Fermentation lasting a long time

[BugDude]

So my newest batch has been bubbling for 8 days and counting. I've never had a batch show signs for more than 3-4 days. I'm seeing a burp about every 15 seconds. Not a strong one. Just enough to move the middle piece of my airlock up and let a bubble out.

I did a few new things with this batch. First time using The yeast pitch calculator. It indicated that my yeast was 50% dead so i tried making my first starter. I put 2 viles in a 2L starter which actually only came out to about 1600L after the boil. I have no stir plate and just shook the flask whenever I passed it. Over night it blew out and it appeared that a decent amount of yeast had gone with it. Looked kinda like a clump of wet sponge. The flask still had action though so I pitched it after 24 hours. Normally I just dump 2 viles in the carboy.


I also decide to try my first late addition. I had 8lbs LME added 3-4 at start and the rest 15 mins before I finished the boil.

I also used a new 6.5 gal glass carboy. Brought to temp. Pitched yeast. Placed in a cooler of water with a shirt draped over it.

Used a blowoff tube for the first time as well. Took about 6 hours to start seeing signs of fermentation. Once it started kicking it was vigerous. The bucket was rumbling. Never seen a fermentation so intense.

While I'm not really worried about the batch being ruined I am concerned about the length of time it's been actively fermenting. I wonder if my yeast was insufficient and I'll have to repitch? I know I'll have to take a gravity reading to see if it's stalled first and I let my batches sit for 3-4 weeks in primary so there's plenty of time to figure that out.

Just looking for any advice or criticism on what I did. Since it was a batch of firsts i cannot pinpoint the reason it's preformed it way it has. I have a stir plate that should be delivered today so I can do proper starters now.

Brew: citra pale ale extract kit from more beer
Yeast: WLP001
Ferment temp: 64-66 degrees
OG~ 1.061 (brewed a pale ale with same extract came out to .060 had no issues but is a topic for a different thread lol)

If you've stayed with me this long, thank you in advance

 

[freisste]

No criticism. Just wanted to say that even if it looks like you lost a bunch of yeast, you likely only lost foam. In sure there are cells in it, but most are in the liquid of the starter. I can almost guarantee that you pitched considerably more than if you had just dumped the vials in. Plus the yeast were active.

Regarding bubbling, that doesn't mean it is fermenting. While it could be, it may just be a change in temperature or atmospheric pressure. Maybe when you go and check on it the temperature is rising (bubbling air out) and when you aren't watching it is cooling (sucking air in). Maybe you only check in the afternoon after work and not in the morning when it is cooler? IDK, just making things up now.

 

[flars]

Active fermentation can be over in a few days, but fermentation will still be going. Especially with a yeast like WY3724. All yeasts are not the same.
With a stir plate starters will be faster and only need to use one vial of yeast.
Larger containers will prevent those volcanoes even though there is less krausen using a stir plate.

In my opinion you have a healthy fermentation going. Three to four weeks in primary is excellent. I usually take the first SG reading at two weeks. Another one a few days later. After three weeks I'll start planning a bottling day.

 

[petrolSpice]

I have a batch of Pale Ale going now with WLP001 (w/ 1.5L starter) and it has been bubbling for about 8 days as well. Last night it was burping every ~10 seconds. It blew off pretty good during days 2-3. I'm not too worried about it, to me this means that the yeast is still working on the sugars which is a good thing.

It started at 66F for the first couple days and I've slowly ramped it up after it stopped blowing off to 70F where it has been for a couple days now.

 

[mdabbles]

So my newest batch has been bubbling for 8 days and counting. I've never had a batch show signs for more than 3-4 days. I'm seeing a burp about every 15 seconds.

I"ll share my experience with WLP001. Every batch I have done with this yeast was a super attenuator(85 + pct). My last batch was an irish red with 16 oz of honey, and it burped on for 12 days or so. So I would just let it finish out.

 

[BugDude]

Thanks for the replies all.

 

[petrolSpice]

Just checked mine right now and the bubbling has slowed to once every 30 seconds. Seems like it's finally finishing up, but I'k going to wait until 2 weeks before I take a gravity reading.