7 days into fermentation, still bubbling thru the airlock

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

Hello fellow home Brewers!
I'm 7 days into fermentation and my airlock is still bubbling about every 15-20 seconds. I'd like to transfer into my secondary and add my vanilla beans to my stout. The krausen build up is making it very hard to get a visual on what's going on.

Should I transfer and add my beans?

Should I wait till the airlock stops bubbling?

Or should I just take a gravity reading?

My final gravity thru beer smith shows it should be 1.023

 

[meatcleaver]

I would wait until the krausen has fallen & fermentation is complete.
then, don't rack to secondary, just add your vanilla beans to the primary fv.
my 2¢

 

[RM-MN]

Hello fellow home Brewers!
I'm 7 days into fermentation and my airlock is still bubbling about every 15-20 seconds. I'd like to transfer into my secondary and add my vanilla beans to my stout. The krausen build up is making it very hard to get a visual on what's going on.

Should I transfer and add my beans?

Should I wait till the airlock stops bubbling?

Or should I just take a gravity reading?

My final gravity thru beer smith shows it should be 1.023

You should mostly just be patient. You control what goes into the fermenter but what comes out is up to the yeast and it seems like your yeast aren't done yet. It won't hurt your beer a bit to wait another week or even 2 before you add the vanilla beans and it might be a lot better.

 

[ChefRex]

Leave it and brew another batch, patients is tough when you first start brewing but it is rewarded.
Having multiple batches and developing a pipeline is the way to go.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

I would wait until the krausen has fallen & fermentation is complete.
then, don't rack to secondary, just add your vanilla beans to the primary fv.
my 2¢

I've always racked to a secondary due to it being easier for me to add my dry hops. My primary is a glass carboy and my secondary is a bucket. I think it's easier to get the hop bag out of a bucket and I like to get the beer off that yeast cake. My buddy tells me he just adds dry hops/ beans to the primary. Maybe I'll do that for this batch as an experiment. Thanks for your reply.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

You should mostly just be patient. You control what goes into the fermenter but what comes out is up to the yeast and it seems like your yeast aren't done yet. It won't hurt your beer a bit to wait another week or even 2 before you add the vanilla beans and it might be a lot better.

This fermentation has just been so vigorous. Within the first 36 hours I had krausen pouring out thru my airlock. Such a mess. My first messy fermentation. I had to clean and replace the airlock twice within 48 hrs. Which I've learned I need to do a blow off tube for at least the first 4 days.

Idk if using wyeast 1332 has anything to do w high vigorous fermentation. I did make a yeast starter 36 hours before brew day.

I'm just so used to being able to rack after 4-7 days. This is my first stout I've brewed w an OG of 1.076

I'll be patient with this batch, I just want to be able to serve this brew by Oct 26 for my best friends wedding.

Thanks again for your reply.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

Leave it and brew another batch, patients is tough when you first start brewing but it is rewarded.
Having multiple batches and developing a pipeline is the way to go.

For sure ChefRex. I do plan on brewing again this weekend or sooner. I think it's that time I purchase another carboy or buy a stainless conical. I want to do a porter w vanilla added after fermentation is complete.

 

[douglasbarbin]

You are doing it backwards if your primary is a carboy and your secondary is a bucket.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

You are doing it backwards if your primary is a carboy and your secondary is a bucket.

My beer has always turned out great w this method. I am very novice and I am learning a lot each brew I brew. I've never aged any brew in a bucket longer than 7 days. Tho I never knew I was doing primary and secondary backwards. I just knew the only rules were cleanliness and santization.

 

[RM-MN]

My beer has always turned out great w this method. I am very novice and I am learning a lot each brew I brew. I've never aged any brew in a bucket longer than 7 days. Tho I never knew I was doing primary and secondary backwards. I just knew the only rules were cleanliness and santization.

The reason a carboy is suggested for secondary is that you would have much less area exposed to air....but only if you use a carboy that is the right size.

