Primary Fermentation Taking Longer Than Expected...

[Atlmustang]

So...I Brewer 9 days ago a rye pale ale and I'm still a bubbling in the air lock. My Brewers best kit said 5-7 days. Should I be concerned? What does an elongated primary fermentation session mean? I am wanting to throw the dry hops in but not before the process has concluded.

 

[tgolanos]

You might not like this answer, but neither an airlock nor kit instructions are reliable. Yeast will work at its own schedule. It's not uncommon or unusual for a primary fermentation to last 2-3 weeks depending on the beer. What kind of yeast did you use?

If you don't have one, go get yourself a hydrometer. This will be your key to knowing if fermentation is finished. Take 2-3 readings over a few days and if it stays the same, you're good to dry hop/bottle/keg/whatever.

 

[JLeuck64]

Yah, I still don't understand why those kits say fermentation should be so short. It can, and in my experience, usually does take longer than what is stated in a recipe kit. Wait for it to stop bubbling, then wait some more. Then take a gravity reading and if it has reached FG then package it. If it hasn't reached FG then wait some more and repeat the process of checking the gravity until it stops dropping. Then package it.... as you brew more you will get a sense of how long you need to leave it alone before you even bother to start checking specific gravity. Fermentation really boils down to this: "It's done when it's done and doesn't necessarily care when you need to to be finished"

( ; don't know who originally said that but it's true from my observations!

 

[Atlmustang]

Totally agree with you guys. Definitely in no way was I going to open that bucket until it was done. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything wrong inside the bucket causing the yeast to eat longer. Personally I say eat up!

 

[Subdivisions]

Fermentation can be done in a week easily. It's the off-gassing of CO2 that makes everyone think that there's an active fermentation happening.

That being said, quit reading those stupid beer kit instructions. Give the beer 2 weeks minimum. Even if it quits 'bubbling' just leave it. The yeast will do some clean up on the beer, meanwhile it won't seem like anything's happening.

 

[RM-MN]

There are a couple things mentioned above that I want to reiterate. Kit instructions are poorly written and their timeline should be ignored. Airlocks lie.

Here's some information about the yeast's timeline. I find that this article assumes perfect conditions because my beers always take longer than this article suggests but the same processes go on in every beer.

http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

If your airlock is still bubbling it means one thing and one thing only. It means that there is some kind of gas escaping. That may be from dissolved CO2 coming out of the beer, it may be from fermentation, it may only be from a change in temperature or atmospheric pressure. Only by opening the fermenter and taking a hydrometer sample will you know the state of your fermentation.

Go ahead and open your fermenter and take a sample. It has been 9 days and your beer is probably at final gravity. It really won't hurt the beer to take a sample, the CO2 won't just fly out and get lost because the CO2 is 1.5 times the density of air.

Once you have a hydrometer reading, write it down with the date you took it. Take another in 3 to 5 days. Compare the two. If they match you can bottle. Be aware that bottling early means that you have more yeast in suspension and it will settle out in the bottles. If you have patience to leave the beer in the fermenter longer, much of that yeast will settle there, plus your beer will need a bit of time to mature and that can start in the fermenter instead of all of it in the bottle.

 

[jschein]

What RM-MN said except I usually will not check the gravity until at least 2 weeks but mostly 3 weeks.

 

[RM-MN]

What RM-MN said except I usually will not check the gravity until at least 2 weeks but mostly 3 weeks.

But you're probably a more experienced brewer and have finished beers in bottles or on taps. I was trying to balance between what the kit says and what you and I know.

 

[Atlmustang]

There are a couple things mentioned above that I want to reiterate. Kit instructions are poorly written and their timeline should be ignored. Airlocks lie.

Here's some information about the yeast's timeline. I find that this article assumes perfect conditions because my beers always take longer than this article suggests but the same processes go on in every beer.

http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

If your airlock is still bubbling it means one thing and one thing only. It means that there is some kind of gas escaping. That may be from dissolved CO2 coming out of the beer, it may be from fermentation, it may only be from a change in temperature or atmospheric pressure. Only by opening the fermenter and taking a hydrometer sample will you know the state of your fermentation.

Go ahead and open your fermenter and take a sample. It has been 9 days and your beer is probably at final gravity. It really won't hurt the beer to take a sample, the CO2 won't just fly out and get lost because the CO2 is 1.5 times the density of air.

Once you have a hydrometer reading, write it down with the date you took it. Take another in 3 to 5 days. Compare the two. If they match you can bottle. Be aware that bottling early means that you have more yeast in suspension and it will settle out in the bottles. If you have patience to leave the beer in the fermenter longer, much of that yeast will settle there, plus your beer will need a bit of time to mature and that can start in the fermenter instead of all of it in the bottle.

Thanks for that! That's very very helpful! Very appreciative.