All, I brewed a Mac& Jacks clone 10 days ago, uneventfully. A day after pitching my yeast I discovered my airlock had blown out, but it couldnt have been for long. Fermentation was going crazy. I rigged up a crude blowoff system and let things be. I had alot of wort pass through my blow off tube and into my sanitized water. Yesterday after 8 days in primary I did a gravity check and found it to be 1.016, right on target for a 5.5% ale. I noticed slight airlock (3 or so a min) movement but didn't think much about it, transfered to seconday. Today it is still going at the same rate? How is it still moving after fermentation? Wort seems to have tasted fine, with no strange odors, or off flavors. Advice or wisdom here? Used White labs 5 British ale yeast. Looks like I have a slight foam around the edges of my carboyas well
Airlock still moving after 9 day fermentation
- Thread starter TNemethy
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petey_c
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I'm guessing that fermentation isn't quite done. I've had similar results with my latest Boddington's Pub kit from AHS. Airlock activity continues, after 8 days. About four times a minute. I'm going to let it continue for another 13 days.
Trying to figure out HOW? if all visible yeast was removed and FG is on target, I am hoping at this point i still have a little fermentation going on, and not contamination. I sanitize everything, but being only my 4th total (3rd AG) batch this is a new one to me with a blown airlock
You didn't remove as much yeast as you think by transferring to secondary. Sure, you may not have moved the yeast accumulated on the bottom, but there's so much yeast in suspension that you can't see that it's no surprise it could still be fermenting.
But of course, you're basing fermentation activity on airlock bubbles, which is the first rule you're breaking. Airlock bubbles and frequency mean nothing. Gas comes out of solution long after fermentation is complete, changes in atmospheric pressure can create bubbles, etc.
Just stick to checking the gravity over the next few days and if it doesn't continue to drop, you're fine. As you've already discovered, if it looks and tastes fine and the gravity is in line with what you'd expect, then there's about a 99.9% chance everything is just fine.
cuz moving it out of primary doesnt end fermentation.
wait til you get stable readings over a few days before moving next time (or better yet, don't secondary at all). the yeast determine when its done, not you.
It's just CO2 that was dissolved in the beer coming out of solution because you moved it.
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