OK, so what's going on??

[bnutting]

I have a American Honey Bitter ale that has been in secondary for two weeks. There are no bubbles in the airlock, however you can see a flurry of activity going on. If you stare at it (this seems to be a favorite pastime for myself and many people in here) you can see like a swirling of 'stuff' going around.

Like I said there are no bubbles in the airlock which seems odd. It is a 5 Gallon glass carboy with a stopper and airlock that seems to be in there pretty good (I've checked it several times).

Is this all normal? Do I just wait for the beer to 'calm down' before I bottle it? My gravity seems like it should be ready to bottle, but the activity makes me think otherwise. It also seems like everything has not settled either because the beer is still quite cloudy. I think the room is in the mid to upper 60's, is it too cold? Should I move it up stairs where it is 68F -> 72F?

So do I wait for things to clear before bottling? Should I move it?

 

[Torchiest]

I would say just leave it until it starts to clear. Whether or not it is showing activity in the airlock, if it's still swirling around it there, you should leave it. Let it settle out and calm down, and then bottle it.

 

[Brewpilot]

That seems really odd....

 

[lefteye]

try a new stopper and lock
very weird

 

[shbrewer]

Not to sound insulting, but does the stopper fit taht neck kinda snug and do you have any fluid in the airlock? I knwo but hey to diagnose a problem you have to ask stupid questions.

 

[bnutting]

Not to sound insulting, but does the stopper fit taht neck kinda snug and do you have any fluid in the airlock? I know but hey to diagnose a problem you have to ask stupid questions.

Naww the only stupid question is the one not asked.
Yeah it seems to be in there pretty good, I don't want to press too hard and risk breaking the top of the carboy. Yup there is water in the bubbler. I may try a different cap (I also have one of those siphon caps, you know the two nippled red ones). Is there a sure way to determine that the stopper is in correctly? Or do you just shove as hard as you can and assume it's in there?

I went home last night and checked things out and it seems to be starting to clear. I gave the stopper another shove before I went to work yesterday morning and when I looked last night the inside of the bubbler is pushed up where it is looks like it's about to let go of a bubble.

It looks to me now like it may have started to ferment in the secondary and that's what all the commotion was. I may not have had the stopper in well enough.

This is only our second batch so we obviously still have plenty to learn. I was just afraid that there was some kind of contamination or something. On that note, how do I know that there is some kind of contamination (I know that is kind of a general question). I mean if I had some kind of nasty thing going on, what can it look like? What are some of the things to keep an eye out for?

Again thanks to everyone for all the help!

 

[Dr Malt]

The best way to determine if you have contamination without a microbiology lab in your kitchen is to smell and taste your beer. Smelling can be a little tricky as fermenting beer can have some off odors and still be fine. It is not uncommon to smell sulfur, rotten eggs and buttery smells. Tasting is a little better. It will be a bit bitter from the hops and some degree of yeasty and worty. If you have not already done so, it is a good idea to taste a little of your beer at each step in its preparation so you get familiar with what it should taste like. If it taste sour or smells like vinegar, you have some contamination, unless you are making Belgian beer. Also beer that has a bacterial contamination can have a cloudy sheen to it. Its hard to describe but once you see it you will remember it. Sorry I can not be more descriptive here.

I hope this helps.

Dr Malt

 

[Brewpilot]

Churning with no bubbles is really odd