Krausen and moving to secondary question.

[BradTheGeek]

I have a batch fermenting right now in a bucket. Recipe as follows:

Here ya go:

Ingredients

8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L
1.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
9 lbs 14.4 oz Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM)
4.5 oz Amber Dry Extract (leftovers I wanted to use up)
2.00 oz Warrior [15.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 77.1 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 33.4 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safale s-05 Yeast

1.00 oz Mosaic [11.60 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 7 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 8 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Warrior [15.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 9 0.0 IBUs

Per beer smith I should have had an OG of 1.072, my boil volume was a little high, and did not boil of as much as expected. I wound up with 1.069-1.070.

Anyway, I boiled this up on 5/3/14. I proofed the yeast. Initial fermentation signs took a while, but I was struggling with low ferm chamber temps, as my homemade thermostat kept resetting to 49. The first day was at around ~50F. I got it to warm up (took another day or so due to thermal mass), and since it has been at 61F. I did want to ferment this one a little low and slow. Good bubbling started around day 3-4. It was still bubbling on 5/16. I popped the lid yesterday and there is still a huge Krausen (1-2 inches of foam mountains) on top. My past experience with S-05 tells me this should have dropped in by now.

I am heading out of town on 6/1 for 9 days. I was hoping to have this bottled before then. Do you think it is safe to rack into secondary now? I will have it airlocked. Or, should I wait for the krausen to drop? I am thinking rack to secondary today, check gravity on the 26-28th, and if stable bottle. If not stable, let sit through my trip, then come back and bottle.

Thoughts anyone? Thanks!

 

[unionrdr]

After being so cold the first couple days,it might not be quite done yet. Have you taken any hydrometer tests?

 

[Yooper]

That's really cold for S05, so that's probably why it's so sluggish. I wouldn't touch it until after the krausen drops and the beer starts to clear a bit. Then it can just go straight to bottling. Moving it now might stall it completely,

 

[BradTheGeek]

After being so cold the first couple days,it might not be quite done yet. Have you taken any hydrometer tests?

No. I have been trying to be patient and keep it buttoned up. I wasn't going to check gravity until racking to secondary. I think I will raise the temp up to about 65 today and see what happens. And maybe I will take a gravity sample later today too. Then I can see where it is at and if I am close. I would expect this to finish out somewhere in the 1.012 to 1.014 range.

 

[Takuie]

+1 to yoopers response.

Let it ride, bottle after you come back from your trip.

 

[BradTheGeek]

Thanks. I turned the therm from 60 to 65, and opened the fridge to 70F outside air for a while to aid in warming it up. Just a degree or two up and she started bubbling again. Going to wait to open it for a hyrdo reading. I think now I will rack to secondary right before my trip, dry hop on my return, and bottle later.