Airlock still bubbles after 3 weeks

[slider09]

Hi

I have a festival world beer kit, New Zealand Pilsner.
It's been in the primary fermentation bucket for 3 weeks now and the airlock still occasionally bubbles, probably every 5 mins or so.

The instructions say it should be ready after approx 10 days.

Does the airlock ever stop bubbling, or is once every 5 mins classed as done?

Bit wary to move to bottles in case it hasn't finished yet.

Can the beer be in the primary bucket too long?

Thanks

 

[Gnomebrewer]

If you google this, you'll find several threads answering your question. Anyway....

Three weeks is a good length of time for fermentation.

The airlock bubbling doesn't mean there is still fermentation (it just means gas is being released). You can only be sure fermentation has finished if you have constant gravity readings over a couple of days (using hydrometer). After three weeks, unless your yeast has been very slow (cold temperature or slow yeast strain) your beer will be done.

 

[eddie]

You could always rack it off the yeast cake into a secondary. How does it look/smell?

 

[Olsteeltrap]

I'm new here....and to brewing...found something floating in second fermintor after 7 weeks....how would I post a pic to see if anyone has idea if I lost this beer

 

[Yooper]

I'm new here....and to brewing...found something floating in second fermintor after 7 weeks....how would I post a pic to see if anyone has idea if I lost this beer

If you have something in secondary for 7 weeks, and have some headspace in there, it can easily be infected. You can upload a picture and we can take a look, but at 7 weeks in a fermented if there is something floating, it doesn't sound good at all.

 

[Yooper]

Hi

I have a festival world beer kit, New Zealand Pilsner.
It's been in the primary fermentation bucket for 3 weeks now and the airlock still occasionally bubbles, probably every 5 mins or so.

The instructions say it should be ready after approx 10 days.

Does the airlock ever stop bubbling, or is once every 5 mins classed as done?

Bit wary to move to bottles in case it hasn't finished yet.

Can the beer be in the primary bucket too long?

Thanks

Airlocks bubble for all sorts of reasons, especially temperature changes and barometric pressure changes. It's probably long done fermenting. If the SG is unchanging, it's more than ready to bottle.

 

[slider09]

Thanks all, I'll take a couple of readings.

 

[menerdari]

Thanks all, I'll take a couple of readings.

Just to clarify, two readings about a day apart with no changes "BUT"
they should also be some where near your target finishing gravity.
If the readings are real high you may have other issues.