Renewed airlock activity

[RedHouse]

I brewed an extract and specialty grains porter about 3 weeks ago. I used Danstar Windsor dry yeast. It fermented quite nicely for about 3 days then settled down and bubbled every now and again. But, starting yesterday, the airlock has been bubbling once every 5 seconds or so. I opened the lid to take a peek, and there is some foam(looks like a coarse brown head) on the top of the beer, but it doesn't smell bad or anything like that.

Any cause for concern?

 

[robbyg]

Airlock activity is not a sign of fermentation, and lack of airlock activity does not predict a lack of fermentation. The only real, easy way to tell how your fermentation is progressing is to take a hydrometer reading.

That having been said, I doubt you have anything to worry about. It could be something as simple as a change in temperature causing some CO2 to come out of solution, bubbling your beer a bit on the way. I would expect brown bubbles on a porter.

 

[osagedr]

I brewed an extract and specialty grains porter about 3 weeks ago. I used Danstar Windsor dry yeast. It fermented quite nicely for about 3 days then settled down and bubbled every now and again. But, starting yesterday, the airlock has been bubbling once every 5 seconds or so. I opened the lid to take a peek, and there is some foam(looks like a coarse brown head) on the top of the beer, but it doesn't smell bad or anything like that.

Any cause for concern?

What's your SG?

 

[RedHouse]

What's your SG?

I haven't checked it since it went into the primary. Right after brewing it was 1.061.

I plan on bottling next week, so I'll check it for three days before hand.

 

[BrewDocND]

I'm a relative n00b, about 20 batches into the hobby. The best thing I've done for the quality of my beers is to ignore them. I get the fermentation temp stable in the yeasts happy zone and stay out of the way. Frankly, I don't give a crap if the airlock is bubbling or not.

In my understanding, the smell of an infected beer will make you want to puke.

 

[wacko]

In my understanding, the smell of an infected beer will make you want to puke.

and cry

 

[RedHouse]

Thanks guys....I'll just give it another week, and then check the SG to make sure it's done before I bottle. The temps have been pretty stable, right around 64 degrees. It just seemed odd that all of a sudden, it would start bubbling away again.

 

[Revvy]

If you have a "course brown head" that sounds like you have a krausen. You MAY have had a stuck, or slow, ferementation, and a change in temp caused it to start rocking again. I would even contemplate bottling next week if there's still krausen happening, but I WOULD encourage you to take a hydro reading now, to see where on the range between OG and Target SG you really are. It will paint a picture of where on the journey the yeast are at.

 

[RedHouse]

Thanks Revvy. The estimated gravities were listed as: OG-1.047 FG-1.013

My OG was 1.061...a bit off from the estimate. And right now, three weeks later, it's at 1.026. So it seems like it has some more fermenting to do?

I tasted the sample and it's pretty darn good. A bit green, but no funky off flavors that I could detect.