Secondary Fermentation, fermenting?

[HoppyMaltPoet]

I recently brewed an IPA and let it ferment out for 2 weeks in the primary. The FG reading I took was 1.012

After I transferred into the secondary I dry hopped. The next morning I noticed that the air lock was bubbling away and that the carboy was actually fizzing on top. There are tiny bubbles rising and forming a head on top, like a carbonated beer. This has been going on for 3 days now. I have not taken another Gravity reading to see if it has dropped and is actually fermenting. I didn't want to open the secondary again until transferring to keg. I know that the secondary sometimes releases CO2 and it is not actually fermenting. I have seen this before. But never had it going for three days straight and seen a head form...not krausen. This is more like a head of foam you would see on soda. I did taste the beer when transferring to carboy for secondary and it seemed slightly carbonated to me.

Is it possible I had a stuck fermentation and it kicked back up? I guess I will probably have to take another gravity reading to be sure, right?

Also, if it did start fermenting again will this affect my dry hopping? I am assuming it would decrease my hop aroma and taste. I could probably just add another ounce once I am sure fermentation is complete.

 

[DustinHickey]

What were you fermenting in? If it tasted carbonated when you tasted it, it may be possible that co2 wasn't escaping the primary during fermentation and it actaully started carbonating the beer. Never heard of this before but it seems possible.

If that's the case, it would also make sense that after transfering to secondary where co2 can escape that it would start forming a head.

Do you use an airlock in your primary fermentation or is it one of those buckets that just kind of leaks co2?

 

[HoppyMaltPoet]

I use a plastic food grade bucket with an airlock in it. I over filled it and I had krausen coming through the airlock, so I put a blowoff tube on the airlock and fed it into a jug of water. The water did bubble as it released gas.

 

[knightbeer39]

I wouldn't sweat it. Probably had CO2 suspended in it and its being released. How did you dry hop? Did you put the hops in anything? Sometimes if I dry hop with whole hops in a muslin or grain bag, there is air trapped in the hops that releases into the beer and within a day or two it will be gone. If the beer tasted OK when you transferred and your gravity was that low I bet you are just fine. Let if sit for a week or so and take a gravity reading.

Or, to be on the safe side, you may just want to keg it right away and send it directly to me

 

[HoppyMaltPoet]

Dry hopped with an ounce of pellets no muslin or grain bag...straight into the carboy. I usually filter out with a pair of my SWMBO stockings, (boiled to sanitize of course). I don't tell her I just steal them and dispose of the packaging. It is hilarious to see her think she is going crazy while she is looking for a pair of stockings she could of sworn she just purchased...but I digress.

 

[HoppyMaltPoet]

I am also noticing that my hops are not sinking as usual. They normally start sinking over a few days but not now. I stir the carboy slightly to get the hops infused into the beer...without opening the carboy, within minutes the hops form a layer at the top.

 

[ZenBrewer]

So, this is most likely nucleation due to the hops added. If the hops are moving around do to convection currents of the brew, this could make a prolonged release of CO2.

I hadn't thought of this before now, but, the releasing of CO2 due to nucleation could lower the carbonic acid raising the pH and (slightly) increasing the yeast activity. I may be crazy, but this is an interesting though (to me anyway...).