Is It Still Going?

[Saint Arnould]

So.....I was brewing a clone of Dogfish Head's Midas Touch (Malt, Honey, and grape juice in the bill). It's a 9% ABV, so it's heavy, but nothing outrageous. My LHBS gave me Safale S-05 to use. I brewed it up, pitched the yeast straight on (no starter), fermented swamp cooler style, with an ambient a little over 60 F. Two weeks later I racked to secondary. Once it got in there, it foamed up. Two weeks later, I added some oak, and there was still foam and bubbles. Now on week 5 of this little drama, and I still have krausen!! I ditched the swamp cooling, so the temp went up a few degrees, but the airlock still pumps, and there is still this foamy head on this thing. Is it still fermenting?

 

[clemson55]

Take a hydro reading then take another in 2 days if your gravity is stable its not fermenting if it dropped it is.

Where did you get the clone recipe for Midas Touch? That stuff is so good, I'd love to brew up a batch.
Also why did you add the oak? I dont recall any oak type flavors in it and the recipe is made from residue found in a bowl that was thousands of years old in the middle east so I dont think they'd have had oak or barrels for aging anyway they would have most likely stored in a clay vessel.

 

[Saint Arnould]

It's in the book...."Extreme Brewing" from the DFH main brewer guy. It;s got a lot of their standards, like 60 min IPA.

I thought the oaking might add to the hybrid nature of the beverage (beer/mead/wine). Just something different...

 

[RLinNH]

Hydro readings are the only way to know if Fermentation is complete.