First, let me say that I understand that the airlock is not a fermentation indicator. And I understand that gravity readings are the only truly reliable indication of fermentation.
Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way... I have a 5 gal batch of high gravity black IPA in primary. I pitched Pacman 23 days ago from a 1L starter. It took off within under 12 hours, fermented strongly for nearly a week, and then settled down. Here on day 23, I still have bubbles coming out of the airlock a few times per minute. The temperature has stayed constant, around 60. The barometric pressure, of course, has risen and fallen numerous times in over 3 weeks. I've agitated the carboy to get CO2 out of solution. And yet here it is, still bubbling out of the airlock 23 days later, at about the same rate I've seen for the last two weeks. Gravity readings about a week apart have been the same, or at least similar enough that I couldn't discern a difference on my hydrometer. (About 1.020, down from 1.080 or so.) Something else that concerns me is that it has an awfully thin mouthfeel for something that, based on the numbers, should still have a decent amount of sugars left.
I posted about this batch earlier, thinking it might be infected. Now I'm not the only one. I've consulted four friends with about 35 combined years of homebrewing experience, and they're evenly split on the matter.
Any opinions will be appreciated.
Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way... I have a 5 gal batch of high gravity black IPA in primary. I pitched Pacman 23 days ago from a 1L starter. It took off within under 12 hours, fermented strongly for nearly a week, and then settled down. Here on day 23, I still have bubbles coming out of the airlock a few times per minute. The temperature has stayed constant, around 60. The barometric pressure, of course, has risen and fallen numerous times in over 3 weeks. I've agitated the carboy to get CO2 out of solution. And yet here it is, still bubbling out of the airlock 23 days later, at about the same rate I've seen for the last two weeks. Gravity readings about a week apart have been the same, or at least similar enough that I couldn't discern a difference on my hydrometer. (About 1.020, down from 1.080 or so.) Something else that concerns me is that it has an awfully thin mouthfeel for something that, based on the numbers, should still have a decent amount of sugars left.
I posted about this batch earlier, thinking it might be infected. Now I'm not the only one. I've consulted four friends with about 35 combined years of homebrewing experience, and they're evenly split on the matter.
Any opinions will be appreciated.
