Fermenting 10 days and still going

[jumertens]

Is there something wrong with my 17th Koelsch batch? It's fermenting at about 60F in th basment for 10 days now and I still see bubbles every 15-20 seconds. I used the same yeast (Wyeast 2565 Koelsch) as always and usually the fermentation is done after 4-6 days. What is happening?

 

[Nateo]

Did you check the gravity?

Some things that can affect fermentation speed:
Wort oxygenation
Yeast health
Yeast viability
Yeast quantity
Wort pH
Wort nutrition
Fermentation temperature

Besides temperature, the others are difficult to quantify on a homebrew scale. Unless we have measurements of the above parameters, we're just guessing.

 

[jumertens]

So far I only checked the OG: 1.054. I usually take the FG after 2 weeks when I transfer the beer to a carboy. There is a slight strange smell direction bad eggs..that worries me. Does a contaminated batch bubble?

 

[matt2778]

No worries about the sulfur smell. Give it time it will go away. I've never used the wyeast 2565 but I did recent use wlp029(kolsch) and produced the sulfur aroma after around a week of fermentation. The beer turned out great though.

 

[Nateo]

Some sulfur is "normal," although it could indicate fermentation problems. Stressed yeast produce more sulfur than healthy yeast. Beer is such a forgiving beverage that most brewers don't even notice when their yeast isn't working correctly.

The best thing you can do is carefully swirl the bucket/carboy/whatever around and around, to blow off the CO2 in solution, and rouse the yeast. As the CO2 blows off, it'll take the sulfur with it. This will also make yeast healthier and happier too.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

(sigh) so let me get this straight; Lots of people worry that their beer stops bubbling after 3 days. We say RDWHAHB. Now we have people worrying that their batch is showing signs of active fermentation after 10 days. That means one thing; that there is pressure building up in your fermenter that is being released by the airlock. RDWHAHB. The sulphur smell is characteristic of some strains of yeast. Check the yeast manufacturere's website to see if that aplies to the strain you are using. I have never used a sulphur producing yeast, but for comfort do a search on this board for the term " Rhino Farts". The hydrometer will tell you if the beer is fully attenuated. Your tongue will tell you if the batch is infected. Does it taste like flat warm beer or vinegar? I guess the one of the side benefits of brewing is the opportunity to worry.

 

[bierandbikes]

I brewed an IPA the bubbled for 2 weeks before it slowed down. I too was worried. It turned out to be one of the best beers I have produced. Let the little guys do their job and don't worry. Also, I would leave it in the primary for at least a week after the fermentation slows or completes. This allows the yeast to clean up the bad stuff...i.e., the sulfur.

 

[JonM]

Sounds just like a Kolsch I made a couple months ago. Mine turned out fine and I bet yours will too.

 

[jumertens]

Thanks everybody...sounds like I worry too much. I will wait a few more days and see what happens.

 

[MrTheKing]

I brewed an IPA the bubbled for 2 weeks before it slowed down. I too was worried. It turned out to be one of the best beers I have produced. Let the little guys do their job and don't worry. Also, I would leave it in the primary for at least a week after the fermentation slows or completes. This allows the yeast to clean up the bad stuff...i.e., the sulfur.

Same here, IPA bubbled away for just over two weeks. First time i've had that happen. I was curious about it, but what are you gonna do? It'll finish when it finishes.