps were kept in the suggested range with little or no fluctuation).

thoughts?

Was this AG or extract. If extract, 1.020 might be all you're going to get. If AG, what were your mash temp ? Mashing high will produce unfermentable sugars that can make for a higher FG.

Also, make sure you have plenty of room in your test tube when you check for FG and knock any bubbles out by gently swirling. If it tastes fine and the FG hasn't changed next week, I'd say you are good to go.

jfr1111 said:

Was this AG or extract. If extract, 1.020 might be all you're going to get. If AG, what were your mash temp ? Mashing high will produce unfermentable sugars that can make for a higher FG.

Also, make sure you have plenty of room in your test tube when you check for FG and knock any bubbles out by gently swirling. If it tastes fine and the FG hasn't changed next week, I'd say you are good to go.

Click to expand...

thanks jfr,

It was AG (my first). I did a stovetop mash in a brewkettle as per below.

11.75 lb grain in 3.25 gal water (1.1 q/lb) @ 154 x60 min. Although, I must say that I think I lost a few degrees over the mash (no more than 5, however). Grain was in a bag, I hauled it out.. let it drip... and batch sparged in 4 gal of 175 deg to rest at 170 x 10 min. On the side I cold steeped 1lb crystal 120 and .5lb black barley in 1 gal room temp water x ~1-2 hrs (just to bump up the color and add some flavor). Threw it all together for a 60 min boil.

Im wondering if there is some extra unfermentable sugars in there from the cold steep, and thats why it didnt get down into the teens.

Yep..... Not so much unfermentable sugars.... but you definately get plenty of unfermentable starch from a cold mash of toasted malts......

Remember -- you gotta treat toasted malts like adjuncts because the enzymes are denatured.....

A comparison...

Say you soaked flour or corn meal in cold water for an hour, decanted the liquid, then added it to your wort..... Would you expect to be adding sugars?

Thanks

John

truckjohn said:

Yep..... Not so much unfermentable sugars.... but you definately get plenty of unfermentable starch from a cold mash of toasted malts......

Remember -- you gotta treat toasted malts like adjuncts because the enzymes are denatured.....

A comparison...

Say you soaked flour or corn meal in cold water for an hour, decanted the liquid, then added it to your wort..... Would you expect to be adding sugars?

Thanks

John

Click to expand...

John,
I appreciate your reply but have to disagree (with the caveat that I am new at this and still learning).

First, my understanding is that when specialty malts are roasted, they undergo the conversion from starch to sugar, which is the same reason why they dont need to be mashed. Ive read this in a number of places, but none put it so succinctly as John Palmer's book, "How to Brew."

Taken from the online version:
"Specialty malts like caramel and roasted malts do not need to be mashed. These malts have undergone a special kilning process in which the starches are converted to sugars by heat right inside the hull. As a result, these malts contain more complex sugars, some of which do not ferment, leaving a pleasant caramel-like sweetness."

Secondly, from what Ive read in brewing books, as well as the many hours spent lurking here, Ive learned that cold steeping can and does add both fermentable and unfermentable sugar, however, maybe not the total amount that a hot steep would (although this is arguable depending on how long you cold steep, etc).

this is a pretty good thread that sums up a few of the opinions on the subject from this forum.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/cold-steep-dark-grains-96055/


funny thing is... I think I answered my own question... based on the fact that the starch conversion happens during kilning, a cold vs. hot steep wouldnt change the percent of unfermentable vs. fermentable sugars, only the amount (and that seems to be arguable).

The question that remains is:

HItransplant said:

I guess another way to ask my question is:

has anyone had a fermentation take longer than 2 weeks? (assuming, of course,
1. The beer is not a huge one (OG ~1060),
2. An appropriate pitch rate was performed and,
3. Fermentation temps were kept in the suggested range with little or no fluctuation).

thoughts?

Click to expand...

thanks again john

HItransplant said:

I guess another way to ask my question is:

has anyone had a fermentation take longer than 2 weeks? (assuming, of course,
1. The beer is not a huge one (OG ~1060),
2. An appropriate pitch rate was performed and,
3. Fermentation temps were kept in the suggested range with little or no fluctuation).

thoughts?

Click to expand...

RDWHAHB

I've had a brew take about a week and a half to quit bubbling, but upon taking a hydrometer reading it wasn't done at all. started at 1.046 and had quit bubbling around 1.025, finished at 1.011.

I let it sit for 2 weeks in primary, got the 1.025 reading. Let it go another week and racked it to secondary without even checking gravity. Sat a week in secondary, checked gravity, not quite low enough. another 2 weeks in secondary before I hit my FG and it was ready to bottle. Total time... 6 weeks.....
Time is a beers best friend.
Relax, take some more gravity readings as time passes. If it's steady, move on. Good luck!

took another sample tonight.. no change.

would it help to stir up the trub a little with my thief?.... re-distribute the yeast.

or, maybe a sloppy rack over to secondary... make sure I suck up some of the top layer of trub?

thoughts?

What temperature are you fermenting at?

JonK331 said:

What temperature are you fermenting at?

Click to expand...

I pitched at 74 and once fermentation started the carboy went into a swamp cooler to keep it around 68. It stayed there with maybe a 2 degree swing, no more. During the hottest part of the fermentation, it was definitely on the warm side of the "safe range."

HItransplant said:

took another sample tonight.. no change.

would it help to stir up the trub a little with my thief?.... re-distribute the yeast.

or, maybe a sloppy rack over to secondary... make sure I suck up some of the top layer of trub?

thoughts?

Click to expand...

It sounds done. I would NOT stir it or rack up the trub. With a mash temp of 154, a super thick mash, and being a stout (I didn't see the list of ingredients), an attenuation of 67% is not unexpected.

Yooper, heres the grain bill:

8.25 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (4.0 SRM) Grain
2.50 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain
0.75 lb Black Barley (550.0 SRM) Grain
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain

plus, I cold steeped 1.0 lb crystal 120 and .5 lb black barley to boost the color and flavor profile. (would have added it to the mash but my 5 gal mash tun was maxed (at 1.1qt/lb thickness).

thanks for the post. I think I might give it a few more days and then rack to secondary... Im trying to force myself to be patient.