Fermentation after 3 weeks?

[YMRacing]

I brewed a Brewers Best Oatmeal Stout with an OG of 1.058. Fermentation was vigorous for about 4 days then slowed and seemed to complete after 7 days. I waited until 2 weeks in to check the gravity. It was at 1.024. I figured it was stuck after reading other posts about this kit. I give it a shake and see if it would get started again. For the last week no action has gone on. I was going to repitch the batch today but when I walked by the carboy I could hear the air lock fluttering. It’s fermenting!!! Has anyone seen this before? Not sure what the gravity is now but I figure I'll give it another week and check it then.

Cheers from a 4 batch semi-NooB

 

[MalFet]

Airlock fluttering ain't necessarily fermentation, friend. If you shook the carboy up (or even if you didn't) the beer might just be off-gassing. Then again, sometimes agitation will wake yeast back up if they flocced early, so it might very well be fermentation, too. The only way to know is your hydrometer.

 

[lumpher]

like malfet says, no way to know if it's just getting rid of more co2 or still fermenting, without taking a reading

 

[brewd00d]

If you had it below the recommended ale temperature that would explain the long ferment time.

 

[YMRacing]

Just took a gravity reading and it's at 1.018 so I take that as a good sign. The temp has been constant at 65. It just suprised me to see it take off after 3 weeks. Ill let it go for another week and take another reading. Thanks!!!

 

[jonmohno]

Pretty common for a high gravity or dark stlye beer.Its normally recommended to keep these at one month minimum more like 6 weeks. I did one, maybe a 4%er and it ended and 1.014 after 3 1/2 weeks.