Active airlock for over 3 weeks now

[skipding]

I received a brew kit from my wife for my birthday and she also picked me up a coopers irish stout kit. So this stout is my first brew.The kit came with 2 lbs of DARK DME and priming sugar and a can of hopped extract. After I boiled my kit and added it to chilled water in the 6.5 gal carboy I realized I had no way of extracting any of the wort to take a gravity measurement. The kit did not come with a wine thief. I read so much about not contaminating the beer I decided to skip this step because my only option was extracting some with our kitchen turkey baster which would need to be sanitized and I was supposed to be pitching the yeast at this point. I pitched at about 75 deg. The next day I had foam oozing out all over the place! Even tho my wife thought it was hilarious! I was a bit concerned. Was my beer infected? It actually pushed the top of the airlock off. I re-sanitized the airlock filled it with vodka and placed it back on the carboy.

This is my main question after all that rambling.
I have had an active airlock for over 3 weeks now. I still get a bubble about every 4-7 minutes. I still do not have a wine-thief to take a gravity reading. In your opinion do you think the wort has fermented enough to add my priming sugar and bottle yet? I'm eager to start my next batch. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Sarrsipius]

What strain of yeast did you use? Airlocks are horible indications of fermentation progress. You may see no activity even though fermentation is still on going (especially in a lager) or you may see activity even though fermentation is complete (due to temp changes, release of suspended Co2, etc.).

If you have no way of checking the gravity, I'd give it 1 more week and then bottle. It's unlikely that an ale yeast would not finish in 4 weeks so you're probably safe. Even if you decide to bottle today, odds are that you're fine although you can't know for sure without taking an OG and a couple FG readings. Once the gravity has stabilized, it's done.

Stuck fermentations are a whole other thread but again, you won't know without a reading.

Whether you wait another week or not, chances are the beer will taste good! It's much much harder to ruin a batch of beer than you think. RDWHAHB.

 

[dnslater]

Your beer is probably fine and ready to bottle. Airlock activity might be due to temperature change in the room where it is located. You should definitely invest in a hydrometer if you don't already have one. Likely after three weeks I would go ahead and bottle. Give it a taste and see if it tastes decent.

 

[frydogbrews]

first, get a thief. i picked up a decent one from midwest supplies for 6 bucks or something. then, make sure you have two hydrometers. those things are really easy to break, and they only break right when you need them, so make sure you have a backup.
what temp has it been fermenting in and what strain of yeast did you use? i've had some english yeasts go for that long or longer before.

in the meantime, do you have a piece of tubing? like the one that is attached to your siphon? or any other tubing? if so, just stick that in(sanitized of course) and then cover the top end really well with your thumb. instant thief! (can sometimes drip a little)

 

[frazier]

It's not too late to get an OG. Look at the directions, it will tell you what it was. For extract batches, this is close enough. When you go to all-grain, you will need to take an actual reading but for now, just let the instructions tell you.

As for the FG, as others said, you have options for how to get the sample but whatever you do, as long as you sanitize, no worries.

And, congrats on your first exploded airlock. You'll be mopping the ceiling like an expert in no time! (Or, use a blowoff tube, your choice)

Cheers!

 

[Kaz]

I would find a way to get a gravity measurement before you bottle. The airlock can bubble for many reasons, but if there is still a fair amount of unfermented sugar in there, you could have exploding bottles on your hands.

 

[SgtB]

Take the gravity for three days and if it doesn't move bottle it.

 

[RugenBrau]

in the meantime, do you have a piece of tubing? like the one that is attached to your siphon? or any other tubing? if so, just stick that in(sanitized of course) and then cover the top end really well with your thumb. instant thief! (can sometimes drip a little)

That would work fine till you get a thief. Get a reading before you bottle

 

[skipding]

Thanks for all the input everyone! I ordered a thief online and received it damaged so I am going to buy a thief today from a store and bottle it up. I do not know what kind of yeast came in the coopers kit and the instructions do not have an original gravity listed. The instructions that came with the kit are generic because it states my beer should be clearing up, but it's a stout. I'm eager to start my next batch and will be doing an ale. My fav micro brew is Buttface Amber Ale from Ram breweries. and my fav commercial brew is St. Pauli Girl. On my next brew I'm still going to keep it simple and use a kit. Any suggestions on my next kit? I'd like to find something like buttface.
Thanks again!

 

[unionrdr]

If the can was from the Original Series (OS for short),it'll be the cooper's ale yeast. Stouts are ales anyway.

 

[skipding]

My Gravity reading before I bottled was 1010. Hope nothing explodes. Hope it sweetens up a bit also.