Fermentation re-started after dry-hop?

[eric_f]

Hi all,

I was just about to cold crash these two before bottling as they've been dry-hopped for five days. When I opened the cabinet, I noticed that the one on the right looks visibly "churny" almost like it's started fermenting again. These have been in the primaries for just under 3 weeks now, are both the same IPA recipe, with the same OG (1.070). I don't take FG readings until transferring to the bottling bucket for obvious reasons that it would cut into the finished product Both fermented with half of a US-05 at 63-65 degrees ambient.


The only difference is that the right one fermented harder at first and actually blew-off a sizable amount of krausen.

Ideas? I've never seen this before. I think I'll just cold crash the left one and let the right one go about its business and see what happens. There's no off smell and it tastes alright, albeit yeasty.

~Eric

 

[duboman]

I would suggest you take a gravity reading as it's the only way to really know if the beer is done

 

[eric_f]

I would suggest you take a gravity reading as it's the only way to really know if the beer is done

I'll do that, but I'm gonna wait it out until the activity dies down. It's definitely fermenting again.

 

[duboman]

I'll do that, but I'm gonna wait it out until the activity dies down. It's definitely fermenting again.

Then it wasn't done and now your dry hop won't be as effective as the beer will be off gassing all those nice aromas-bummer;(

 

[eric_f]

Oh well, I've got more homegrown hops I can throw at it. It's surely scrubbing the aromas. I can smell it every time I open the cabinet.

 

[Yooper]

Then it wasn't done and now your dry hop won't be as effective as the beer will be off gassing all those nice aromas-bummer;(

That's why it's so important to wait until fermentation is finished, and the beer is starting to clear- because the yeast will "pull" out hops oils when it falls out, and the aroma will blow off a bit when the co2 goes out the airlock.

You could always wait for it to finish up, and then re-dryhop to get fresh hops aroma and flavor into the beer before packaging.

If you don't want to bother with SG readings (but I do), you could always wait until the beer is clear, and then dryhop. In general, a clear beer is a finished beer.

 

[eric_f]

Yeah it was clear, both cleared up within one week. I waited until the 2 week mark to dryhop for five days, cold crash for 2, then bottle. Failed this time, I guess.

The only thing I can think of is that it was disturbed somehow by taking it to the counter and adding the hops. Last I checked on it was three days ago (clear then) so it's a fairly recent event.