Fermentation wont stop!

[lnhoskins]

I brewed a iipa on December 20th. I used us-05 dry yeast, which I've used before a few times. SWMBO broke my hydrometer, and I live in Germany, so I have to wait to get one shipped, but my airlock won't stop bubbling! I had it in primary for a week, and transferred it to secondary on a dry hop because the krausen had dropped and it didnt seem active. Now it won't stop releasing gas. I knew this one would take a little longer cause I started at 1.089, but has this ever happened to anyone else?

 

[nanofreak]

How long is it between each bubble out the airlock?

 

[lnhoskins]

5-7 seconds

 

[ETCS]

How long is it between each bubble out the airlock?

Although this is a good indication of off gassing (due to change in temp probably), it is not an indication of fermentation. The best thing to do is wait for the hydrometer to come in and take a gravity. Since it has been that long, we can assume that fermentation is complete.

 

[lnhoskins]

Is it safe to bottle, or will they explode on me?

 

[nanofreak]

Although this is a good indication of off gassing (due to change in temp probably), it is not an indication of fermentation. The best thing to do is wait for the hydrometer to come in and take a gravity. Since it has been that long, we can assume that fermentation is complete.

True, but every 5-7 seconds after over 20 days may be the sign of an infection. Off gassing after that long at that rate is unusual, which is why I ask.

I would take readings over the next 3 days or so, and see if it is dropping or just CO2 coming out of solution. When you do, take a good look on top of it for anything unusual looking.

If the hydrometer doesnt drop, it is safe to bottle. If it is still moving, that may be a bad sign.

 

[wncbrewer]

I recommend waiting, I usually give my iipa (og 1.090) 4 weeks in primary before I ever even check gravity. Also, I have a belgian ipa going now that is in week nine and gravity is still falling. That particular yeast is finicky and notorious for starting and stopping. One thing I have learned over my relatively short brewing career is that time improves all beers, especially big beers. Bottling it now is the last thing I would do, given that you don't have a hydrometer

 

[Token]

What wnc said......

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

How long is it between each bubble out the airlock?

5-7 seconds

i hope we're not gauging fermentation by watching a co2 vent bubble. gravity readings, folks, are the only indicator of fermentation or lack thereof.

Although this is a good indication of off gassing (due to change in temp probably), it is not an indication of fermentation. The best thing to do is wait for the hydrometer to come in and take a gravity. Since it has been that long, we can assume that fermentation is complete.

^this^ is a good suggestion if you want to know if your beer's done and safe to bottle. hoping the airlock not bubbling means it's ok to bottle is a serious risk, bottle bombs can seriously injure people.

 

[nanofreak]

i hope we're not gauging fermentation by watching a co2 vent bubble. gravity readings, folks, are the only indicator of fermentation or lack thereof.



^this^ is a good suggestion if you want to know if your beer's done and safe to bottle. hoping the airlock not bubbling means it's ok to bottle is a serious risk, bottle bombs can seriously injure people.

It being done was never the reason it was asked. The way it was stated that it wouldn't stop bubbling with the exclamation led me to believe it was still going wild, and while an airlock isn't an indication fermentation has stopped, it can certainly be an indicator of vigorous fermentation. Was more trying to get an idea what the person was seeing that caused concern.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

It being done was never the reason it was asked. The way it was stated that it wouldn't stop bubbling with the exclamation led me to believe it was still going wild, and while an airlock isn't an indication fermentation has stopped, it can certainly be an indicator of vigorous fermentation. Was more trying to get an idea what the person was seeing that caused concern.

right, and he seemed to be thinking the bubbling airlock meant his batch was still actively fermenting. my point was that if the OP were to take a FG reading, that that reading would be an indicator of what's actually going on. it may even ease his/her mind about fermentation still happening after this period of time. example, i have a CDA in secondary, it's been there a week and it was in primary for 18 days before that. FG is stable on it and the airlock is still bubbling. conversely, i have a english brown in primary with visible signs of activity, i.e. yeast swirling around, co2 bubbles steadily surfacing, etc. the airlock on that vessel seldom bubbles. merely using an airlock as a sign of activity is silly. it's a vent for gasses to escape the fermenter, it bubbles if the temp changes outside, it bubbles when a front comes in and the barometric pressure changes, it bubbles when my cats try drink out of the water bath the carboys are in, and it bubbles when yeast is producing co2. the only way to know why it's bubbling is to take a gravity reading with a hydrometer or refractometer.

 

[lnhoskins]

Thanks for all the input. I know you can't judge fermentation by the airlock, but like I said, I'm without a hydrometer at the moment. I'm very much a rookie still. This beer is my first attempt at my own recipe. I didn't realize that other things caused gases to come out, and I guess my concern was getting it bottled because I have read that your suppose to drink hoppy beers young so the hop aromas don't dissipate. It also has quite a bit of setimate and I don't want it to create off flavors, should I rack it to a different carboy?

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Thanks for all the input. I know you can't judge fermentation by the airlock, but like I said, I'm without a hydrometer at the moment. I'm very much a rookie still. This beer is my first attempt at my own recipe. I didn't realize that other things caused gases to come out, and I guess my concern was getting it bottled because I have read that your suppose to drink hoppy beers young so the hop aromas don't dissipate. It also has quite a bit of setimate and I don't want it to create off flavors, should I rack it to a different carboy?

you're right, hoppy beers are best consumed young. but don't rush them to drink them young, with any beer you want to make sure it's fermented out to FG. an extra week or two won't leave you with fading hops aroma. grab a hydro next time you're at the LHBS, you'll really appreciate having one. gravity readings can easily answer many a brewers questions.
as far as the sediment goes, i find a few weeks in primary will clear most ales. you can also use a secondary for further clearing if you wish. there's always going to be some sediment in bottles because of the yeast carbonating the beer. as you brew more, you'll get it to where you have just a thin layer like you find in commercially bottle conditioned brews. :rocking:

 

[Brulosopher]

My airlock ALWAYS starts burping after dry hopping. Always. Just did it this morning, and it's burping aways... but done fermenting

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

My airlock ALWAYS starts burping after dry hopping. Always. Just did it this morning, and it's burping aways... but done fermenting

oh for sure. all those hops give the co2 nucleation points and a lot bubbles out of solution. i remember the first time i dry hopped, i thought i'd done something wrong and fermentation started back up in secondary! :fro:

 

[lnhoskins]

I had a hydrometer, it just broke... Thanks wife there's only one home brew store in Germany and its 5 hours away... I'm looking forward to being back in the states for the convenience. It stopped bubbling today, naturally because I started this thread, so I went ahead and bottled. It was already in secondary, I always use a secondary, if for no other reason than to justify buying 3 carboys, lol. I'm trying my English bitter for the first Time tonight, so I'm looking forward to that. Cheers!

 

[lnhoskins]

Ps I'm new to bottling, I use to keg, but can't find co2 in Germany

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I had a hydrometer, it just broke... Thanks wife

that's a common problem with us married guys.

 

[lnhoskins]

Yeah, luckily my wife loves beer, so she supports the habit

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Yeah, luckily my wife loves beer, so she supports the habit

gotta love that! mine's a beer lover and very supportive, she brews herself. somehow she still manages to break most everything glass that's in our home.