Help identify the issue

[BoRock40]

Brewed a NE DIPA a week and a half ago with OG 1.077. Pitched WLP007. Added the first round of dry hops (1 oz each Citra, mosaic, el dorado) at day three of fermentation. 4 days later gravity is 1.021, no bubbling from the blow off so assume it’s done and cold crash.

I then close transfer rack into a purged keg with the second round of dry hops already in the keg. Put the keg into my chamber at 70 for max dry hop extraction. 5 days later now I am getting CO2 build up like crazy. I have to release the gas every time I go by. Could this be an infection or likely fermentation wasn’t completed? Gravity reading today matched the 1.021 from earlier so I’m really puzzled as if fermentation was still active I would assume a drop in gravity. My next step was going to be to transfer to a serving keg and serve.

Thoughts on the cause?

TIA.

 

[BoRock40]

Another thought, could it be CO2 coming out of solution due to the temp change warming from cold crash to 70?

 

[FunkedOut]

My thoughts...
CO2 coming out of solution because of temp rise or the dry hop providing nucleation sites.
Also, yeast might be metabolizing hop compounds and producing CO2 while not affecting gravity.

 

[SEndorf]

Another thought, could it be CO2 coming out of solution due to the temp change warming from cold crash to 70?

Yes. From the addition of hops and the temp change. Not to worry.

 

[BoRock40]

Thanks all!!

 

[day_trippr]

Could easily be hop creep...

Cheers!

 

[BoRock40]

Not familiar with hop creep? Can you share more?

 

[Qhrumphf]

Hop creep would usually produce a change in gravity if it's kicking off that much pressure.

Hop creep is when diastatic enzymes present in hops start to break down longer chain sugars that most yeasts won't ferment, and residual yeast left in solution begin working on them.

It does a few things-

-often creates a bunch of either diacetyl or acetolactate that later oxidizes to diacetyl
-makes the beer taste sweeter as longer chain polyasaccharides that aren't perceived as sweet are converted into mono- and disaccharides that are perceived as sweet
-residual yeast ferment those sugars resulting in lower gravity, higher ABV, and in a sealed container higher carbonation.

If the gravity isn't changing it's likely a combo of raised temp and hop particles causing CO2 nucleation.

 

[BoRock40]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

 

[isomerization]

+1 to likely all 3 of the postulated actions above occurring.