Airlock activity question

[je52rm]

I have read that as a basic rule of thumb when you have airlock activity that is 2 minutes or more between bubbling action that the beer is more or less done fermenting. I usually wait until i have 2 minutes between airlock bubble action to take my first sample for checking gravity so I minimize the amount of times I'm dipping anything into the wort that may contaminate it.

My question:

Is it possible to have a beer that is done fermenting (not dropping in gravity) but still have airlock activity less than 2 minutes?

I still plan on taking hydrometer readings 2-3 days consecutively to assure fermentation is complete but just wondering about the airlock activity as a gauge for determining the fermentation stage

 

[Yooper]

I have read that as a basic rule of thumb when you have airlock activity that is 2 minutes or more between bubbling action that the beer is more or less done fermenting. I usually wait until i have 2 minutes between airlock bubble action to take my first sample for checking gravity so I minimize the amount of times I'm dipping anything into the wort that may contaminate it.

My question:

Is it possible to have a beer that is done fermenting (not dropping in gravity) but still have airlock activity less than 2 minutes?

I still plan on taking hydrometer readings 2-3 days consecutively to assure fermentation is complete but just wondering about the airlock activity as a gauge for determining the fermentation stage

Yes, you can have airlock activity when there is no fermentation, and vice-versa, so airlock activity (or lack of) is not an indicator of fermentation.

For example, I have a finished beer in my laundry room at 57 degrees right now. If I bring it into my 65 degree kitchen, I will get lots of airlock activity as it warms up a bit. Colder solutions "hold" onto co2 more readily, so when the temperature changes airlock activity is common. Barometric pressure affects airlock activity as well.

Sometimes, I have a beer that is fermenting well but I have a leak around the lid so I never see airlock activity.

Those reasons are why counting bubbles or gauging fermentation by airlock activity isn't a valid way to gauge fermentation activity.

About 5 days before you want to package the beer, check the SG. Then, three days later, check it again. If it's the same, and the beer is clear, it's ready to bottle. If it's not, check again three days later. Once it's the same for at least a period of three days or more, and the beer is clear, it can be bottled or kegged.

 

[osagedr]

Paging Revvy...come in Revvy...

 

[je52rm]

Yes, you can have airlock activity when there is no fermentation, and vice-versa, so airlock activity (or lack of) is not an indicator of fermentation.

For example, I have a finished beer in my laundry room at 57 degrees right now. If I bring it into my 65 degree kitchen, I will get lots of airlock activity as it warms up a bit. Colder solutions "hold" onto co2 more readily, so when the temperature changes airlock activity is common. Barometric pressure affects airlock activity as well.

Sometimes, I have a beer that is fermenting well but I have a leak around the lid so I never see airlock activity.

Those reasons are why counting bubbles or gauging fermentation by airlock activity isn't a valid way to gauge fermentation activity.

About 5 days before you want to package the beer, check the SG. Then, three days later, check it again. If it's the same, and the beer is clear, it's ready to bottle. If it's not, check again three days later. Once it's the same for at least a period of three days or more, and the beer is clear, it can be bottled or kegged.

Ok very helpful to know that. Thank u!

I have an ESB that I made ( recipe from LHBS supposedly a Fullers ESB clone ) and it was really big because it called for 2 lbs. of turbinado sugar and resulted in an original gravity of 1.071. Pitched yeast 17 days ago and has been fermenting at 69 degrees (had one night it got cold and went down to an internal temp of 63-64degrees . I checked the gravity 2 days ago and it was 1.015 but there's still airlock activity every 45 seconds or even a bit less. I'm gonna check it again tonight or tomorrow and if it's the same I will bottle.

 

[MrManifesto]

It's a time thing, not an activity thing. I'd take careful note of where you read that and take whatever else they say with a bag of salt.

 

[je52rm]

It's a time thing, not an activity thing. I'd take careful note of where you read that and take whatever else they say with a bag of salt.

It's on the "General Mash Instructions" that came with a kit that i bought from my LHBS. It says you can take hydrometer readings (2-3 days consecutively) after the airlock bubble activity is 2 minutes or greater OR to decrease the chance of infection to "assume" fermentation is complete with 2 minutes or greater between airlock bubbles and go ahead and bottle. As i stated before i still take hydrometer readings for 2-3 days to determine if fermentation is complete but i was more wondering about the possibility of airlock activity (less than 2 minutes between) on a fully fermented beer.

 

[MrManifesto]

It's on the "General Mash Instructions" that came with a kit that i bought from my LHBS. It says you can take hydrometer readings (2-3 days consecutively) after the airlock bubble activity is 2 minutes or greater OR to decrease the chance of infection to "assume" fermentation is complete with 2 minutes or greater between airlock bubbles and go ahead and bottle. As i stated before i still take hydrometer readings for 2-3 days to determine if fermentation is complete but i was more wondering about the possibility of airlock activity (less than 2 minutes between) on a fully fermented beer.

those instructions are generally good until you get to the fermentation part of things. after that, come to us

 

[je52rm]

those instructions are generally good until you get to the fermentation part of things. after that, come to us

I dont think you read the original thread question correctly. By no means am i going to rely on just airlock activity when i own a hydrometer and plenty of star sans and iodaphor. I was wondering about the possibility of airlock action on a beer that is basically fully fermented and ready to bottle. Yooper already explained it perfectly in my opinion