Still fermenting?

[AACJ]

Is it possible for my beer to still be fermenting since being brewed on November 23rd? I have noticed in the airlock that the bubbler thing keeps floating up as if there is pressure being built up in the fermenter, that is after I relieve the pressure. It will take about 20 minutes or so and I have even caught an occasional bubble come out. I noticed this when I was taking a gravity reading (about a week ago) I put the airlock back on and a bit later noticed it had floated back up.

I have yet to take another gravity reading though.

 

[jerrodm]

It's fine. If I were you, I'd leave it alone for a couple more weeks. Over the course of the next two weeks re-watch the entire series of Arrested Development (it's on Netflix), then rack and bottle it the beer. I'm of course assuming that you've already watched it several times, yes?

 

[Revvy]

How do you know if it's fermenting rather than the airlock just bubbling? An airlock is a vent, it's NOT a fermentation gauge.

It could just as easily be bubbling or stop bubbling for that matter, due to changes in barometric pressure, temperature, or whether or not the cat or vacuum cleaner bumped into it, as it could be to because it's still fermenting.

Activity, action, bubbles, even krausen can be affected by the envoironment just as much as it being caused by the yeast...so going by that is NOT reliable.

If you want to know what's going on with your beer, then take a gravity reading. 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....

 

[AACJ]

Thanks for the reply, I just took a reading and it hasn't changed from the last reading. I just find it strange that in only 20 minutes it bubbles but isn't fermenting. I do a pretty good job of keeping the temerature the same, no cats or dogs go in there...and NO one has messed with it since I removed the pressure on the airlock. I just couldn't imagine the barometric pressure changing that quickly.

Anyway, I will be kegging it this evening!

Thanks for the reply..

How do you know if it's fermenting rather than the airlock just bubbling? An airlock is a vent, it's NOT a fermentation gauge.

It could just as easily be bubbling or stop bubbling for that matter, due to changes in barometric pressure, temperature, or whether or not the cat or vacuum cleaner bumped into it, as it could be to because it's still fermenting.

Activity, action, bubbles, even krausen can be affected by the envoironment just as much as it being caused by the yeast...so going by that is NOT reliable.

If you want to know what's going on with your beer, then take a gravity reading. 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....

 

[WoodlandBrew]

It's called off-gassing. The yeast put CO2 into solution and it's basicly going flat like a soda left open on the counter.

 

[krackin]

I'd be getting set up to bottle that bad batch o' brew and crack one the first week of the new year to try it out. Sometimes you have to be very scientific.

 

[AACJ]

Kegged!