When your beer is done fermenting, it is also done producing CO2. That blanket of CO2 protects your beer from bacteria that need oxygen to reproduce. When you rack your beer to secondary you lose the CO2 blanket, leaving your with only the CO2 that was dissolved in the beer to outgas to protect the beer. If you rack to a carboy that is smaller so your beer fills it to the neck, it takes little CO2 to fill that space.

Good sanitation helps keep the bacteria at bay but there is plenty of it floating around in the air that can infect your beer even if you have good sanitation. Best bet is to keep it from reproducing by leaving the beer in the primary until it is ready to bottle.

Now with all that said, you have a carboy and you have a bucket. Perfect! Make a beer in the carboy...and make another beer in the bucket. Now you have both filled and the urge to transfer to secondary can only be filled if you buy another carboy....which I hope you don't.

 

[kombat]

I've always racked to a secondary due to it being easier for me to add my dry hops. My primary is a glass carboy and my secondary is a bucket.

I would strongly recommend you stop racking to secondary, especially if your secondary is a bucket. That's a significant amount of headspace (read: air), and you're exposing your beer to a serious risk of infection, and guaranteeing at least some degree of oxidation.

I think it's easier to get the hop bag out of a bucket

It is, but why would you need to? Leave the hop bag in until it's time to bottle it, then rack the beer to your bottling bucket and bottle immediately, leaving the hop bag inside the carboy. After you've emptied the carboy, remove the hop bag and clean the carboy. Or just add the hops in loose.

and I like to get the beer off that yeast cake.

Why?

My buddy tells me he just adds dry hops/ beans to the primary.

That's what I do. However, if you want to reuse the yeast, and you're determined to transfer the beer to secondary, at least do it using a vessel that has minimal head space and is airtight (read: NOT a bucket!), such as a 5 gallon carboy with an airlock.

This fermentation has just been so vigorous.

What was your fermentation temperature? How did you control your fermentation temperature?

 

[meatcleaver]

I'm just so used to being able to rack after 4-7 days. This is my first stout I've brewed w an OG of 1.076


Thanks again for your reply.

ahhh. 1.076 is a big beer.
big beers take longer to ferment out & as you now know, ferment vigorously

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

The reason a carboy is suggested for secondary is that you would have much less area exposed to air....but only if you use a carboy that is the right size.

When your beer is done fermenting, it is also done producing CO2. That blanket of CO2 protects your beer from bacteria that need oxygen to reproduce. When you rack your beer to secondary you lose the CO2 blanket, leaving your with only the CO2 that was dissolved in the beer to outgas to protect the beer. If you rack to a carboy that is smaller so your beer fills it to the neck, it takes little CO2 to fill that space.

Good sanitation helps keep the bacteria at bay but there is plenty of it floating around in the air that can infect your beer even if you have good sanitation. Best bet is to keep it from reproducing by leaving the beer in the primary until it is ready to bottle.

Now with all that said, you have a carboy and you have a bucket. Perfect! Make a beer in the carboy...and make another beer in the bucket. Now you have both filled and the urge to transfer to secondary can only be filled if you buy another carboy....which I hope you don't.

Wow! That was some great info. Makes a lot of sense. Thank you very much for sharing. I'll probably not rack now sense I don't want to lose that co2 blanket. I always thought it was good to rack to secondary to have a cleaner, clearer beer.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

What was your fermentation temperature? How did you control your fermentation temperature?

My temp was running around 72-74. It's been really hot out here in the Central Valley of California. I use the cool brewing insulated bag. Throw in some ice packs or frozen 2 litters and change them out once they defrost which is daily. When it's not so hot it will stay around 68-70.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

ahhh. 1.076 is a big beer.
big beers take longer to ferment out & as you now know, ferment vigorously

Yea I usually brew an ale 1.060 or lower. I'm so used to everything being done sooner.

 

[Roadie]

For the first dryhopping I usually just drop the hop pellets into the carboy. If I need to do a 2nd or 3rd dryhopping I rack first.

You'll discover if you have room for it a fermentation fridge (used) on a controller is the way to go. Not only can you then ferment at a temp you want, for a clearer beer then you can always cold crash after dryhopping.