Dry hopping question

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by comfortablynirm, Apr 26, 2014.

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  1. comfortablynirm

    comfortablynirm Initiate (0) Aug 19, 2008 Pennsylvania

    Hello all,

    Fourth time brewer posting here. I am very confused with what is going on with my IPA and thought I'd post here for any advice or feedback. I brewed it on March 29th and everything was seeming ok until I dry hopped with whole leaf Simcoe and Mosaic pellets two weeks later on April 12th. I thought fermentation was done when I dry hopped but the airlock has been bubbling ever since (two weeks now).

    Common sense tells me that it's still fermenting, but is there any chance that the dry hops are causing the continuous bubbling? Any possibility that taking the beer off the hops to bottle is safe and advisable? It just seems very odd to me that it would still be fermenting a month after brewing. I have had to move the carboy a couple times and it seems to bubble more frequently after being agitated, and I seem to see bubbles forming around the whole flower hops at the surface of the liquid when this happens. I haven't taken any gravity measurements because I don't have anything long enough to reach the liquid surface in the carboy (I need to get one of those wine thief devices).

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
     
    #1 comfortablynirm, Apr 26, 2014
  2. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    No worries. You have residual co2 in the beer from fermentation. The nucleation points of the hops are causing it to bubble and release from the beer. Moving it also makes it bubble as you are releasing co2 that is still in the beer.

    Chances are, it was done fermenting when you dry hopped it. Don't worry about any bubbles in your airlock.
     
    #2 FATC1TY, Apr 26, 2014
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  3. hoptualBrew

    hoptualBrew Initiate (0) May 29, 2011 Florida

    I agree with FATC1TY, but best thing you can do is get a long thief for next batch. When you see no fermentation activity and the yeast have seemed to fall out of suspension, take a gravity read & follow up with another gravity read in 3-5 days. If no further attenuation, your good to go.

    Right now, my typical saison ferment hits final gravity in about 6 days. So at day 6, I'll take a read and then again at day 11 to ensure. Then I cold crash and rack to conditioning tank (keg).

    Typical Brett fermentation takes a little longer between 10-14 days. Same here, I'll take a reading at day 10, if it's still not to final gravity, again at 14, and then again about 5 days later, at day 15 or 19 respectively, to ensure, Then cold crash etc...
     
    #3 hoptualBrew, Apr 26, 2014
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  4. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Yes, you do.

    You've answered your own question, or rather offered yourself the correct solution. Without gravity readings, we're just guessing. Maybe good, educated guesses (nucleation points etc), but still guesses.
     
    #4 VikeMan, Apr 26, 2014
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  5. AlCaponeJunior

    AlCaponeJunior Grand Pooh-Bah (3,452) May 21, 2010 Texas
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Agreed.

    "PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!"

    Airlocks should only have a check-window viewing port so you can see if there's still liquid in there or not. More confusion is associated with airlock activity and homebrewers than is associated with fox news and what really happened today. :rolling_eyes:
     
    #5 AlCaponeJunior, Apr 26, 2014
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  6. comfortablynirm

    comfortablynirm Initiate (0) Aug 19, 2008 Pennsylvania

    Thank you all. The homebrew shop told me that I had dry hopped too soon and that it wasn't done fermenting (granted that it was a week ago that I asked them about it). What everyone is saying here is more in line with my observations. I appreciate the reassurance. I guess I will bottle tonight!
     
    #6 comfortablynirm, Apr 26, 2014
  7. hoptualBrew

    hoptualBrew Initiate (0) May 29, 2011 Florida

    Just double checking, you don't bottle right from the primary fermenter eh?
     
    #7 hoptualBrew, Apr 26, 2014
  8. comfortablynirm

    comfortablynirm Initiate (0) Aug 19, 2008 Pennsylvania

    It's in my secondary currently... Will rack to the plastic primary fermenter/bottling bucket...
     
    #8 comfortablynirm, Apr 26, 2014
  9. HerbMeowing

    HerbMeowing Maven (1,295) Nov 10, 2010 Virginia
    Trader

    RDWHAHB
     
    #9 HerbMeowing, Apr 27, 2014
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  10. Wanda

    Wanda Zealot (518) Nov 23, 2006 Tennessee

    Huh? Enhance please.
     
    #10 Wanda, Apr 27, 2014
  11. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Home Brew
     
    #11 VikeMan, Apr 27, 2014
  12. Wanda

    Wanda Zealot (518) Nov 23, 2006 Tennessee

    Roger that! Thanks.
     
    #12 Wanda, Apr 28, 2014
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