Never Ending Fermentation

I brewed an American wheat beer from an extract kit I bought from NB on May 8th. I let it sit in the primary until June 4th. I then racked it over 30oz. of fresh pineapple juice in the secondary. Normally I wait until the airlock completely stops bubbling before I bottle, but as of today my airlock is still bubbling once every three minutes consistently. Has been for about a week now. Can't believe it could still be fermenting. Does anyone think that I should still wait or is it ok to bottle? I am worried that when I add the priming sugar I will create little pineapple bottle bombs. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

What is the gravity and what was the expected final gravity?

I don't see anything here that tells me necessarily that your beer is fermenting still, only that the airlock is bubbling. That is NOT the same thing.

Fermentation time for any beer is not set in stone, a beer is finished when the GRAVITY is stable for 3 consequtive days. An airlock is a valve, a vent to release excess Co2 and keep beer off the ceiling. It is not a magic fermentation gauge. It only bubbles when it needs to release co2, but that doesn't mean that if it isn't bubbling fermentation is finished, the yeast are still often working, but not producing a ton of EXCESS co2. Or that if it's bubbling fermentation is still going on, there could simply be a temp shift or a change int atmosphereic pressure causing it to bubble.

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" without 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?

I recommend that new brewers wait a minimum of 10 days before even considering taking their first grav reading. If I take a grav reading I usually just wait til the 14th day.

So take a reading and then you will KNOW if it's fermenting or not.....

One thing that's worth adding to Revvy's standard advice. While, consistent hydrometer readings are your best tool for judging whether a fermentation is complete. I think it's worth being aware of other signs of an incomplete fermentation. Why? The amount of fermentation sugars necessary to carbonate a beer results in a very small change in hydrometer reading.

1) you should have some idea of what your final gravity is suppose to be. How does your gravity reading compare?

2) Is there anything which could have stalled out your fermentation? Sudden change in temperature. A beer with a very high ABV content, more then the yeast is meant to handle.

If 1 & 2 are ok and your hydrometer reading is consistent, I'd feel comfortable bottling with one bubble every three minutes in the airlock.

Thanks for the advice. I have the OG and gravity reading from when I added the pineapple juice in my beer journal. I will check them when I get home. I will also take a reading today, and again on Monday to see if it is steady.

While the subject of never ending fermentations is open I'd like to ask a question.

I have a batch of SWMBO Slayer that has had a bubbling airlock for going on four weeks now, quite consistently. I haven't had time to take a gravity reading, but could this be a sign of infection, or is this recipe known to ferment long?

dukerutledge said:

While the subject of never ending fermentations is open I'd like to ask a question.

I have a batch of SWMBO Slayer that has had a bubbling airlock for going on four weeks now, quite consistently. I haven't had time to take a gravity reading, but could this be a sign of infection, or is this recipe known to ferment long?

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All bubbling tells you is that there is co2 in the fermenter. Take a reading 3 days in a row. If it remains the same then fermentation is complete.

dukerutledge said:

I have a batch of SWMBO Slayer that has had a bubbling airlock for going on four weeks now, quite consistently. I haven't had time to take a gravity reading, but could this be a sign of infection, or is this recipe known to ferment long?

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tasq said:

All bubbling tells you is that there is co2 in the fermenter.

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Couldn't say it better myself! :rockin:

Your beer is possessed by the devil. He is making the airlock bubble so your faith in the glory of beer will falter.

Use thy holy hydrometer to cast out the devil. Use it multiple times on multiple days to ensure the demon is gone.

Here are the gravity readings so far. OG was 1.038 grav when I racked into the secondary was 1.05. Grav when I checked yesterday 1.008. I will pull another on Monday. Other then that I felt like it would wind up being 4% and I am pretty close.

Kralja said:

Here are the gravity readings so far. OG was 1.038 grav when I racked into the secondary was 1.05. Grav when I checked yesterday 1.008. I will pull another on Monday. Other then that I felt like it would wind up being 4% and I am pretty close.

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Did the gravity go up when you racked it to secondary?

In any case, fermentation should be complete when you rack to secondary. If you rack it off the yeast early you can get a very slow fermentation.

brian_g said:

Did the gravity go up when you racked it to secondary?

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He racked it onto Pinapple juice, this would cause the grav to go up a bit, as far as the bubbles go, I have kegged many a beer that was still outgassing CO2, I check the gravity as stated by others 3 times over several days and if its not a big beer, I keg and carb.

Racking it into the secondary at 1.05 sounds high even with pineapple juice. I wonder if that's what he meant.

The gravity did bump up a bit from 1.05 when I put it in the secondary on the juice, to 1.008 with the reading I just took on Friday. I will take another reading tomorrow on see if it has remained the same.

I really appreciate all the feedback with this.

Took gravity again last night and matched it at 1.008

Pineapple juice has a HUGE amount of sugar for the yeast to ferment, and that will take a while.