Very long active fermentation & dry hopping question

[Kozzer]

So I've done an extract recipe, a smaller beer with an OG of about 1.040. I brewed it on 9/30, and it started bubbling in the airlock at about 24 hours. It's been bubbling since, though vastly slowed down, but it's still 11 days after brew day. I used 3.3lbs liquid wheat extract, and 3.3lbs liquid pale extract, with US-05 as my yeast.

My question is, does an 11 day (still) active fermentation raise any alarm bells? I've got 8 completed batches under my belt, and none of them have come even close to 11 days, even my previous use of US-05 in a bigger beer (~1.050).

Second, since my pipeline is getting thin, I'd rather not wait too long to dry hop, so that I can bottle in maybe a week or two from today. If there's still a little bit of activity in the airlock, is it OK to drop the hop pellets in, or should I definitely wait for all airlock activity to stop?

I understand waiting longer will make a better beer, but this beer is honestly just a "have some beer to drink" session type beer, not something I want to be the best ever or enter into contests. So I'm asking more in a "will it have a negative effect" line of thinking rather than trying to eek out the last bit of quality flavor.

Thanks!

 

[eltorrente]

It's probably just out-gassing co2 that has built up during fermentation. It's probably done, but the only way to know for sure is to take a hydrometer reading (or two).

When I see that fermentation is basically done - meaning the yeast has dropped out, and the beer is starting to clear up, I give my carboy a swirl or two for a couple days. This helps knock off trub stuck to the sides of the carboy, drops yeast rafts off the surface, and promotes out-gassing. Sometimes a significant amount of co2 bubbles up when I do this.

 

[bethebrew]

What is your temperature now? How warm did you ferment it? If it is lower maybe that is making things take a little longer. They can glug occasionally for a while longer than you might think. Maybe you have some Brett or something in there too.

 

[Kozzer]

It's probably just out-gassing co2 that has built up during fermentation. It's probably done, but the only way to know for sure is to take a hydrometer reading (or two).

When I see that fermentation is basically done - meaning the yeast has dropped out, and the beer is starting to clear up, I give my carboy a swirl or two for a couple days. This helps knock off trub stuck to the sides of the carboy, drops yeast rafts off the surface, and promotes out-gassing. Sometimes a significant amount of co2 bubbles up when I do this.

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll take a reading, and if it's at or under 1.010 I'll just drop the pellets in (assuming the krausen has fallen).

 

[Kozzer]

What is your temperature now? How warm did you ferment it? If it is lower maybe that is making things take a little longer. They can glug occasionally for a while longer than you might think. Maybe you have some Brett or something in there too.

It was in the upper 60's reaching 70 for the first 2 or 3 days, then slowly descended down to about 60.

What is Brett?

 

[eltorrente]

It was in the upper 60's reaching 70 for the first 2 or 3 days, then slowly descended down to about 60.

What is Brett?

Brett is an infection. Don't worry, you don't have that. Some people get nasty infections in their beers, but it shouldn't be an issue if you used good cleaning and sanitation procedures. I've been brewing since 1995 and never once had an infection - but some people get them fairly often.

Your beer is probably just out-gassing. Don't give infection(s) a second thought unless you see some gross crap growing in there and/or it tastes sour and horrible.

 

[Kozzer]

I'm not worried about an infection. I haven't had one yet, and I do a reasonably good job of keeping anything that comes into contact with post-boil wort or the yeast nice and sanitized. I'm more concerned with jumping the gun if I add the hop pellets while there is still any activity in the airlock, but it doesn't sound like it'll be a problem.

 

[eltorrente]

Normally, when it's bubbling slowly, it's just out-gassing, especially after this long in the primary. Of course, do a hydrometer reading, and if it's within your projected FG range, it's probably done.

Bubbling so slowly means that you don't need to worry about the co2 carrying away your aroma from dryhops. At any rate, for peace of mind, just give your fermenter a "swirl" or two.

Slowly rotate your fermenter in light circles and get the beer/wort rotating at a moderate pace, and you'll likely see the bubbling increase for a while. This will get co2 out more quickly than just waiting it out. You'll likely see the bubbler get pretty active for a while when doing this. It isn't necessary, really - but no harm doing it. You'll get some peace of mind, at least, then add your dry hops.

 

[Kozzer]

Normally, when it's bubbling slowly, it's just out-gassing, especially after this long in the primary. Of course, do a hydrometer reading, and if it's within your projected FG range, it's probably done.

Bubbling so slowly means that you don't need to worry about the co2 carrying away your aroma from dryhops. At any rate, for peace of mind, just give your fermenter a "swirl" or two.

Slowly rotate your fermenter in light circles and get the beer/wort rotating at a moderate pace, and you'll likely see the bubbling increase for a while. This will get co2 out more quickly than just waiting it out. You'll likely see the bubbler get pretty active for a while when doing this. It isn't necessary, really - but no harm doing it. You'll get some peace of mind, at least, then add your dry hops.

Ok, sounds good, I'll take a hydrometer reading, give the fermenter a few swirls to get the beer moving around a little bit, put the lid back on for a while, and then later throw the hops in. Thanks!

 

[eltorrente]

Ok, sounds good, I'll take a hydrometer reading, give the fermenter a few swirls to get the beer moving around a little bit, put the lid back on for a while, and then later throw the hops in. Thanks!

Swirl it with your lid on and airlock in place, in fact you should do it before taking a hydrometer reading - just to ensure you haven't introduced O2 into the fermenter.

 

[Kozzer]

Swirl it with your lid on and airlock in place, in fact you should do it before taking a hydrometer reading - just to ensure you haven't introduced O2 into the fermenter.

That makes much more sense.

Step 1: swirl
Step 2: let it settle down for a little while
Step 3: open it up and take a hydrometer reading
Step 4: if about at FG, drop hop pellets in

 

[Kozzer]

Ok so I did all that. Gravity came out to 1.010, threw the hops in. It's pretty tasty, and pretty carbonated. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[bethebrew]

Ok so I did all that. Gravity came out to 1.010, threw the hops in. It's pretty tasty, and pretty carbonated. Thanks for the help guys!

Good deal.

ps Brett isn't always a bad thing, if you like how wet horse blankets smell. Used in lambics when it's the "right" Brett.